Tocotrienol is a potent cholesterol lowering agent. Its mechanism is that tocotrienol affects cholesterol biosynthesis in mammalian cells through post-transcriptional inhibition of HMG-C0A reductase.
Cholesterol is the major sterol in vertebrates and is the precursor of bile acids, steroid hormones. Excessive cholesterol in the blood is one of the causes of cardiovascular disease, especially high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which are positively correlated with cardiovascular disease. Higher blood cholesterol concentrations do increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
So what is tocotrienol?
Tocotrienol is very close to tocopherol in chemical structure, the only difference is the side chain.
What is the cholesterol lowering effect of tocotrienols?
A study of the effectiveness of taking tocotrienols in hypercholesterolemic patients showed significant cholesterol-lowering effects. In particular, pureγ-tocotrienol and δ-tocotrienol are the most effective cholesterol-lowering components. In addition, synthetic γ-tocotrienol and δ-tocotrienol have much higher inhibitory activity on HMG-C0A reductase than α-tocotrienol.
Mechanism of the cholesterol-lowering effect of tocotrienols
There is a close causal relationship between high levels of cholesterol and atherosclerosis, and tocotrienol-induced cholesterol reduction is associated with decreased hepatic HMG-C0A reductase activity. Tocotrienol can change the transcription rate of HMG-C0A reductase gene and the translation efficiency of HMG-COA reductase to mRNA, and increase the decomposition rate of HMG-C0A reductase.
Tocotrienols have beneficial effects on apolipoproteins in humans. Thromoxane A2 is a prostaglandin-derived endoperoxide that is a potent inducer of platelet aggregation, platelet release responses, and smooth muscle (vascular) contraction. Its half-life is about half a minute, and it is rapidly hydrolyzed into thromboxane B2. It can be seen that the measured amount of thromboxane B2 can represent the amount of thromboxane A2 produced. Tocotrienol can reduce the level of thromboxane B2 by 25% and platelet aggregation by 15-30%. It can be seen that the antithrombotic effect of tocotrienol is also obvious.
Due to its desirable antioxidant properties, tocotrienols are the most potent lipid-soluble free radical chain-interrupting antioxidants. Tocotrienol has the function of reducing platelet aggregation and thromboxane B2 levels, so it is also a good antithrombotic agent. In addition, tocotrienols have a tumor-regressive effect, which is also a desirable and important property. Tocotrienols have outstanding medicinal functions such as anti-hypercholesterolemia, anti-thrombosis, anti-tumor, etc., making it a research hotspot in biochemistry, food, food, and nutrition and health products. Tocotrienols are mainly found in cereals (such as rice bran and oats). Palm oil is also a rich source of natural tocotrienols. UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) has also listed rice bran as a fully utilized raw material.
HSF Biotech provides high quality Natural Vitamin E Tocotrienols, extracted from rice bran or palm.