The vitamin E complex includes chemicals called tocopherols (TCP) and tocotrienols (TCT), of which the tocopherols are the best known. Studies are being done to find out more about the tocotrienols that have been studied very little. The tocotrienols are known to block neuronal cell death caused by glutamate, but the tocopherols do not. Glutamate damage is a major cause of neuronal or nerve cell death.
Reduced glutathione is known to play a significant part in the protection of neurons from neurodegeneration. Neurons are known to be rich in arachidonic acid that makes them sensitive to cell death when there are low levels of reduced glutathione. This process was found by the authors to be reduced when they gave low doses of TCT. The brain is known to retain vitamin E even when the diet is vitamin E deficient.
The present study alpha-tocotrienol treated rats were protected from injury to the brain caused by stroke or blockage of circulation to the brain. The TCT pretreated rats were compared to untreated controls and with TCP pretreated rats.
CONCLUSION: The alpha-tocotrienol type of vitamin E protected against neurodegeneration, but the alpha-tocopherol type of vitamin E did not show the same type of protection. The authors say that “this study demonstrated that oral TCT supplementation may protect against stroke in vivo” or in live animals.
To read the author’s abstract click on the link to the author’s title above.
PMID: 16166580.
Summary #017.
