Partner Series—Natural Vitamin E Tocotrienol in Neuroprotection and Stroke Prevention

INSIDER Partner Series

Vitamin E is a generic term for tocopherols (TCPs) and tocotrienols (TCTs). Although TCPs have been widely studied for decades, the significance of α-TCT as the most potent neuroprotective forms of natural vitamin E has been uncovered only recently. In 1999, we first reported that nanomolar concentrations of α-TCT, not α-TCP, prevent stroke-associated neurodegeneration. Since then several other laboratories have reported potent neuroprotective effects of tocotrienol, superior than tocopherol, in several experimental systems. During the course of the last decade we have systematically elucidated four major mechanisms by which palm tocotrienol may rescue affected neural tissue during stroke: inhibition of c-Src and 12-Lox pathways of neurodegeneration, induction of MRP-1 – a survival factor, and promotion of stroke-site perfusion by enhancing collateral flow as detected by video angiography. The c-Src pathway was published in 2000. The 12-Lox pathway was published in 2003 and 2005. In 2011, the MRP-1 was published in Stroke. Finally, the pre-clinical studies addressing efficacy to protect against stroke were published in 2011 in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. In both rodent as well as canine studies we observed that oral palm tocotrienol supplements (Tocomin SupraBio^®, Carotech Inc.) protects against stroke. A study on over 100 humans in our laboratory recognized oral tocotrienol as being bioavailable to all vital organs studied – including brain. Taken, together the findings during the last decade are compelling setting the stage for a clinical trial. Neuroprotective as well as hypocholesterolemic properties of tocotrienol make it a good candidate for nutrition-based intervention in people at high risk for stroke. Transient ischemic attack (TIA), or mini-stroke, serves as a sentinel warning sign for high-risk stroke patients. Prophylactic stroke therapy therefore provides an opportunity for intervention in TIA patients prior to a major stroke event. Outcomes of the current study warrant clinical assessment of palm tocotrienol supplements (Tocomin SupraBio^®, Carotech Inc.) in TIA patients. Furthermore, palm tocotrienol complex is a nutrient that is certified by the US FDA to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS; GRN307) and not a drug with potential side effects. Thus, palm tocotrienol complex may be considered as a preventive nutritional countermeasure for people at high risk for stroke. (THIS WEBINAR IS SOLELY AIMED AT DISSEMINATING RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE TO ADVANCE SCIENCE).

Learn about:

• What do people not know about natural vitamin E? The tocotrienol family
• That α-tocotrienol can help prevent death of nerve cells at very low concentrations
• That such low concentrations of α-tocotrienol can be achieved in the human blood stream following oral supplementation
• That in pre-clinical studies, small and large animals, α-tocotrienol has repeatedly protected against stroke induced injury to the brain
• That in addition to protecting nerve cells, α-tocotrienol may help provide blood supply to the stroke affected parts of the brain

Speaker:

Dr. Chandan Sen is a tenured Professor of Surgery and the Executive Director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Wound Center. He is also the Associate Dean for Research at The Ohio State University Medical Center. After completing his Masters of Science in Human Physiology from the University of Calcutta, Dr. Sen received his PhD in Physiology from the University of Kuopio in Finland. Dr. Sen trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Berkeley’s Molecular and Cell Biology department. His first faculty appointment was in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. In fall of 2000, Dr. Sen moved to the Ohio State University where he established a program on tissue injury and repair. Currently, Dr. Sen is a Professor and Vice Chair of Research of Surgery. His research program is housed in the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute where he serves as a Deputy Director and the Director of the Regenerative Medicine Program. Dr. Sen is a widely recognized expert in redox and oxygen biology. He is the author of the most cited original work published during the last decade on tocotrienols. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the #1 rated journal in redox biology Antioxidants & Redox Signaling (impact factor 8.209). He is also an Associate Editor of the prestigious American Physiological Society journal Physiology Genomics. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Wound Healing Society’s bimonthly journal Advances in Wound Care. Dr. Sen has published over 250 publications and is cited over 900 times in the literature annually.

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