Carotech announces new study linking Tocomin® to protection against stroke-induced neurodegeneration

04/11/05 Carotech announced the publication of the NIH-funded study conducted at the Ohio State University Medical Center that confirms earlier studies suggesting that Tocomin® natural full spectrum palm tocotrienol complex may significantly benefits stroke-induced neurodegeneration.

Published in the October issue of the American Heart Association’s journal STROKE, Tocomin® showed significant protection against stroke-induced injury compared with matched controls.

In a previous study, Professor Chandan Sen from the OSU Medical Center showed that the tocotrienol crosses the blood-brain barrier and in neuronal cells, nanomolar level of alpha-tocotrienol but not alpha-tocopherol (the regular vitamin E) blocked glutamate-induced cell death. Glutamate-induced toxicity is a major contributor to pathological cell death within the nervous system.

In the current study, to further explore the effects of tocotrienol and its neuroprotective mechanism, the researchers supplemented spontaneously-hypertensive rats with Tocomin® natural palm tocotrienol complex. The animal model chosen for the trial is commonly used in stroke research as hypertension represents one of the major risk factors for stroke.  The brain infarct volume was measured 24 hours subsequent to stroke.

Oral supplementation with Tocomin® in spontaneously-hypertensive rats lead to increased brain levels of tocotrienols. This unique form of vitamin E at subattomole quantity protected neurons from glutamate-challenge, consistent with previous reports that at low doses, the neuroprotective property of tocotrienol is not shared by tocopherol. The regular vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) had no effect at such low doses.

Rats supplemented with Tocomin® showed more protection against stroke-induced injury compared to unsupplemented controls. The neuroprotective effect was associated with suppression of stroke-associated c-Src activation, which is a key mechanism that contributes to neurodegeneration.  Next, Prof. Sen went on to identify that 12-lipoygenase as another tocotrienol-sensitive molecular check-point that proved to be critical in executing neuron deaths. Tocotrienol lowers the tyrosine phosphorylation of 12-lipoxygenase and hence protects the neurons from apoptosis. The site of action is in the cytosol and not nuclear.

This study demonstrates that oral supplementation with Tocomin® may protect against stroke. Tocotrienols effectively modulates two key molecular check-points - the c-Src and 12-lipoxygenase activity to favour survival of the neurons.

Carotech Inc, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carotech Bhd, Malaysia. Carotech, a public listed company in Malaysia (Malaysian Securities Exchange Board under the high-technology / high growth, MESDAQ Board), is the largest producer of tocotrienol in the world via its patented technology. Carotech Bhd is a subsidiary of Hovid Bhd., one of the largest GMP-certified pharmaceutical companies in Malaysia.

www.carotech.net