Advances in Genetic Improvement for Tocotrienol Production: A Review

Abstract

Summary Tocotrienols are forms of vitamin E that are present in several important food crops. Compared to tocopherols, less research has been conducted on these compounds because of their low bioavailability and distribution in plant tissues. Both tocotrienols and tocopherols are known for their antioxidant and anticancer activities, which are beneficial for both humans and animals. Moreover, tocotrienols possess certain properties which are not found in tocopherols, such as neuroprotective and cholesterol-lowering activities. The contents of tocotrienols in plants vary. Tocotrienols constitute more than 70% and tocopherols less than 30% of the total vitamin E content in palm oil, which is the best source of vitamin E. Accumulation of tocotrienols also occurs in non-photosynthetic tissues, such as the seeds, fruits and latex of some monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plant species. The use of biotechnological techniques to increase the tocotrienol content in plants, their biological functions, and benefits to human health are discussed in this review.

Effects of δ‐tocotrienol on ochratoxin A—induced nephrotoxicity in rats

“…Thus, in order to protect, at least in part, against OTA‐induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress several molecules, with various antioxidant properties, were tested in vivo or in vitro, such as vitamin E (Fusi et al, ), catechins (Costa, Utan, Cervellati, Speroni, & Guerra, ), and licopene (Palabiyik et al, ). Specifically, tocotrienols are forms of vitamin E that are present in several important food crops (Babura, Abdullah, & Khaza Ai, ). The antioxidant activity of vitamin E prevents lipid peroxidation propagation and is beneficial for human health (Zhang, Cahoon, Hunter, Chen, Han, & Cahoon, ).…”

Production of Vitamin E in Erwinia herbicola Bearing the Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin Gene (vgb+)

“…Currently, microbiology has an important place in the global industry, especially in the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries [25,28]. The production of vitamin E was studied in E. herbicola and in its recombinant harboring the vgb.…”

“…Vitamin E is an important lipophilic antioxidant [24][25][26][27][28][29]. In addition, it has both anti-inflammatory effects and protective against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative and other diseases [29].…”

“…It uses genetic engineering as a powerful tool to do this, thereby manipulating metabolic pathways to achieve effective production. Recombinant DNA technology has also been used in strain improvement to enhance yield [28,32]. There are limited studies on the production of vitamin E by making genetic modifications on microorganisms [32][33][34][35][36].…”

Assessing the Metabolic Impact of Ground Chia Seed in Overweight and Obese Prepubescent Children: Results of a Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

“…[11][12][13][14][15] Vitamin E includes two groups of compounds, tocopherols and tocotrienols, each composed of four vitamers, namely, a, b, c, and d. Since this vitamin exerts a protective effect against lipid peroxidation in cell membranes and lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL), vitamin E compounds are characterized by their antioxidant effects. 16,17 It is believed that these micronutrients can modulate the expression of some genes through nuclear signaling. Among the effects observed in several pathways, it has been observed that atocopherol can modulate gene transcription factors, such as NF-jb.…”