Unlike the tocopherols, the tocotrienols, also members of the vitamin E family, have an unsaturated isoprenoid side chain. In contrast to extensive studies on tocopherol, very little is known about tocotrienol. Because the nuclear factor-B (NF-B) pathway has a central role in tumorigenesis, we investigated the effect of ␥-tocotrienol on the NF-B pathway. Although ␥-tocotrienol completely abolished tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF)-induced NF-B activation, a similar dose of ␥-tocopherol had no effect. Besides TNF, ␥-tocotrienol also abolished NF-B activation induced by phorbol myristate acetate, okadaic acid, lipopolysaccharide, cigarette smoke, interleukin-1, and epidermal growth factor. Constitutive NF-B activation expressed by certain tumor cells was also abrogated by ␥-tocotrienol. Reducing agent had no effect on the ␥-tocotrienol-