Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction from Palm Oil Prevents Oxidative Damage in Diabetic Rats

Objectives: this study was carried out to determine the effects of tocotrienol-rich fraction (trf) (200 mg/kg) on biomarkers of oxidative stress on erythrocyte membranes and leukocyte deoxyribonucleic acid (dna) damage in streptozotocin (stz)-induced diabetic rats. methods: male rats (n = 40) were divided randomly into four groups of 10: a normal group; a normal group with trf; a diabetic group, and a diabetic group with trf. following four weeks of treatment, fasting blood glucose (fbg) levels, oxidative stress markers and the antioxidant status of the erythrocytes were measured. results: fbg levels for the stz-induced diabetic rats were significantly increased (p <0.001) when compared to the normal group and erythrocyte malondialdehyde levels were also significantly higher (p <0.0001) in this group. decreased levels of reduced glutathione and increased levels of oxidised glutathione (p <0.001) were observed in stz-induced diabetic rats when compared to the control group and diabetic group with trf. the results of the superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were significantly lower in the stz-induced diabetic rats than in the normal group (p <0.001). the levels of dna damage, measured by the tail length and tail moment of the leukocyte, were significantly higher in stz-induced diabetic (p <0.0001). trf supplementation managed to normalise the level of dna damage in diabetic rats treated with trf. conclusion: daily supplementation with 200 mg/kg of trf for four weeks was found to reduce levels of oxidative stress markers by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and increasing the levels of antioxidant status in a prevention trial for stz-induced diabetic rats.