ABSTRACT
Tocotrienols have gained more attention in recent years because of their bene•cial effects in many health-related problems not observed with the other component of the vitamin E family, the tocopherols (Agarwal et al., 2010; Berbee et al., 2009; Ghosh et al., 2009; Kulkarni et al., 2010; Sylvester et al., 2010; Tan, 2005). Structurally, tocopherols and tocotrienols, collectively known as tocols, are closely related in having a chromanol head and a lipophilic tail, but differing in the nature of the chromanol side chain. They show widely varying degrees of biological effectiveness. The biological activity of vitamin E constituents is governed not only by their chemical structure but also by their ability to be absorbed and delivered to the plasma and target tissues, and by their ability to be retained at the site of action in suf•cient quantity to afford the desired pharmacological response.
