Effect of α-tocopherol and sesame lignans on tocotrienol metabolism in rats and mice

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It is well known that α -tocopherol has the highest vitamin E activity because it has the highest affinity with α-TTP in the liver. We found that α-tocopherol enhances the α-tocotrienol metabolism but not the γ-tocotrienol metabolism in rats. We observed that sesame seed and its lignans produced higher concentrations of vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) in the animal body. We could prove that the primary cause of high vitamin E concentrations in rats fed sesame seed is that sesame lignans inhibit the degradation of vitamin E to CEHC. We also found that tocotrienol distribution in the animal body is different from that of tocopherol, and that tocotrienol is present specifically in the skin and adipose tissues. Dietary tocotrienol accumulated in the skin prevents oxidative damage induced by UVB irradiation and is a more powerful antioxidant than α-tocopherol. Sesame seed and its lignans induce higher tocotrienol concentrations in the skin and adipose tissues, and act together with tocotrienol to prevent oxidative damage induced by UVB irradiation.