This preclinical study finds that tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) reduces microglial NO/ROS, downregulates RelA/TNF-α/IL-6 and upregulates NFE2L2 and BDNF, with improved cognition in a rat pilot, indicating anti-inflammatory and antioxidant neuroprotective effects.

Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are key drivers of Parkinson's pathology, so TRF's modulation of NF-κB and Nrf2 pathways suggests translational repurposing potential, but lack of PD-specific models and dopaminergic/alpha-synuclein data means focused follow-up is needed.

Neuroinflammation is a chronic inflammatory response that contributes to synaptic dysfunction and neuronal damage, it is a common feature among various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Huntington's Disease (HD). Tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) is a form of vitamin E that is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. Yet, it has not been adequately investigated in both cellular and animal neuroinflammation models. In this study, the potential therapeutic effects of TRF were investigated in-vitro using BV2 microglial cells and also in-vivo in a pilot study using Sprague Dawley rats. TRF at 5 and 10 µg/mL were found to reduce nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Furthermore, in-vivo treatment with TRF significantly increases the recognition index implying improvement in cognition ability. Gene expression analysis showed downregulation of RelA, TNF-α and IL-6 while NFE2L2 and BDNF were upregulated. These findings suggests that TRF may help mitigates neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, indicating its potential as a candidature for further investigation in neurodegenerative diseases associated with chronic neuroinflammation.