Daily Supplementation of High Doses of Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction From Palm Oil Produced No Toxic Effects in Healthy Mice.

The vitamin E derived from palm oil, known as the tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF), has been reported to possess potent anticancer and immunomodulatory effects in numerous cell-based and animal models of breast cancer (BC). However, only a low dose of TRF (50 mg/kg, equivalent to 1 mg/day) has been tested, which resulted in incomplete effects in a mouse model of BC. In addition, there are no scientific data on the toxic effects of TRF on the internal organs. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing higher doses of TRF on biochemical parameters and histology of internal organs in female BALB/c mice. In brief, 30 female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to one of the six study groups (five mice/group). The mice were fed daily with vehicle (control), 50, 100, 150, 200, or 250 mg/kg of TRF for 28 days by oral gavage. The results show that the subacute exposure of TRF showed no toxic effects in the animals from all the groups, as evaluated through some biochemical tests (alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine, and urea) and histology of the liver. In conclusion, female BALB/c mice fed daily with 250 mg/kg of TRF showed no signs of distress or adverse effects.