Muhammad Fadzli Rusli’s scientific contributions

Background and Objective: The most popular tocotrienol preparation, tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF), offers the best biological and antioxidant properties. This investigation aims to ascertain the impact of TRF on the overall expression of proteins in the liver of mice. Materials and Methods: Two groups of mice were created: A control group (n = 6) and a group treated with 500 mg kg–1 (n = 6). Following a 14-day course of therapy, the mice were killed and their livers were separated. After the livers were homogenised, Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis (2-DE) was performed on the soluble cytosolic fractions. The 2-DE gels stained with Coomassie Blue were scanned and 2-DE gel spot analysis software was used to examine the resulting images. Twelve gels in total were examined (six for every group). Results: For every gel, about three hundred spots were detected. Differential expression of twelve protein spots was observed in the livers of mice treated with a tocotrienol-rich fraction. Five of the proteins are acidic proteins, while seven of them are basic proteins. The TRF downregulated three protein spots and upregulated nine protein spots. These findings suggest that TRF profoundly influences several proteins and simultaneously regulates a multitude of biochemical pathways. Conclusion: It is hypothesized that some of the proteins that are differentially expressed might be the liver antioxidant proteins and cytoprotective enzymes. Further analysis of the gel spots by mass spectrometry is needed to identify the proteins involved.

Cancer remains a worrying cause of fatality worldwide despite the advancement in medicine. Among the dietary phytonutrients, tocotrienols have been extensively studied for their bioactivity against cancer. Palm oil is a rich source of tocotrienols. The most common formulation of tocotrienols is the tocotrienol-rich fraction of palm oil (TRF). The anticancer activities of tocotrienols were once presumed due to their antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. However, recent evidence suggested that tocotrienols are capable of demonstrating cancer-fighting properties through their influence in various signalling pathways. The selectivity of tocot-rienols in killing cancer cells without affecting normal cells is indicative of their potential role in cancer treatment and prevention. Tocotrienols had proven to be particularly effective in the chemoprevention and treatment of breast, colorectal, pancreatic, prostate and liver cancers in many in vitro and in vivo animal experiments. However, the efficacy of tocotrienols in the management of human cancers are still questionable due to their poor bioavailability and lack of well-designed clinical trials. Nevertheless, due to their superb safety profiles, palm oil tocotrienols are still considered ideal candidates for future large scale clinical trials to prove their efficacy to treat or prevent cancers in humans.