What is the Difference Between Tocopherols and Tocotrienols

The key difference between tocopherols and tocotrienols is that tocopherols have saturated isoprenoid side chains, whereas tocotrienols have unsaturated isoprenoid side chains.

There are different forms of vitamin E. They can occur mainly as tocopherols or tocotrienols. These are very important biological compounds that play important roles in biochemical processes that take place in the human body.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Tocopherols
3. What are Tocotrienols 
4. Similarities – Tocopherols and Tocotrienols
5. Tocopherols vs Tocotrienols in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Tocopherols vs Tocotrienols

What are Tocopherols?

Tocopherol is a type of organic compound that comes under the group of methylated phenols. Many of the methylated phenols have vitamin E activity. This vitamin activity has led to its name as well. When considering the source of tocopherols, specifically alpha-tocopherols, supplements and European food, which is rich in olive and sunflower oil, are the major sources. However, we can find gamma-tocopherols commonly in American food, where soybean and corn oil intake is comparatively very high.

More precisely, vitamin E can occur in eight different ways: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. All these compounds have a chromane ring structure with a hydroxyl group that tends to donate a hydrogen atom to reduce the free radical content and a hydrophobic side chain that can allow the penetration into the biological membranes.

Figure 01: The Chemical Structure of Alpha-Tocopherol

Typically, alpha-tocopehrol can be found as the most preferentially absorbed vitamin E in humans. This compound has three stereocenters, which makes it a chiral compound. These stereocenters are responsible for the difference between the arrangement of groups around the stereocenter to give different tocopherol forms. Nevertheless, tocopherols are important as radical scavengers that can quench free radicals.

What are Tocotrienols?

Tocotrienols are a group of organic compounds and a type of vitamin E. There are four major structures of this compound known as the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta forms. Typically, tocotrienols have unsaturated isoprenoid side chains consisting of three carbon-carbon double bonds.

Figure 02: The Chemical Structure of Tocotrienol

We can find this type of vitamin E mainly in vegetable oils such as palm oil, rice bran oil, wheat gram, barley, saw palmetto, annatto, some grains, nuts, and their oils. Although the different vitamin E forms show some activity as chemical antioxidants, all of these structures do not have the same vitamin E equivalency. Typically, tocotrienols show activity depending on the type of antioxidant performance that is being measured.

What are the Similarities Between Tocopherols and Tocotrienols?

What is the Difference Between Tocopherols and Tocotrienols?

There are different forms of vitamin E that can occur mainly as tocopherols or tocotrienols. These are very important biological compounds that play important roles in biochemical processes that take place in the human body. The key difference between tocopherols and tocotrienols is that tocopherols have saturated isoprenoid side chains, whereas tocotrienols have unsaturated isoprenoid side chains.

The below infographic presents the differences between tocopherols and tocotrienols in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Tocopherols vs Tocotrienols

We can find different forms of vitamin E that can occur mainly as tocopherols or tocotrienols. Tocopherols are organic compounds that come under the group of methylated phenols. Tocotrienols are a group of organic compounds and a type of vitamin E. The key difference between tocopherols and tocotrienols is that tocopherols have saturated isoprenoid side chains, whereas tocotrienols have unsaturated isoprenoid side chains.

Reference:

1. “Tocopherols.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Tocopherol, alpha-” By Calvero – Own work (made with ChemDraw) (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Tocotrienols” By Calvero. – Selfmade with ChemDraw. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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