A tocotrienol extract and a carotene complex marketed by PhytoGaia as TocoGaia and CaroGaia, respectively, were each shown in a recent animal study to ameliorate symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis in an animal model of the disease.
 
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, and ultimately terminal disease caused mainly by bacterial or viral infections, and currently, there is no cure. In the study, a population of Sprague-Dawley rats which had lung fibrosis induced on them through the use of a drug called Bleomycin (BLM). The rats were supplemented with either saline, a palm tocotrienol complex, a palm mixed carotene complex, or a combination of palm tocotrienol and carotene, for 28 days.
 
The researchers monitored the efficacy of the treatment based on modulations of TGF-β/Smad, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and NF-kB signaling pathways. According to the authors, both palm tocotrienol and palm carotene treatments significantly restored the BLM-induced alterations in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions.
 
The treatments showed what may have been pneumo-protective effects through the upregulation of antioxidant status, downregulation of MMP-7 and inflammatory cytokine expressions, oxidative stress, and extracellular matrix and reduction in collagen accumulation, according to the authors.
 
This is the first-ever animal study that demonstrates potential benefits of palm tocotrienol and carotene complex in rats with BLM-induced lung injury or pulmonary fibrosis, according to the authors.
 
“We are encouraged by these new findings, since it is the first ever study that shows the potential of palm tocotrienol and carotene complex in the restoration of the antioxidant capacity in the lung and the inhibition of inflammatory cytokines as well as amelioration of lung injury,” lead author Dr. Guiju Sun, said. “These results imply that these palm phytonutrients are synergistic in their action and may be useful as dietary supplements for post COVID-19 patients and pulmonary or lung health,” he said.
 
“Numerous reports presently reveal that a severe COVID-19 infection increases the risk of pulmonary fibrosis which is more common in persons with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Ariati Aris, scientific affairs specialist at PhytoGaia, said. “There is still no cure for PF.”
 
“This finding adds to the growing scientific evidence that tocotrienol and carotene extracted from palm fruits are both synergistic in exerting powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,” Bryan See, vice president of PhytoGaia, said.