Palm oil is natural oil packed with important compounds and fatty acids ready to be exploited in lipid-based formulations and drug delivery. Palm oil and palm kernel oil contain long-chain and medium-chain triglycerides, respectively, including phytonutrients such as tocotrienol, tocopherol and carotenes. The exploitation of these compounds in a lipid-based formulation would be able to address hydrophobicity, lipophilicity, poor bioavailability and low water-solubility of many current drugs. The utilisation of palm oil as part of the drug delivery system seemed to improve the bioavailability and solubility of the drug, stabilising emulsification of formulation between emulsifier and surfactant, promoting enhanced drug permeability and performance, as well as extending the shelf-life of the drug. Despite the complexity in designing lipid-based formulations, palm oil has proven to offer dynamic behaviour in providing versatility in drug design, form and delivery. However, the knowledge and application of palm oil and its fractions in lipid-based formulation are scarce and interspersed. Therefore, this study aims to focus on the research and outcomes of using palm oil in lipid-based formulations and drug delivery systems, due to the importance of establishing its capabilities and benefits.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin are persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and have been associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the associations of PCBs and dioxin with MetS and its risk factors, including obesity, hypertriglyceridaemia (HTG), hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM). We searched three electronic databases for epidemiological studies concerning PCBs and dioxin with MetS published up to the end of 2023. Meta-analysis was performed for MetS itself and each of the MetS risks based on a random-effects meta-analysis model, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained. Publication bias was assessed based on Egger’s test. Eleven studies were included from three databases up to 2023. There were 40,528 participants aged 18–89, where 18–100% of them were males, included in our meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results showed a strong association between PCB exposure and DM (OR = 3.593, 95% CI 2.566, 5.031), while most of the risk factors for MetS, including obesity (OR = 1.875, 95% CI 0.883, 3.979), HTN (OR = 1.335, 95% CI 0.902, 1.976) and HTG (OR = 1.611, 95% CI 0.981, 2.643), were weakly associated with PCB. Furthermore, both PCBs (OR = 1.162, 95% CI 0.994, 1.357) and dioxin (OR = 2.742, 95% CI 1.936, 3.883) were found to be weakly and strongly associated with MetS, respectively. Meta-regression analysis showed that DM in the Asian population is associated with PCB exposure, while HTG in the Northern American population is associated with PCB exposure. Our meta-analysis has demonstrated a strong relationship between DM and PCBs, while the relationship between PCBs with MetS and other risk factors is less pronounced. Additionally, MetS is weakly associated with dioxin exposure. To improve primary care outcomes, healthcare providers should consider incorporating the assessment of patients' risk of exposure to PCBs and dioxins into their evaluation procedures for more targeted medical interventions.

Palm tocotrienol rich fraction with palm kernel oil supplementation prevents development of liver steatosis in high fat diet ICR mice Mohd Danial Mohd Efendy Goon, Nur Izzati Zulkanain, Siti Hamimah Sheikh Abdul Kadir, Sharaniza Ab Rahim, Musalmah Mazlan, Normala Abd Latip, Mardiana Abdul Aziz, Norizal Mohd Noor

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). One of the underlying mechanisms of NAFLD is an aberration in amino acid metabolism and signalling. The tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) has been shown to improve NAFLD and is thus recommended as a supplement in NAFLD. However, TRF often exhibits low bioavailability. Recently, our group reported that TRF with medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) carriers could potentially improve steatosis, bile acid metabolism, lipid, and fatty acid metabolism. Objective: This study investigated the effects of TRF-MCT on amino acid metabolism in an NAFLD mice model. Methods: Male B6.Cg-LepOb/J mice were used as an NAFLD mouse model and randomly divided into three groups: high-fat diet only (HFD), TRF-MCT, and palm kernel oil (PKO) (vehicle MCT). After 6 weeks of supplementation, serum was collected for untargeted metabolomic analysis using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS), significant metabolic features were annotated to determine the fold change (FC), and analysis was performed (SIMCA and MetaboAnalyst). Results: In the TRF-MCT group, 11 amino acids were annotated. Urocanic acid group (FC = 1.0146), ascorbic acid 2-sulphate (FC = 0.81939), 3-isoproprylmalic acid (FC = 0.66469), and 6-methylnicotamide (FC = 0.6507) were the most upregulated (p < 0.05). Lysine (FC = − 0.88836), leucine (FC = − 0.7949), pyridoxamine (FC = − 0.76347), 3-indoxyl sulphate (FC = − 0.73989), threonine (FC = − 0.66945), and indolelactic acid (FC = − 0.61605) were the most downregulated (p < 0.05). Glutamic acid (FC = 0.79069) levels were upregulated in the PKO-treated group compared to the HFD group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: TRF-MCT-supplemented NAFLD mouse model shown an altered amino acid which involves in valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, aminoacyl-transfer RNA (aminoacyl-tRNA) biosynthesis, and vitamin B6 metabolism. Thus, suggesting TRF-MCT has a protective effect and repairing activities in the liver of the NAFLD mouse model.

INPLASY202450047 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYL (PCB) AND DIOXIN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS): A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS Keywords: polychlorinated biphenyl, dioxin, obes…