Rice bran extract for the prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction

Rice is mostly consumed around the world as white rice grain, a milled form of the whole grain that has reduced nutritional properties. The bran of the rice is considered a by-product of processing and is often discarded or used as animal feed. However, rice bran is nutritionally rich, with proteins, fats, oils, and carbohydrates. Recently, there have been efforts to determine whether this may be harnessed to confer health benefits, mainly due to the discovery of many bioactive compounds such as p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid. Various rice bran extracts from different cultivar varieties and processing methods have been shown to demonstrate several protective effects on the mitochondria, in multiple disease models such as diabetes, inflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions, and cardiovascular disease. Cellular, biochemical, and molecular-based examinations of rice bran extract in predominantly cell culture, or small animal studies demonstrate the involvement of antioxidant activity in reducing oxidative stress and associated damage, induction of mitochondrial biogenesis, and protective effects of healthy mitochondrial dynamics and prevention of cell-death induction. Although promising, further work is required to determine whether early success in experimental models will translate to humans, especially in aged or diseased populations. The utility of rice bran extract also depends on a variety of factors such as the difficulty or cost involved in the extraction process, yield, and overall extent of the beneficial effects of rice bran in preventing or treating mitochondrial dysfunction found in the most significant lifestyle- or age-related chronic diseases.