Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 12, 2026 38 minutes ago
Thai researchers have discovered that oils extracted from red and purple rice bran may contain an impressive combination of natural compounds capable of protecting bone-forming cells from oxidative stress and inflammation while also encouraging biological processes involved in building and maintaining bone.
Thai researchers found that red and purple rice bran oils could reduce cellular stress while promoting important
markers involved in bone formation.
The findings are particularly interesting because the strongest effects were seen with Khao’ Hom Nil and RD69, two pigmented Thai rice varieties. However, the researchers stressed that the experiments were conducted in laboratory-grown cells, meaning the results cannot yet be considered proof that consuming these oils will prevent osteoporosis or strengthen bones in humans.
Thai And Japanese Researchers Join Forces
The study was conducted by
Thailand Medical researchers from Chiang Mai University in Thailand.
The participating institutions included Chiang Mai University’s Office of Research Administration; Research Center for Innovation in Analytical Science and Technology for Biodiversity-Based Economic and Society; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy; Department of Pharmaceutical Care, Faculty of Pharmacy; and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine.
Purple And Red Rice Oils Stand Out
Researchers examined rice bran oils produced from nine Thai rice varieties, including white, red and purple rice.
They specifically measured tocopherols and tocotrienols, compounds belonging to the vitamin E family, together with gamma-oryzanol, a naturally occurring mixture of antioxidant compounds abundant in rice bran oil.
The differences were striking. Khao’ Hom Nil contained the highest total tocopherols at 234.77 milligrams per 100 grams of oil and the highest total tocotrienols at 241.67 milligrams per 100 grams. Meanwhile, RD69 contained the greatest concentration of gamma-oryzanol at 9.76 milligrams per gram of oil.
Overall, pigmented rice oils contained considerably greater amounts of these compounds than oils from white rice varieties.
Powerful Effects Against Cellular Stress
Researchers next exposed human bone-forming osteoblast cells to conditions designed to create oxidative stress. All nine rice bran oils significantly reduced reactive oxygen species, or ROS, which are chemically reactive molecules that can damage cells when produced excessively.
Khao’ Hom Nil was among the most effective oils.
The team also tested the oils in activated immune cells. Rice bran oil significantly reduced nitric oxide and iNOS, two important indicators of inflammatory activity. In many experiments, the higher concentration of oil produced a stronger response.
Importantly, statistical analysis showed very strong relationships between higher concentrations of tocopherols, tocotrienols and
gamma-oryzanol and lower levels of ROS, nitric oxide and iNOS.
As detailed in this Medical News report, these findings encouraged researchers to investigate whether selected oils could also directly influence biological markers associated with bone formation and breakdown.
Bone-Building Activity Also Increased
Three representative oils—KMDL105 from white rice, RD69 from red rice and Khao’ Hom Nil from purple rice—were examined more closely.
All three significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity, an important marker of early osteoblast development. Khao’ Hom Nil produced the strongest response, followed by RD69.
The oils also increased osteocalcin, a marker associated with bone formation, and osteoprotegerin, which helps regulate signals controlling bone breakdown. At the same time, they decreased RANKL and lowered the RANKL-to-OPG ratio, potentially shifting the cellular environment toward bone formation rather than excessive bone resorption.
Perhaps most significantly, researchers found evidence that these biochemical changes translated into actual mineral formation. After 21 days, all representative oils significantly increased mineralization, while Khao’ Hom Nil and RD69 produced greater mineral deposition than the white-rice KMDL105 oil.
Conclusions
The study provides strong laboratory evidence that Thai pigmented rice bran oils, particularly Khao’ Hom Nil and RD69, contain high concentrations of compounds associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and bone-remodeling activities. Nevertheless, these findings remain preliminary because they come from cell experiments. The researchers say animal studies, mechanistic investigations and eventually human studies will be necessary to determine whether these promising effects translate into meaningful protection against bone loss in people.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Antioxidants.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/15/8/981
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