Investigations of Palm Oil Components: A Review of Effects on Immune Checkpoint Pathways and Therapy

This research is motivated by the increasing need for more effective cancer therapies with minimal side effects, as well as the potential of bioactive compounds in oil palm to support immunotherapy. This study aims to systematically review how palm components—such as tocotrienol, carotenoids, and fatty acids—affect immune checkpoint pathways in cancer therapy. The method used is a PRISMA-based systematic literature review of 33 scientific articles from the period 2022–2025.
The results show that bioactive palm components can modulate key proteins such as PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4, enhancing immune response to tumors and the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Additionally, these compounds have a relatively good safety profile with minimal side effects. The implication is that palm bioactives have the potential to become adjunct therapies in cancer immunotherapy, although large-scale clinical trials are still needed for further validation.