Vitamin E and carotenoids show many similar and complementary properties and protect living tissues against a variety of pathological processes. A mixture of both compounds often exhibits a significantly greater effect than the sum of the individual activities. The synthetic linkage of carotenoids with vitamin E might thus increase the synergistic effects. We therefore esterified b-apo-8'-carotenoic acid with all-rac-a-tocopherol to give atocopheryl-b-apo-8'-carotenoate. The carotenoic acid was also connected to a-tocopherol in a glyceride ether, 1-O-(a-tocopheryl)-3-(b-apo-8'-carotenoyl)-glycerol, whereas the water-soluble vitamin E analogue, trolox, was combined with b-apo-8'-carotenoic acid in a diglyceride: 1-(6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-acyl)-3-(b-apo-8'-carotenoyl)-glycerol.

Combination of Vitamin E with a Carotenoid: α-Tocopherol and Trolox Linked to β-Apo-8'-carotenoic Acid.-In order to increase the synergistic effects the synthetic linkage of carotenoids with vitamin E and its water-soluble analogue trolox to compounds such as (I)-(III) is carried out by directs esterification and linkage to a natural carrier molecule.-(LARSEN, E.; ABENDROTH, J.; PARTALI, V.; SCHULZ, B.; SLIWKA, H.-R.; QUARTEY, E. G. K.; Chem.