Nutritional and potential disease prevention properties of carotenoids

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have shown that people who consume diets with a high content of vegetables have a reduced risk of degenerative diseases such as specific cancers, cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degenerative disease (AMD), and cataracts. There is no convincing evidence that the protective role of vegetables against cancer and cardiovascular disease is due to carotenoids. However, there is a strong possibility that lutein and zeaxanthin present in food materials may prevent AMD and cataract formation. Increased use of cooked tomato products also has been shown to reduce prostate cancer risk as a result of increased bioavailability of cis-lycopene. One of the most important biochemical mechanisms underlying the cancer-preventive activity of carotenoids is the stimulation of intercellular gap junction communications. β-Carotene, canthaxanthin, and lutein are efficient inducers of intercellular gap junction communication, whereas α-carotene and lycopene are less active.Paper no. J9851 in JAOCS 78, 665-675 (July 2001).

Carotenoids in evolutionary ecology: re‐evaluating the antioxidant role

“…(29,34,59) Taken together, evidence suggests that the immunostimulatory effect of carotenoids may not be necessarily mediated by their antioxidant role (34) (see Table 1). Carotenoids or their derivatives are involved in the activation of thymocites, (76) the expression of immune-related genes, (77) the up-regulation of proteins involved in cell-to-cell communication, (78) and the increase in membrane fluidity, (72) functions of vital importance when mounting an immune response but not necessarily linked to their antioxidant properties. Considering the antioxidant and the immunostimulatory role of carotenoids as different phenomena (that may be associated or not) could reconcile some of the controversial evidence regarding the physiological roles of carotenoids.…”

Cell-mediated immune activation rapidly decreases plasma carotenoids but does not affect oxidative stress in red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa)

“…For instance, induction of acute phase response in chickens depletes carotenoids in plasma but increases their concentration in thymocytes (Koutsos et al, 2003), whose activation requires carotenoid derivatives as cofactors (Garbe et al, 1992). Furthermore, carotenoids and some of their derivatives are involved in the expression of immune-related genes (Geissmann et al, 2003), up regulation of proteins involved in cell-to-cell communication (Basu et al, 2001) or increase membrane fluidity (Chew and Park, 2004), functions of vital importance when mounting an immune response.…”

Retention of natural antioxidants of blends of groundnut and sunflower oils with minor oils during storage and frying

“…Oryzanol is uniquely present in rice bran oil (RBO), which is shown to have hypocholesterolemic activity (Reena and Lokesh 2007). Palm oil is a rich source of β-carotene, which functions as provitamin-A and a scavenger of oxygen free radicals and has several health benefits (Basu et al 2001). Tocopherols and tocotrienols present in unrefined and physically refined oils such as palm oil and RBO, have antioxidative and hypocholesterolemic properties and are beneficial in preventing cardiovascular diseases (Minhajuddin et al 2005;Edem 2002).…”