Optical properties of astaxanthin solutions and aggregates

Buchwald, Manuel.; Jencks, William P.

doi:10.1021/bi00842a042

Cited by 140 publications

(134 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The colour was initially extracted under native conditions and had a peak absorbance in the blue spectrum at 634nm, which was very similar to the characteristics of the protein previously identified in this species (Nur-E-Borhan et al, 1995) and also to the properties of acrustacyanin isolated from lobster shells (Wald et al, 1948;Buchwald and Jencks, 1968). This native extract was denatured using detergents, which triggered a distinctive colour shift from 634 to 484nm, also typical of disrupting the CRCN-carotenoid interaction.…”

Section: Protein Analysis and Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 54%

Mechanisms of colour adaptation in the prawn Penaeus monodon

Wade

Anderson

Sellars

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYExposure of prawns to dark-or light-coloured substrates is known to trigger a strong colour adaptation response through expansion or contraction of the colouration structures in the prawn hypodermis. Despite the difference in colour triggered by this adaptive response, total levels of the predominant carotenoid pigment, astaxanthin, are not modified, suggesting that another mechanism is regulating this phenomenon. Astaxanthin binds to a specific protein called crustacyanin (CRCN), and it is the interaction between the quantities of each of these compounds that produces the diverse range of colours seen in crustacean shells. In this study, we investigated the protein changes and genetic regulatory processes that occur in prawn hypodermal tissues during adaptation to black or white substrates. The amount of free astaxanthin was higher in animals adapted to dark substrate compared with those adapted to light substrate, and this difference was matched by a strong elevation of CRCN protein. However, there was no difference in the expression of CRCN genes either across the moult cycle or in response to background substrate colour. These results indicate that exposure to a dark-coloured substrate causes an accumulation of CRCN protein, bound with free astaxanthin, in the prawn hypodermis without modification of CRCN gene expression. On light-coloured substrates, levels of CRCN protein in the hypodermis are reduced, but the carotenoid is retained, undispersed in the hypodermal tissue, in an esterified form. Therefore, the abundance of CRCN protein affects the distribution of pigment in prawn hypodermal tissues, and is a crucial regulator of the colour adaptation response in prawns.

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Section: Protein Analysis and Quantificationmentioning

confidence: 54%

Mechanisms of colour adaptation in the prawn Penaeus monodon

Wade

Anderson

Sellars

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…The carotenoid concentration was obtained using the Lambert-Beer law, and for calculation purposes, the following equation was applied to the absorbance values: Total carotenoid μg/mgh=(absorbance / € x molecular mass × 1,000 × sample volume L)/ sample dry weight )mg(. The specific optical extinction coefficient € 1 1cm of 124,000 (astaxanthin) at 460nm was used (Buchwaldt & Jencks, 1968) in conjunction with a molecular mass of 596.84 (astaxanthin). The absorbance measurements were performed in triplicate, and the values previously averaged were applied in the above equation (Schoefs, 2002).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of astaxanthin on resistance of juvenile prawns Macrobrachium nipponense (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) to physical and chemical stress

Tizkar¹,

Seidavi

Ponce‐Palafox

et al. 2014

RBT

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Abstract:In recent years, the use of new scientific techniques has effectively improved aquaculture production processes. Astaxanthin has various properties in aquaculture and its antioxidant benefits have been closely related to stress resistance; besides, it is an essential factor for growth in many crustaceans and fish. The objective of this study was to evaluate the resistance of prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) fed diets containing different amounts of astaxanthin (AX) to the shock and stress of different physicochemical environments. A 70-day trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation of a source of astaxanthin (Carophyll Pink, 10% astaxanthin, w/w, Hoffman-La Roche, Switzerland) at various levels in the diet of M. nipponense juveniles. Four dry diets were prepared: AX 0 without astaxanthin, AX 50 with 50mg/kg, AX 100 with 100mg/kg, and AX 150 with 150mg/kg astaxanthin. The feeding trial was conducted in a recirculation water system consisting of 12 fiberglass tanks (1 000L) used for holding prawns. Three replicate aquaria were initially stocked with 36org/ m 2 per tank. During the trial, prawns were maintained on a 12:12-h light:dark photoperiod with an ordinary incandescent lamp, and the water quality parameters were maintained as follows: water temperature, 25-26°C; salinity, 1g/L; pH, 8.5-8.8; dissolved oxygen, 6.0-6.5mg/L; and ammonia-nitrogen, 0.05mg/L. Incorporation of AX, production output, and physiological condition were recorded after 10 weeks of feeding. At the end of the growing period, the prawns were exposed to thermal shock (0°C), ammonia (0.75mg/L), and reduced oxygen (0.5mg/L). The time to lethargy and the time to complete death of the prawns were recorded. The results showed that control prawns had the shortest time to lethargy and death compared with prawns subjected to the other treatments. The results of this study have shown that the amount of muscle tissue and gill carotenoids in prawn fed with an AX 150 diet showed greater reduction than those exposed to other treatments. It is possible that higher levels of astaxanthin in the body under oxygen reduction stress can be beneficial for prawns. These results suggest that male prawns showed lethargy earlier than females, and the percentage of carotenoid reduction in muscle and gill tissues was higher in males. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (4): 1331-1341. Epub 2014 December 01.

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“…Astaxanthin actually forms three stereoisomers, based on the angle of the hydroxyl groups to the rings, but all are similarly dichroic to linearly polarized light (two of these stereoisomers also show circular dichroism, which is not relevant here). In biological membranes, molecules of astaxanthin are of the correct size to span the lipid bilayer, and thus sit vertically within the membrane with the hydrophilic ring structures embedded in the glycerol surfaces of biomembranes and the hydrophobic conjugated axis extending through the internal phospholipid tails 13,14 . Thus, in flat membrane layers, all the dipole axes of the astaxanthin molecules are parallel but are perpendicular to the plane of the membrane.…”

Section: Polarizers Based On the Dichroic Carotenoid Molecule Astaxamentioning

confidence: 99%

Polarization signals in mantis shrimps

et al. 2009

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While color signals are well known as a form of animal communication, a number of animals communicate using signals based on patterns of polarized light reflected from specialized body parts or structures. Mantis shrimps, a group of marine crustaceans, have evolved a great diversity of such signals, several of which are based on photonic structures. These include resonant scattering devices, structures based on layered dichroic molecules, and structures that use birefringent layers to produce circular polarization. Such biological polarizers operate in different spectral regions ranging from the near-UV to medium wavelengths of visible light. In addition to the structures that are specialized for signal production, the eyes of many species of mantis shrimp are adapted to detect linearly polarized light in the ultraviolet and in the green, using specialized sets of photoreceptors with oriented, dichroic visual pigments. Finally, a few mantis shrimp species produce biophotonic retarders within their photoreceptors that permit the detection of circularly polarized light and are thus the only animals known to sense this form of polarization. Mantis shrimps use polarized light in species-specific signals related to mating and territorial defense, and their means of manipulating light's polarization can inspire designs for artificial polarizers and achromatic retarders.

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Optical properties of astaxanthin solutions and aggregates

Cited by 140 publications

References 23 publications

Mechanisms of colour adaptation in the prawn Penaeus monodon

Mechanisms of colour adaptation in the prawn Penaeus monodon

The effect of astaxanthin on resistance of juvenile prawns Macrobrachium nipponense (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) to physical and chemical stress

Polarization signals in mantis shrimps

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