adonixanthin and astaxanthine

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Brain Neoplasms; Carotenoids; Cell Line, Tumor; Disease Progression; Glioblastoma; Humans; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred ICR; Xanthophylls

Astaxanthin, which has been shown to have significant antioxidant activity, is rapidly spreading as a health functioning ingredient in the health food and cosmetics sectors worldwide. It is well known that astaxanthin acts on the brain; however, there is little evidence of brain translocation due to the difficulty in identifying astaxanthin in tissues. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the concentrations of astaxanthin and adonixanthin, the latter being a biosynthetic intermediate from β-carotene to astaxanthin, in the brain after oral administration in primates. Cynomolgus monkeys were orally administered astaxanthin or adonixanthin at a dose of 50 mg/kg for 10 d, through a disposable catheter inserted into the stomach via the nasal passage. Following euthanization, the monkeys' brains and various other organs were collected. The carotenoid content in serum and individual organs was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Adonixanthin was found to accumulate at a higher concentration than astaxanthin in monkey brain tissues. Also, both astaxanthin and adonixanthin were found to be distributed in the heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys. These findings indicate that astaxanthin and adonixanthin can enter the central nervous system of primates following their oral administration. This provides important evidence for the activity of astaxanthin and adonixanthin on the central nervous system.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Brain; Carotenoids; Macaca fascicularis; Xanthophylls

Astaxanthin is beneficial for human health and is used as a dietary supplement. The present study was performed in order to examine the protective effects of the astaxanthin derivative, adonixanthin, against cell death caused by hemoglobin, collagenase, lipopolysaccharide, and hydrogen peroxide, which are associated with hemorrhagic brain injury. In an in vitro study, adonixanthin exerted cytoprotective effects against each type of damage, and its effects were stronger than those of astaxanthin. The increased production of reactive oxygen species in human brain endothelial cells in the hemoglobin treatment group was inhibited by adonixanthin. Moreover, adonixanthin suppressed cell death in SH-SY5Y cells. In an in vivo study, the oral administration of adonixanthin improved blood-brain barrier hyper-permeability in an autologous blood ICH model. We herein demonstrated for the first time that adonixanthin exerted protective effects against hemorrhagic brain damage by activating antioxidant defenses, and has potential as a protectant against intracerebral hemorrhage.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; Blood-Brain Barrier; Brain; Brain Injuries; Carotenoids; Cell Death; Cell Line; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide; Intracranial Hemorrhages; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Oxidative Stress; Reactive Oxygen Species; Xanthophylls

The order Sphingomonadales is a taxon of bacteria with a variety of physiological features and carotenoid pigments. Some of the coloured strains within this order are known to be aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs that contain characteristic photosynthesis gene clusters (PGCs). Previous work has shown that majority of the ORFs putatively involved in the biosynthesis of C40 carotenoids are located outside the PGCs in these strains. The main purpose of this study was to understand the genetic basis for the various colour/carotenoid phenotypes of the strains of Sphingomonadales. Comparative analyses of the genomes of 41 strains of this order revealed that there were different patterns of clustering of carotenoid biosynthesis (crt) ORFs, with four ORF clusters being the most common. The analyses also revealed that co-occurrence of crtY and crtI is an evolutionarily conserved feature in Sphingomonadales and other carotenogenic bacteria. The comparisons facilitated the categorisation of bacteria of this order into four groups based on the presence of different crt ORFs. Yellow coloured strains most likely accumulate nostoxanthin, and contain six ORFs (group I: crtE, crtB, crtI, crtY, crtZ, crtG). Orange coloured strains may produce adonixanthin, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and erythroxanthin, and contain seven ORFs (group II: crtE, crtB, crtI, crtY, crtZ, crtG, crtW). Red coloured strains may accumulate astaxanthin, and contain six ORFs (group III: crtE, crtB, crtI, crtY, crtZ, crtW). Non-pigmented strains may contain a smaller subset of crt ORFs, and thus fail to produce any carotenoids (group IV). The functions of many of these ORFs remain to be characterised.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Canthaxanthin; Carotenoids; Genetic Variation; Multigene Family; Open Reading Frames; Photosynthesis; Sphingomonadaceae; Xanthophylls

This study investigated the carotenoids occurring in the integument of Plectropomus leopardus, the coral trout. For a red specimen, the major carotenoids included astaxanthin diester and monoester, as well as α-cryptoxanthin ester, tunaxanthin diester, adonixanthin diester, adonirubin ester, and adonirubin; for brown and black specimens, tunaxanthin diester was the main carotenoid.

Topics: Animals; Canthaxanthin; Carotenoids; Color; Cryptoxanthins; Docosahexaenoic Acids; Esterification; Esters; Fishes; Xanthophylls

Topics: Canthaxanthin; Carotenoids; Microalgae; Photobioreactors; Xanthophylls