astaxanthine and Retinal-Degeneration

Astaxanthin (AST) is a naturally occurring carotenoid with potent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory potency against chronic diseases. In this study, we suspended AST in different nonionic emulsifiers to produce nanodispersions. The basic physicochemical properties of the produced AST nanodispersions were verified to select the optimized nonionic emulsifier. Among the tested emulsifiers, Polysorbate 20 produced the AST nanoemulsions with smaller particle diameters, narrower size distributions, and higher AST contents among these emulsifiers. The

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Carriers; Emulsifying Agents; Female; Male; Methylnitrosourea; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nanoparticles; Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate; Retina; Retinal Degeneration; Xanthophylls

To clarify the protective effect of astaxanthin (AST) against light-induced retinal damage in rats.. Albino rats were divided into three groups: a group treated orally with 1 mg/kg AST daily (group H), a group treated with 0.2 mg/kg AST (group L), and a control group (group C). Rats were administered AST in groups H and L and olive oil in group C followed by a 12-hour exposure to 3000-lux white light. After exposure for 7 days, the protective effect of AST was evaluated functionally by electroretinogram (ERG) and histologically by measuring outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and by counting rate of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) stained cells.. After exposure to light, the b-wave amplitudes were significantly preserved in the AST groups compared to group C, Further the rate of the residual amplitude was higher in group H than in group L. The ONL thicknesses were significantly thicker in AST-treated rats compared to group C. The rates of TUNEL stained cells were significantly lower in the following order: group H, L and C.. AST may have a protective effect against light-induced retinal damage in albino rats.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Light; Olive Oil; Plant Oils; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Retinal Degeneration; Xanthophylls