title: Effects of a carotene-deficient diet on measures of oxidative susceptibility and superoxide dismutase activity in adult women.
abstract: The effect of consuming a low carotene diet (approximately 60 micrograms carotene/day) on oxidative susceptibility and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in women living in a metabolic research unit was evaluated. The diet had sufficient vitamins A, E, and C. The women ate the diet supplemented with 1500 micrograms/day beta-carotene for 4 days (baseline), then the unsupplemented diet for 68 days (depletion), followed by the diet supplemented with > 15,000 micrograms/day carotene for 28 days (repletion). Production of hexanal, pentanal, and pentane by copper-oxidized plasma low density lipoproteins from carotene-depleted women was greater than their production of these compounds when repleted with carotene. Erythrocyte SOD activity was depressed in carotene-depleted women; it recovered with repletion. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in plasma of carotene-depleted women were elevated and diminished with repletion. Dietary carotene seems to be needed, not only as a precursor of vitamin A, but also to inhibit oxidative damage and decrease oxidation susceptibility.
authors.affiliation: Western Human Nutrition Research Center, USDA/ARS/PWA, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129.
authors.forename: Z R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Burri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clifford
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Schneeman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parks
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Keim
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Fong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000097:blood; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D004032:Diet; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010420:Pentanes / Q000097:blood; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood*; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D010420:Pentanes; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase