title: Interactions of oral beta-carotene and canthaxanthin in ferrets.
abstract: Interactive effects of an oral dose of equal quantities of beta-carotene and either canthaxanthin or lycopene on serum and tissue beta-carotene accumulations were investigated in domestic ferrets. Like humans, ferrets absorb a substantial portion of ingested beta-carotene intact and accumulate it in tissues. After the ferrets ingested a low carotenoid purified diet for 13 d, they were randomly assigned to one of two groups of six animals. One group was dosed with beta-carotene (10 mg/kg body weight) and the other with beta-carotene and either canthaxanthin (Experiment 1) or lycopene (Experiment 2) (10 mg/kg body weight for each). In Experiment 1, ferrets that received a combined dose of beta-carotene and canthaxanthin had serum beta-carotene concentrations that were significantly lower at 8, 12 and 24 h post-dosing (P < 0.05), compared with those that received an individual dose of beta-carotene; liver, adrenal and kidney beta-carotene concentrations were also significantly reduced. In Experiment 2, ferrets that received a combined dose of lycopene and beta-carotene had lower serum and tissue beta-carotene concentrations than in those that received beta-carotene alone; the differences were not statistically significant with the exception of serum beta-carotene concentrations at 24 h post-dosing. The results suggest that, at the doses given, a concurrent oral canthaxanthin dose has a specific antagonistic effect on the bioavailability of a beta-carotene dose in ferrets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 61801.
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Bierer
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Gugger
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Erdman
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D016644:Canthaxanthin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005289:Ferrets; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D000077276:Lycopene; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution / Q000187:drug effects; D019207:beta Carotene
chemical_list: D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids; D016644:Canthaxanthin; D000077276:Lycopene