title: Carotenoid incorporation into microsomes: yields, stability and membrane dynamics.
abstract: The carotenoids beta-carotene (BC), lycopene (LYC), lutein (LUT), zeaxanthin (ZEA), canthaxanthin (CTX) and astaxanthin (ASTA) have been incorporated into pig liver microsomes. Effective incorporation concentrations in the range of about 1-6 nmol/mg microsomal protein were obtained. A stability test at room temperature revealed that after 3 h BC and LYC had decayed totally whereas, gradually, CTX (46%), LUT (21%), ASTA (17%) and ZEA (5%) decayed. Biophysical parameters of the microsomal membrane were changed hardly by the incorporation of carotenoids. A small rigidification may occur. Membrane anisotropy seems to offer only a small tolerance for incorporation of carotenoids and seems to limit the achievable incorporation concentrations of the carotenoids into microsomes. Microsomes instead of liposomes should be preferred as a membrane model to study mutual effects of carotenoids and membrane dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Vetinary Medicine, Romania.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Socaciu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jessel
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Diehl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016880:Anisotropy; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008560:Membrane Fluidity / Q000502:physiology*; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D002338:Carotenoids