title: Effect of carotenoid oxidation products on neutrophil viability and function.
abstract: Human neutrophils are short-lived cells that play important roles in host defense and acute inflammation by releasing hydrolytic and cytotoxic proteins and reactive oxygen derivatives. Apoptosis, a physiological mechanism for cell death, regulates both production and survival of neutrophils, representing a basic biological mechanism for this type of cells. Carotenoids may react with toxic oxygen metabolites released by neutrophils to form a multitude of carotenoid cleavage products that exert, in turn, relevant prooxidative biological effects. Recent data suggest that carotenoid oxidation products may affect neutrophil viability and function by exerting proapoptotic activity and interfering with superoxide production by activated cells. The prooxidant and proapoptotic activities of carotenoid oxidation products could account, at least in some cases, for the procancerogenic properties of carotenoid rich diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Sciences and Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. costantino.salerno@uniromal.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salerno
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crifò
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Capuozzo
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sommerburg
authors.forename: C-D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Langhans
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Siems
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006801:Humans; D018375:Neutrophil Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D016877:Oxidants; D002338:Carotenoids