title: Health benefits of a natural carotenoid rich oil: a proposed mechanism of protection against ischaemia/ reperfusion injury.
abstract: Numerous studies have reported the protective properties of carotenoid supplementation against skin and eye associated diseases. However, conflicting data concerning the efficacy of beta-carotene in the pathogenesis of cancers and cardiovascular disease exist. It has been shown that beta-carotene is an effective antioxidant on its own or in combination with other antioxidants. Red palm oil (RPO) is a potent anti-oxidant rich oil which consists of carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols and lycopenes as well as lipid fractions such as squalene, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (which maximize absorption of these anti-oxidants) and Co-enzyme Q10. alpha and beta-carotene account for more than 90% of the total carotene in RPO. It is known that ischaemia/reperfusion-induced injury causes an imbalance in oxygen supply which can lead to oxidative stress in the heart. It has been shown that the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), PKB/Akt and the NO-cGMP all play vital roles in ischaemia/reperfusion injury in the heart. Therefore, our review mainly focuses on the signaling pathways involved in functional recovery induced by a natural carotenoid oil after ischaemia/reperfusion injury.
authors.affiliation: Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Symphony Rd, Bellville 7530, South Africa. vanrooyenj@cput.ac.za
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Rooyen
authors.forename: Adriaan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Esterhuyse
authors.forename: Anna-Mart
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Engelbrecht
authors.forename: Eugene F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: du Toit
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D000073878:Palm Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010938:Plant Oils; D002338:Carotenoids; D000073878:Palm Oil