title: Lutein supplementation leads to decreased soluble complement membrane attack complex sC5b-9 plasma levels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lutein on systemic complement activation in elderly individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy patients with signs of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were included in this study. All subjects were randomly assigned to receive a 10 mg daily dose of lutein or a placebo for a time period of 1 year. EDTA blood was collected before and at various time-points during the study (0, 4, 8 and 12 months). The plasma level of the soluble complement membrane attack complex sC5b-9 was measured by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a significant 1.1 ng/ml monthly decrease in the plasma sC5b-9 concentration in the lutein group (p<0.001), resulting in a decrease from 60.3 ng/ml at baseline to 46.3 ng/ml at 12 months. For the placebo group, we found a significant 0.6 ng/ml monthly increase in plasma sC5b-9 concentration (p=0.001), resulting in an increase from 51.6 ng/ml at baseline to 58.4 ng/ml at 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lutein supplementation inhibits the systemic activation of the complement system, which provides further functional evidence for the reported beneficial effects of this carotenoid in the management of AMD.
authors.affiliation: University Eye Clinic Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Aize
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kijlstra
authors.forename: Rob L P
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makridaki
authors.forename: Ian J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Tos T J M
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Berendschot
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D014975:Lutein / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex; C047610:SC5b-9 protein complex; D014975:Lutein
keywords: age-related macular degeneration; complement system; lutein; sC5b-9