title: Free Radical Scavenging and Cellular Antioxidant Properties of Astaxanthin.
abstract: Astaxanthin is a coloring agent which is used as a feed additive in aquaculture nutrition. Recently, potential health benefits of astaxanthin have been discussed which may be partly related to its free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties. Our electron spin resonance (ESR) and spin trapping data suggest that synthetic astaxanthin is a potent free radical scavenger in terms of diphenylpicryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and galvinoxyl free radicals. Furthermore, astaxanthin dose-dependently quenched singlet oxygen as determined by photon counting. In addition to free radical scavenging and singlet oxygen quenching properties, astaxanthin induced the antioxidant enzyme paroxoanase-1, enhanced glutathione concentrations and prevented lipid peroxidation in cultured hepatocytes. Present results suggest that, beyond its coloring properties, synthetic astaxanthin exhibits free radical scavenging, singlet oxygen quenching, and antioxidant activities which could probably positively affect animal and human health.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 6, D-24118 Kiel, Germany. dose@foodsci.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Janina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dose
authors.affiliation: School of Natural System, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan. s-matsugoh@se.kanazawa-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsugo
authors.affiliation: School of Natural System, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan. haruside8133@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokokawa
authors.affiliation: School of Natural System, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan. koshi04015087@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yutaro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koshida
authors.affiliation: Medical Photonics Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Handamachi 1-20-1, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan. okazaki@hama-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 6, D-24118 Kiel, Germany. seidel@foodsci.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.affiliation: DSM Nutritional Products, P.O. Box 2676, 4002 Basel, Switzerland. manfred.eggersdorfer@dsm.com.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eggersdorfer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 6, D-24118 Kiel, Germany. rimbach@foodsci.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rimbach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 6, D-24118 Kiel, Germany. esatbeyoglu@foodsci.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Tuba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Esatbeyoglu
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D024341:Xanthophylls; C005948:astaxanthine
keywords: antioxidant; astaxanthin; electron spin resonance spectroscopy; free radical scavenging