Astaxanthin as a Novel Mitochondrial Regulator: A New Aspect of Carotenoids, beyond Antioxidants

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 107
• Main Authors: Nishida, Yasuhiro, Nawaz, Allah, Hecht, Karen, Tobe, Kazuyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 27-12-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Algae; Animals; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Astaxanthin; Carotenoids; Cysts; Energy metabolism; Energy Metabolism - drug effects; energy metabolisms; Fatty acids; Free radicals; Humans; insulin resistance; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Marine organisms; Membranes; Metabolism; Mitochondria; Mitochondria - drug effects; Mitochondria - metabolism; natural antioxidant; obesity; Oxidative stress; Pigments; Proteins; Review; Vitamin A; Xanthophylls - chemistry; Xanthophylls - pharmacology; mitochondria; natural antioxidant; energy metabolisms; AMPK; insulin resistance; obesity; astaxanthin
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu14010107

Astaxanthin is a member of the carotenoid family that is found abundantly in marine organisms, and has been gaining attention in recent years due to its varied biological/physiological activities. It has been reported that astaxanthin functions both as a pigment, and as an antioxidant with superior free radical quenching capacity. We recently reported that astaxanthin modulated mitochondrial functions by a novel mechanism independent of its antioxidant function. In this paper, we review astaxanthin's well-known antioxidant activity, and expand on astaxanthin's lesser-known molecular targets, and its role in mitochondrial energy metabolism.