Free Radical Scavenging and Cellular Antioxidant Properties of Astaxanthin

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 103
• Main Authors: Dose, Janina, Matsugo, Seiichi, Yokokawa, Haruka, Koshida, Yutaro, Okazaki, Shigetoshi, Seidel, Ulrike, Eggersdorfer, Manfred, Rimbach, Gerald, Esatbeyoglu, Tuba
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14-01-2016; MDPI
• Subjects: antioxidant; Antioxidants; astaxanthin; Cell Line; Cellular biology; Drug therapy; electron spin resonance spectroscopy; Free Radical Scavengers - pharmacology; free radical scavenging; Free radicals; Hep G2 Cells; Hepatocytes - drug effects; Hepatocytes - metabolism; Humans; Lipid Peroxidation; Xanthophylls - pharmacology; electron spin resonance spectroscopy; antioxidant; astaxanthin; free radical scavenging
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms17010103

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.