Coming to Terms with Carotenoids

A similar study from the same group of researchers studied the effect of palm fruit carotene intake on skin lipid peroxidation.(2) Hairless mice were given ad libitum palm fruit carotene, beta-carotene or vehicle emulsions for 15 weeks, in which the carotene was suspended in drinking water; their dorsal skin was then exposed to UV rays. However, in palm fruit carotene-treated mice, the rate of carotene recovery after UV irradiation was higher than in beta-carotene-treated mice. This theory is supported by a study from the University of Liverpool, England, in which researchers compared the antioxidant efficacy of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.(3) Their findings suggested, "alpha-carotene is a better antioxidant than is beta-carotene in phosphatidyl choline vesicles and, therefore, may be useful in limiting free radical mediated peroxidative damage against membrane phospholipids in vivo."

After reviewing the research, Carotech created a mixed palm oil carotene, which contains the powers of both alpha- and beta-carotene. "Cosmetic companies, food and dietary supplement companies are replacing their beta-carotene with natural palm mixed carotene, [because they realized] that alpha-carotene is a much more potent form of carotenoid... they work synergistically as a team to confer the optimum functionality and health benefits," Leong said.

Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid, which can be found in microalgae, yeast, salmon, trout and other marine life. According to Vinson, "Astaxanthin is the most commonly occurring red carotenoid in marine and aquatic animals, and thus occurs naturally in certain human foodstuffs, most importantly in salmon and rainbow trout, to which it imparts a characteristic pink color when present at sufficient levels. Astaxanthin also occurs in shellfish, in fish eggs and in some other fish species."

DePrince declared astaxanthin to be "the king of carotenoids, having the greatest antioxidant capacity of any other carotenoid." King or not, astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant, and has been shown to provide protection from UV rays and is also an anti-inflammatory, which makes it extremely attractive to supplement, cosmetic and skin care companies.

A 2003 research review on astaxanthin from Mera Pharmaceuticals Inc., published in Trends in Biotechnology, stated its strong antioxidant activity points to its potential to target several health conditions, including UV-light protection and anti-inflammatory properties.(4) The research reviewed supported the assumption that protecting body tissues from oxidative damage with daily ingestion of natural astaxanthin might be a practical and beneficial strategy in health management.

Researchers from the University College Cork, Ireland, examined the ability of an algal extract (which contains high levels of astaxanthin) to protect against UVA-induced DNA alterations.(5) The algal extract displayed protection against UVA-induced DNA damage when the equivalent of 10 microM astaxanthin was added to all three-cell types; however, at the lower concentrations (10 and 100 nM) no significant protection was evident. It was concluded that this work suggests a role for the algal extract as a potentially beneficial antioxidant.

Lutein

Lutein, found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, is known for its antioxidant properties and ability to protect against UV radiation. Given that the skin is exposed to numerous environmental assaults that can lead to premature aging, researchers from Saint Eugenio Hospital, Italy, studied the efficacy of lutein and zeaxanthin upon five skin physiology parameters (surface lipids, hydration, photoprotective activity, skin elasticity and skin lipid peroxidation - malondialdehyde) in human subjects.(6) These xanthophylls were administered either orally, topically or in combination The results obtained indicate the combined oral and topical administration of lutein and zeaxanthin provides the highest degree of antioxidant protection, making them ideal for topical skin and cosmetic products. However, the researchers pointed out oral administration of lutein may provide better protection than that afforded by topical application of only lutein when measured by changes in lipid peroxidation and photoprotective activity in the skin following UV light irradiation.

A similar study, carried out by researchers at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany, found carotenoids, including lutein, show photoprotective effects in human skin, efficiently scavenging peroxyl radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation.(7) Cultured human skin fibroblasts were used to examine the protective effects of the carotenoids, lycopene, beta-carotene and lutein on UVB-induced lipid peroxidation. The cells were exposed to UVB light for 20 minutes. Lycopene, beta-carotene and lutein were capable of decreasing UV-induced formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances at 1 hour to levels 40 to 50 percent of controls free of carotenoids.

There's no doubt carotenoids are absolutely beneficial when added to skin care and cosmetic applications. Scientists will hopefully continue to research these protective pigments and find a bevy of valuable uses for them in other personal care applications.

References

1. Someya K et al. "The antioxidant effect of palm fruit carotene on skin lipid peroxidation in guinea pigs as estimated by chemiluminescence-HPLC method." J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1994 Aug;40(4):315-24.

2. Someya K et al. "The effect of natural carotenoid (palm fruit carotene) intake on skin lipid peroxidation in hairless mice." J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1994 Aug;40(4):303-14.

3. Farombi EO et al. "Antioxidant activity of palm oil carotenes in peroxyl radical-mediated peroxidation of phosphatidyl choline liposomes." Redox Rep. 1999;4(1-2):61-8.

4. Guerin M et al. "Haematococcus astaxanthin: applications for human health and nutrition." Trends Biotechnol. 2003 May;21(5):210-6.

5. Lyons NM "Modulatory effects of an algal extract containing astaxanthin on UVA-irradiated cells in culture." J Dermatol Sci. 2002 Oct;30(1):73-84.

6. Palombo P et al. "Beneficial long-term effects of combined oral/topical antioxidant treatment with the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin on human skin: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study." Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2007;20(4):199-210. Epub 2007 Apr 19.

7. Eichler O et al. "Divergent optimum levels of lycopene, beta-carotene and lutein protecting against UVB irradiation in human fibroblastst." Photochem Photobiol. 2002 May;75(5):503-6.

8. Wang M et al. "[Protective role of lutein on light-damage of retina][Article in Chinese]." Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2008 Jan;37(1):115-7.

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