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Article

Canthaxanthin Supplementation Alters Antioxidant Enzymes and Iron Concentration in Liver of Balb/c Mice¹

Institute of General Pathology, Catholic University, 00168 Rome, Italy ^* Department of Biology, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy

²To whom correspondence should be addressed.

The 4,4'-diketo-ß-carotene, canthaxanthin, alters tocopherol status when fed to Balb/c mice, suggesting an involvement of carotenoids in the modulation of oxidative stress in vivo. We investigated further the modifications induced by an oral administration of canthaxanthin on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes and iron status in liver of Balb/c mice. Female 6-wk-old Balb/c mice were randomly divided into two groups (n = 10/group). The control group (C) received olive oil alone (vehicle) and the canthaxanthin-treated group (Cx) received canthaxanthin at a dose of 14 µg/(g body wt·d). The 15-d canthaxanthin treatment resulted in carotenoid incorporation but did not modify lipid peroxidation as measured by endogenous production of malondialdehyde (MDA). However, glutathione peroxidase activity was 35% lower (P < 0.01) and catalase (59%, P < 0.005) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) (28%, P < 0.05) activities were higher in canthaxanthin-treated mice than in controls. Moreover, carotenoid feeding caused a significant (P < 0.05) overexpression of the MnSOD gene; mRNA levels of the enzyme were greater in treated mice than in controls. Concomitantly, a 27% (P < 0.05) greater iron concentration was found in liver from canthaxanthin-treated mice compared with controls. These findings support the hypothesis that canthaxanthin alters the protective ability of tissues against oxidative stressin vivo.

KEY WORDS: • canthaxanthin • carotenoids • antioxidant enzymes • iron status • mice

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