Disease relevance of Astaxanthin

• Escherichia coli strains expressing the marine bacteria (Agrobacterium aurantiacum and Alcaligenes sp. strain PC-1) astaxanthin biosynthetic genes (crtZ and W), Haematococcus pluvialis bkt, and Erwinia uredovora crtZ genes were used for in vitro characterization of the respective enzymes [1].
• At 2 weeks postinoculation mice were treated orally once daily for 10 days (i) with different doses of algal meal rich in astaxanthin (0.4, 2, and 4 g/kg of body weight, with the astaxanthin content at 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg, respectively), (ii) with a control meal (algal meal without astaxanthin, 4 g/kg), or (iii) with vitamin C (400 mg/kg) [2].
• The E. coli transformants produced 400 microg astaxanthin per gram of dry cell weight [3].
• In a previous study, we isolated and characterized a marine bacterium, Paracoccus haeundaensis, which produces carotenoids, mainly astaxanthin [3].
• We succeeded in isolating a novel cDNA involved in astaxanthin biosynthesis from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis, by an expression cloning method using an Escherichia coli transformant as a host that synthesizes beta-carotene due to the Erwinia uredovora carotenoid biosynthesis genes [4].

Psychiatry related information on Astaxanthin

• In conclusion, these results indicate that astaxanthin can exert beneficial effects in protection against hypertension and stroke and in improving memory in vascular dementia [5].

High impact information on Astaxanthin

• Using metabolic engineering, we have modified the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) to produce astaxanthin, a red pigment of considerable economic value [6].
• Chromoplasts in the nectary tissue of transgenic plants accumulated (3S,3'S) astaxanthin and other ketocarotenoids, changing the color of the nectary from yellow to red [6].
• This article covers the antioxidant, UV-light protection, anti-inflammatory and other properties of astaxanthin and its possible role in many human health problems [7].
• Effects of astaxanthin on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo [8].
• Host-guest complexes with planarized, monomeric beta-carotene within tetrameric rigid-rod beta-barrels, and disc micellar astaxanthin J-aggregates surrounded by about dodecameric rigid-rod "bicycle tires" were prepared from mixed micelles by dialytic detergent removal [9].

Chemical compound and disease context of Astaxanthin

• Expression of the crtW and crtZ from DC263 in a beta-carotene-accumulating E. coli produced astaxanthin as the predominant carotenoid [10].
• Disodium Disuccinate Astaxanthin (Cardax) attenuates complement activation and reduces myocardial injury following ischemia/reperfusion [11].
• Alpha-tocopherol and astaxanthin decrease macrophage infiltration, apoptosis and vulnerability in atheroma of hyperlipidaemic rabbits [12].
• Phenotypic features of the strain that differ from all or most of the previously described Paracoccus species include its bright orange colour, caused by the synthesis of large amounts of carotenoids (mainly astaxanthin), and its inability to use nitrate as an electron acceptor in respiration [13].
• The older yeast cells at late culture stage (120 h), due perhaps in part to their higher astaxanthin contents, were more tolerant to H(2)O(2) toxicity than the younger cells (24 h) [14].

Biological context of Astaxanthin

• On the other hand, cellular accumulation of the antioxidant astaxanthin occurred well after initiation of oxidative stress and reached its maximum cellular level after six or more days of stress [15].
• Cloning and characterization of the astaxanthin biosynthesis gene cluster from the marine bacterium Paracoccus haeundaensis [3].
• Gene expression profile analysis in astaxanthin-induced Haematococcus pluvialis using a cDNA microarray [16].
• We suggest that astaxanthin affects channel function by changing the phosphorylation pattern of connexin43 [17].
• Not only the induction of astaxanthin biosynthesis but also carotenoid gene expression was found to be correlated with the redox state of the photosynthetic electron transport [18].

Anatomical context of Astaxanthin

• Astaxanthin diminishes gap junctional intercellular communication in primary human fibroblasts [17].
• All lesions in the astaxanthin-treated rabbits were classified as early plaques according to the distribution of collagen and smooth muscle cells [12].
• The strain E-396T, isolated from soil, was Gram-negative, aerobic, orange-pigmented, rod-shaped, motile by peritrichous flagella and astaxanthin-producing [19].
• Concentrations of all-E-, 9Z- and 13Z- geometrical and (3R,3'R), (3R, 3'S) and (3S,3'S) optical isomers of astaxanthin were determined in rainbow trout liver, gut tissues, kidney, skin and blood plasma to evaluate their body distribution [20].
• In the thoracic aorta, the atherosclerotic area was 80.7+/-5.1%, 67.1+/-6.7% (P=0.13) and 75.2+/-5.7% (P=0.49) in the control, alpha-tocopherol and astaxanthin groups, respectively [21].

Associations of Astaxanthin with other chemical compounds

• The modulating effects of dietary feeding of two xanthophylls, astaxanthin (AX) and canthaxanthin (CX) during the postinitiation phase on colon carcinogenesis initiated with azoxymethane (AOM) were investigated in male F344 rats [22].
• Mice treated with astaxanthin-rich algal meal or vitamin C showed significantly lower colonization levels and lower inflammation scores than those of untreated or control-meal-treated animals at 1 day and 10 days after the cessation of treatment [2].
• Hawaii Biotech, Inc. (HBI) successfully synthesized a novel carotenoid derivative, the disodium disuccinate derivative of astaxanthin (3,3(')-dihydroxy-beta,beta-carotene-4,4(')-dione) in all-trans (all-E) form [23].
• Female BALB/c mice were fed 0%, 0.02%, or 0.4% astaxanthin, beta-carotene, and lutein for two weeks [24].
• With saturating nitrate, the biomass productivity was high, 1.2 g/L.d, but astaxanthin accumulation did not take place, the C/N ratio of the biomass being 5 [25].

Gene context of Astaxanthin

• The lack of autoinduction of astaxanthin metabolism in human hepatocytes suggests that neither CYP3A4 nor CYP2B6 contribute to the formation of metabolites [26].
• Moreover, astaxanthin blocked nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB p65 subunit and I(kappa)B(alpha) degradation, which correlated with its inhibitory effect on I(kappa)B kinase (IKK) activity [27].
• These results suggest that astaxanthin, probably due to its antioxidant activity, inhibits the production of inflammatory mediators by blocking NF-kappaB activation and as a consequent suppression of IKK activity and I(kappa)B-alpha degradation [27].
• It also suppresses interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by cloned murine Th1 cells. beta-Carotene is less effective than astaxanthin [28].
• In the Th1 clone, astaxanthin, but not other carotenoids, suppressed IFN-gamma production and increased the number of Ab-secreting cells with the use of primed spleen cells [28].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Astaxanthin

• In this work, we used cDNA microarray analysis to screen differentially expressed genes in H. pluvialis under astaxanthin-inductive culture conditions, such as combination of cell exposure to high irradiance and nutrient deprivation [16].
• The individual stereoisomers were synthesized at high purity (>90% by HPLC) and compared directly for efficacy with the statistical mixture of stereoisomers obtained from the synthesis from the commercial source of astaxanthin (1:2:1 ratio of 3S,3(')S, meso, and 3R,3(')R, respectively) [23].
• Preparative isolation and characterization of some minor impurities of astaxanthin by high-performance liquid chromatography [29].
• Crystallization and initial X-ray analysis of beta-crustacyanin, the dimer of apoproteins A2 and C1, each with a bound astaxanthin molecule [30].
• Genetics and electrophoretic karyotyping of wild-type and astaxanthin mutant strains of Phaffia rhodozyma [31].

References