Disease relevance of Canthaxanthin

• Aplastic anemia associated with canthaxanthin ingested for 'tanning' purposes [1].
• In this study, we demonstrate the presence of two distinct crt gene clusters involved in the synthesis of spirilloxanthin and canthaxanthin in a Bradyrhizobium strain [2].
• Canthaxanthin toxicity [3].
• To investigate the possibility that canthaxanthin inhibits cancer cell growth by inducing apoptosis, human WiDr colon adenocarcinoma and SK-MEL-2 melanoma cells were treated with two different doses of the carotenoid for 48 h [4].
• METHODS: Groups of four cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) per gender and dose were administered 5.4, 16.2, or 48.6 mg canthaxanthin/kg body weight daily by oral gavage for 2.5 years [5].

High impact information on Canthaxanthin

• Thus, the frequency of adverse effects associated with canthaxanthin use, such as bone marrow suppression, is unknown [1].
• The chemopreventive effects of two xanthophylls, astaxanthin (AX) and canthaxanthin (CX) on oral carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) was investigated in male F344 rats [6].
• Moreover, the active carotenoid canthaxanthin did not induce the vitamin A-inducible gene retinoic acid receptor-beta [7].
• Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the canthaxanthin crt gene cluster has been acquired by a lateral gene transfer [2].
• The spin trapping EPR technique was used to study the influence of carotenoids (beta-carotene, 8'-apo-beta-caroten-8'-al, canthaxanthin, and ethyl 8'-apo-beta-caroten-8'-oate) on the yield of free radicals in the Fenton reaction (Fe(2+) + H(2)O(2) --> Fe(3+) + .OH + -OH) in the organic solvents, DMSO, and methanol [8].

Chemical compound and disease context of Canthaxanthin

• Cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of the gene encoding beta-C-4-oxygenase, that converts beta-carotene to the ketocarotenoid canthaxanthin in Haematococcus pluvialis [9].
• The observation that canthaxanthin is highly effective in preventing cancer initiation without toxicity suggests that carotenoids not possessing vitamin A activity should be further evaluated as chemopreventive agents [10].
• METHODS: Levels of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, and canthaxanthin were measured in placental tissue, maternal serum, and umbilical cord venous blood from 22 normal pregnant women and 19 women with preeclampsia [11].
• The effects of carotenoids--alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin--on the invasion of rat ascites hepatoma AH109A cells were investigated by co-culturing the hepatoma cells with rat mesentery-derived mesothelial cells (M-cells) [12].
• Beta-carotene, canthaxanthin and retinoic acid (RA) inhibited growth of human DU145 prostate cancer cells by 45, 56 and 18%, respectively [13].

Biological context of Canthaxanthin

• This study represents the first demonstration that canthaxanthin is able to induce apoptosis in tumour cells [4].
• Supplementation with canthaxanthin affects plasma and tissue distribution of alpha- and gamma-tocopherols in mice [14].
• The results suggest that, at the doses given, a concurrent oral canthaxanthin dose has a specific antagonistic effect on the bioavailability of a beta-carotene dose in ferrets [15].
• Ah receptor-dependent CYP1A induction by two carotenoids, canthaxanthin and beta-apo-8'-carotenal, with no affinity for the TCDD binding site [16].
• 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 [17].

Anatomical context of Canthaxanthin

• Activity has also been shown in human cells: in fibroblasts CONNEXIN 43 expression is also up-regulated whereas in human keratinocytes grown in organotypic culture beta-carotene and canthaxanthin modulate differentiation in a manner qualitatively similar to that of retinoids [18].
• Reduction of murine cutaneous UVB-induced tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes by dietary canthaxanthin [19].
• Canthaxanthin induces apoptosis in human cancer cell lines [4].
• Use of the micronucleus test to monitor the effect of vitamin A, beta-carotene and canthaxanthin on the buccal mucosa of betel nut/tobacco chewers [20].
• Canthaxanthin concentrations were highest in liver, with high concentrations also seen in fat, lung and small intestine [21].

Associations of Canthaxanthin with other chemical compounds

• The mean plasma levels of carotenoids (beta-carotene, lycopene, and canthaxanthin), as well as alpha-tocopherol, were significantly lower in women with CIN and cervical cancer [22].
• We conclude that dietary retinyl palmitate and canthaxanthin can modulate the host T-cell immune response within a growing tumor and may affect tumorigenicity [19].
• Retinoids (retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, retinyl beta-glucuronide, and 13-cis retinoic acid) and carotenoids (beta-carotene and canthaxanthin) were evaluated for their immunomodulatory effects on human peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subpopulations and natural killer (NK) cells [23].
• Retinoid concentrations in tissues of the ferrets fed canthaxanthin were not different from those of the placebo-fed group [21].
• The investigation of beta-carotene and the xanthophylls beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin using reversed-phase liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry interfaced with TurboIonspray (LC-TurboISP-MS) is described [24].

Gene context of Canthaxanthin

• Efficacy of all-trans-beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, and all-trans-, 9-cis-, and 4-oxoretinoic acids in inducing differentiation of an F9 embryonal carcinoma RAR beta-lacZ reporter cell line [25].
• In brief, the carotenoids canthaxanthin or beta-apo-8'-carotenal induced Cyp1a genes in mice through an Ah receptor-dependent pathway, but did not bind to the Ah receptor [16].
• The addition of retinyl palmitate to the canthaxanthin diet ameliorated this negative effect on TIL and the development of skin tumors [19].
• We found that dietary canthaxanthin greatly reduced the number of tumor-infiltrating helper/inducer, suppressor/cytotoxic, and interleukin-2 receptor-positive T lymphocytes and also observed a concomitant statistically significant increase in tumour incidence in canthaxanthin-fed animals [19].
• Canthaxanthin supplementation alters antioxidant enzymes and iron concentration in liver of Balb/c mice [17].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Canthaxanthin

• Chemoprevention of rat oral carcinogenesis by naturally occurring xanthophylls, astaxanthin and canthaxanthin [6].
• Retinal and preterminal plasma canthaxanthin concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) [5].
• The HPLC confirmed the presence of all-trans canthaxanthin, and 4-OH-echinenone and isozeaxanthin as well, in the retinas of all canthaxanthin-treated animals [5].
• Neither electroretinography nor histopathology indicated any adverse effects of the canthaxanthin-induced retinal inclusions seen in this study [5].
• However, postmortem polarization microscopy of all 24 canthaxanthin-treated animals showed a circular zone in the peripheral retina containing birefringent, polymorphous red, orange, or white inclusions [5].

References