Canthaxanthin
Canthaxanthin is a keto-carotenoid pigment widely distributed in nature. Carotenoids belong to a larger class of phytochemicals known as terpenoids.
Canthaxanthin, a precursor of astaxanthin, is also not a plant product. It occurs naturally in the yolks of eggs, crustacean shells, salmon, and trout. Several years ago, canthaxanthin was marketed in extremely high-concentration pills as a sunless tanning agen; the FDA banned these when toxicity symptoms (including deposition of canthaxanthin crystals in the retina) became evident. Although it has GRAS status and is used as a food colorant (in amounts not to exceed 30 mg per pint or pound), canthaxanthin has been demonstrated to cause retinal changes (in mice) 50% of the time at a cumulative dose level of 37 grams and 100% of the time following a cumulative dose of 60 grams. Despite these findings, it is still available in 'skin care' supplements sold over the internet. (- Ganora)
Studies/Articles
Canthaxanthin in food
Interactions between canthaxanthin and lipid membranes--possible mechanisms of canthaxanthin toxicity.
9-cis-canthaxanthin exhibits higher pro-apoptotic activity than all-trans-canthaxanthin isomer in THP-1 macrophage cells.
Use of response surface methodology in a fed-batch process for optimization of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates to achieve high levels of canthaxanthin from Dietzia natronolimnaea HS-1.
Canthaxanthin Retinopathy: Long-Term Observations.
Optimization of canthaxanthin production by Dietzia natronolimnaea HS-1 using response surface methodology.
[Simultaneous determination of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in feedstuffs using solid phase extraction-reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].
Partially saturated canthaxanthin purified from Aspergillus carbonarius induces apoptosis in prostrate cancer cell line.
[Simultaneous determination of canthaxanthin and Sudan Red in salted duck egg yolk by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography].
Unravelling the chemical basis of the bathochromic shift in the lobster carapace; new crystal structures of unbound astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and zeaxanthin.
Unique carotenoids in the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune NIES-24: 2-hydroxymyxol 2'-fucoside, nostoxanthin and canthaxanthin.
Astaxanthin, canthaxanthin and beta-carotene differently affect UVA-induced oxidative damage and expression of oxidative stress-responsive enzymes.
Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory neuroprotective effects of astaxanthin and canthaxanthin in nerve growth factor differentiated PC12 cells.
Extraction, purification and concentration of partially saturated canthaxanthin from Aspergillus carbonarius.
[Influence of canthaxanthin on D-galactose induced osseous changes of rat].
Does Feed Composition Affect Oxidation of Rainbow Trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) during Frozen Storage?
Measuring Ti(III)-carotenoid radical interspin distances in TiMCM-41 by pulsed EPR relaxation enhancement method.
Quenching of singlet oxygen by a carotenoid-cyclodextrin complex: the importance of aggregate formation.
Carotenoid accumulation in the tissues of zebra finches: predictors of integumentary pigmentation and implications for carotenoid allocation strategies.
Construction of the astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway in a methanotrophic bacterium Methylomonas sp. strain 16a.
Influence of pasteurization, spray- and freeze-drying, and storage on the carotenoid content in egg yolk.