Marine Carotenoids against Oxidative Stress: Effects on Human Health

Abstract

Carotenoids are lipid-soluble pigments that are produced in some plants, algae, fungi, and bacterial species, which accounts for their orange and yellow hues. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants thanks to their ability to quench singlet oxygen, to be oxidized, to be isomerized, and to scavenge free radicals, which plays a crucial role in the etiology of several diseases. Unusual marine environments are associated with a great chemical diversity, resulting in novel bioactive molecules. Thus, marine organisms may represent an important source of novel biologically active substances for the development of therapeutics. In this respect, various novel marine carotenoids have recently been isolated from marine organisms and displayed several utilizations as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Marine carotenoids (astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, β-carotene, lutein but also the rare siphonaxanthin, sioxanthin, and myxol) have recently shown antioxidant properties in reducing oxidative stress markers. This review aims to describe the role of marine carotenoids against oxidative stress and their potential applications in preventing and treating inflammatory diseases.

Keywords: antioxidants; inflammatory diseases; marine carotenoids; oxidative stress.

Figure 1

Sources, effects, and markers of oxidative stress. In detail, (a) schematic steps of MDA formation from polyunsaturated fatty acids (MDA: malondialdehyde; AGP: advanced glycation end-products; 8-OHdG: 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine); (b) Lipid peroxidation and MDA production.

Figure 2

The molecular structure of astaxanthin.

Figure 3

The molecular structure of fucoxanthin.

Figure 4

The molecular structure of zeaxanthin.

Figure 5

The molecular structure of β-cryptoxanthin.

Figure 6

The molecular structure of siphonaxanthin.

Figure 7

The molecular structures of saproxanthin (a) and myxol (b).