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Review
. 2022 Aug 27;11(9):1676.
doi: 10.3390/antiox11091676.

Nanocarrier System: State-of-the-Art in Oral Delivery of Astaxanthin

Nur Rafiqah Abdol Wahab  1 , Meor Mohd Redzuan Meor Mohd Affandi  2 , Sharida Fakurazi  1 , Ekram Alias  3 , Haniza Hassan  1
Affiliations
Review

Nanocarrier System: State-of-the-Art in Oral Delivery of Astaxanthin

Nur Rafiqah Abdol Wahab et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

Astaxanthin (3,3'-dihydroxy-4,4'-diketo-β-β carotene), which belongs to the xanthophyll class, has shown potential biological activity in in vitro and in vivo models including as a potent antioxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation and cardiovascular disease prevention agent. It is mainly extracted from an alga, Haematococcus pluvialis. As a highly lipid-soluble carotenoid, astaxanthin has been shown to have poor oral bioavailability, which limits its clinical applications. Recently, there have been several suggestions and the development of various types of nano-formulation, loaded with astaxanthin to enhance their bioavailability. The employment of nanoemulsions, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, chitosan-based and PLGA-based nanoparticles as delivery vehicles of astaxanthin for nutritional supplementation purposes has proven a higher oral bioavailability of astaxanthin. In this review, we highlight the pharmacological properties, pharmacokinetics profiles and current developments of the nano-formulations of astaxanthin for its oral delivery that are believed to be beneficial for future applications. The limitations and future recommendations are also discussed in this review.

Keywords: antioxidants; astaxanthin; bioavailability; carotenoids; nanoparticles; oral delivery; reactive oxygen species.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Free form, monoester and diester molecular structure of astaxanthin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Various pharmacological properties of astaxanthin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Unique position of astaxanthin in the cell membrane.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematics for nano-delivery systems of astaxanthin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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