Functional benefits of carotenoids vision, cancer and cardiovascular disease

2 Functional benefits of carotenoids vision, cancer and cardiovascular disease 

Most carotenoids have no pro-vitamin A activity with the notable exceptions of P-carotene, and to a lesser extent a-carotene and P-cryptoxanthin. They act as macular pigments (lutein and zeaxanthin) and they have antioxidant and biochemical properties other than pro-vitamin A activity. 

Vitamin A is essential throughout life, including foetal development, but perhaps its most well researched role is that in vision where 11 -cis retinaldehyde is the initial part of the photoreceptor complex in rods and cones. Retinoic acid induces differentiation in epithelial cells and deficiency leads to 

As a species that has evolved in such an aggressive environment we have developed mechanisms that both defend against oxidative damage and can undertake damage repair. Free radical generation in vivo has even been adopted as a mechanism to protect against physical, chemical and biological injury. 

Because the carotenoids favour hydrophobic domains they are generally localised in the membranes and lipoproteins of animal cells. In this location they can influence the oxidation of membrane lipids and prevent the passage of free radicals from one cellular compartment to another. Thus, DNA in the nucleus is protected from intracellularly generated ROS by (at least) the nuclear membrane and from extracellular ROS by a number of membranes. Should ROS reach the nucleus, base oxidation can occur. The base most susceptible to oxidation is guanine, although all other bases can also be affected. The cell has the ability to detect damaged bases, excise them. 

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