Anti- and Prooxidant Properties of Carotenoids

Abstract

Carotenoids can be effective singlet oxygen quenchers and inhibit free-radical induced lipid peroxidation. A remarkable property of β-carotene (1a) is the change from an antioxidant to a prooxidant depending on oxygen pressure and concentration. In the present study a considerable number of carotenoids (1a, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 8h, 8i, 8j, 9f, 10a, 11a, 12g) was investigated using two independent approaches: 1. Comparison of their effects on inhibition of the free-radical oxidation of methyl linoleate, and 2. The direct study of the effect of oxygen partial pressure upon their rates of oxidation. It is shown that some carotenoids (7a, 8a) are even more effective than the well-known compounds β-carotene (1a) and astaxanthin (5a) and are powerful antioxidants without any prooxidative property. Different carotenoids display different behaviour depending on chain length and end groups. The influence of these functional groups on the antioxidative reactivity is discussed.