A Review of the Biological Activities of Microalgal Carotenoids and Their Potential Use in Healthcare and Cosmetic Industries
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Carotenoids are natural pigments that play pivotal roles in many physiological functions. The characteristics of carotenoids, their effects on health, and the cosmetic benefits of their usage have been under investigation for a long time; however, most reviews on this subject focus on carotenoids obtained from several microalgae, vegetables, fruits, and higher plants. Recently, microalgae have received much attention due to their abilities in producing novel bioactive metabolites, including a wide range of different carotenoids that can provide for health and cosmetic benefits. The main objectives of this review are to provide an updated view of recent work on the health and cosmetic benefits associated with carotenoid use, as well as to provide a list of microalgae that produce different types of carotenoids. This review could provide new insights to researchers on the potential role of carotenoids in improving human health.Keywords:
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Carotenoids are natural pigments that play pivotal roles in many physiological functions. The characteristics of carotenoids, their effects on health, and the cosmetic benefits of their usage have been under investigation for a long time; however, most reviews on this subject focus on carotenoids obtained from several microalgae, vegetables, fruits, and higher plants. Recently, microalgae have received much attention due to their abilities in producing novel bioactive metabolites, including a wide range of different carotenoids that can provide for health and cosmetic benefits. The main objectives of this review are to provide an updated view of recent work on the health and cosmetic benefits associated with carotenoid use, as well as to provide a list of microalgae that produce different types of carotenoids. This review could provide new insights to researchers on the potential role of carotenoids in improving human health.
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There is increasing attention on anthocyanins (ACs) and carotenoids as significant sources of antioxidants with biological activity regarding human health. However, the roles of these compounds in human health depend on their availability in food, extraction methods, and stability. The results of this chapter indicate the structures, extraction and analytical methods, stability, bioavailability, biological activity, and finally commercial utilization of ACs and carotenoids. The effect of these compounds in the food industry is significantly attributed. Finally, with their high-level content of antioxidants, these bioactive compounds can be very attractive in biotechnology, used as fortified and natural additives to foods delivering special benefits in both health and the wider economy.
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Microalgae are huge natural sources of high-value compounds with health-promoting properties. The carotenoids derived from microalgae have significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which allow them to provide health benefits. In this article, the bioactivities of microalgal carotenoids are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on astaxanthin, a ketocarotenoid with extraordinary potential for protecting against a wide range of diseases.
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Diets containing plant-food, with a wide variety of phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids, monoterpens, isothiocyanates, and phytosterols, have been associated with health benefit effects. Carotenoids are natural pigments from plants and micro-organisms. Although the nutritional importance has been confined to those possessing pro-vitamin A activity, nowadays other carotenoids such as lycopene, have also emerged as nutritional compounds according to their biological properties. Lycopene is present in tomato, watermelon, papaya, apricot and pink grapefruit, providing tomato and tomato products the highest content in the diet. The health effects of lycopene derived from its free radical scavenging capacity, which is higher to those evaluated in other carotenoids, such as has been described in in vitro and in vivo studies. The epidemiological studies implicate the lycopene with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and epithelial cancers. This review summarizes the importance of lycopene in the diet, its chemical and biological properties, and health benefit effects, remarking the aspects associated with the presence in tomarto and tomato comsuption.
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The effectiveness of carotenoids as antioxidants is dependent on a number of influencing factors. It is likely that carotenoids exhibit a tendency to lose their effectiveness as antioxidants or act as prooxidants. In this paper, factors influencing the antioxidant or prooxidant activities of carotenoids such as the molecule structure of carotenoids, the location or site of action of the carotenoid molecule within the cell, the concentration of carotenoids, the properties of reactants, the partial pressure of oxygen and the interaction with other antioxidants were reviewed.
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Carotenoids are well known for their contribution to the vibrant coloration of many animals and have been hypothesized to be important antioxidants. Surprisingly few examples of carotenoids acting as biologically relevant antioxidants in vivo exist, in part because experimental designs often employ dosing animals with carotenoids at levels that are rarely observed in nature. Here we use an approach that reduces carotenoid content from wild-type levels to test for the effect of carotenoids as protectants against an oxidative challenge. We used the marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus reared on a carotenoid-free or a carotenoid-restored diet of nutritional yeast and then exposed them to a prooxidant. We found that carotenoid-deficient copepods not only accumulated more damage, but also were more likely to die during an oxidative challenge than carotenoid-restored copepods. We suggest that carotenoid reduction, and not supplementation, better tests the proposed roles of carotenoids in other physiological functions in animals.
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In addition to the basic nutrients (energy, protein, vitamins and minerals), plant tissues possess micro constituents that are essential for human well-being, productive and healthy lifestyle. They are known as bioactive, physiologically-active, functional or health-promoting substances and are found in commonly consumed fruits, vegetables and grains as secondary metabolites. Majority of these bioactive components (e.g., carotenoids, anthocyanins, phenolics) impart their physiological activities as antioxidants, and some of them such as several members of carotenoids have more than one mode of action, i.e., in addition to being antioxidants, they also possess vitamin A activity. Recent research has supported the role of carotenoids in maintaining human health and preventing or reducing the risk of chronic diseases. This has led to a growing interest in scientific communities to better understand their molecular and structural properties and their efficacy as health promoters. Certainly, this requires a collective effort to develop and validate methodologies and techniques that are capable to separate, quantify and identify such minor compounds and their metabolites as well. The present review was aimed to present the up-to-date analytical techniques used for the separation and quantification of carotenoids found in food and plasma. Additionally, their occurrence, physiological properties, extraction, purification and stability were discussed. Keywords: Carotenoids, Extraction, Separation and quantification, Occurrence in food and plasma, Health benefits
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Abstract There is an urgent need to improve human diet globally. Compelling evidence gathered over the past several decades suggests that a suboptimal diet is associated with many chronic diseases and may be responsible for more deaths than any other risks worldwide. The main components in our diet that need higher intake are whole grains, fruit and vegetables, and nuts and seeds; all of these are important sources of dietary fiber and polyphenols. The health benefits of dietary fiber and polyphenols are also supported by several decades of valuable research. However, the conclusions drawn from interventional human trials are not straightforward and the action mechanisms in improving human health are not fully understood. Moreover, there is a great inter‐individual variation caused by different individual capabilities of processing, absorbing and using these compounds effectively. Data on the bioavailability and bioefficacy of hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) are limited when compared to other classes of polyphenols (e.g. anthocyanins). This review aims to summarize the latest research advances related to HCA bioavailability and their biological effects revealed by epidemiological data, pre‐clinical and clinical studies. Moreover, we aim to review the effects of HCAs on gut microbiota diversity and function and its respective influence on host health. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
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