Health benefits of a natural carotenoid rich oil: a proposed mechanism of protection against ischaemi/reperfusion injury

Abstract

Numerous studies have reported the protective properties of carotenoid supplementation against skin and eye associated diseases. However, conflicting data concerning the efficacy of ߭carotene in the pathogenesis of cancers and cardiovascular disease exist. It has been shown that ߭carotene is an effective antioxidant on its own or in combination with other antioxidants. Red palm oil (RPO) is a potent anti-oxidant rich oil which consists of carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols and lycopenes as well as lipid fractions such as squalene, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (which maximize absorption of these anti-oxidants) and Co-enzyme Q10. a and ߭carotene account for more than 90% of the total carotene in RPO. It is known that ischaemia/reperfusion-induced injury causes an imbalance in oxygen supply which can lead to oxidative stress in the heart. It has been shown that the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), PKB/Akt and the NO-cGMP all play vital roles in ischaemia/ reperfusion injury in the heart. Therefore, our review mainly focuses on the signaling pathways involved in functional recovery induced by a natural carotenoid oil after ischaemia/reperfusion injury