Inhibition of Proliferation and Induction of Apoptosis by the Combination of β-carotene and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in Human Esophageal Cancer EC9706 Cells

Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor occurring in human esophageal epithelial tissue. Theprimary purpose of this paper was to define the effects of β-carotene and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, alone and incombination, on cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of human esophageal cancer EC9706 cells. Treatmentwith different concentrations of β-carotene and/or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. MTT assay showed that β-caroteneand 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 significantly inhibited proliferation of EC9706 cells in a dose- and time-dependentmanner. Further studies also demonstrated that β-carotene alone or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 alone caused amarked increase on the induction of apoptosis in EC9706 cells. The percentage of G0/G1-phase cells significantlyincreased on addition of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 alone, but there were no significant changes with β-carotenealone. These two agents in combination synergistically inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis. Therefore,our results indicate that β-carotene and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in combination may provide a novel strategyfor preventing and treating esophageal cancer.     

针刺结合外用β-胡萝卜素治疗寻常型银屑病的临床观察

目的观察针刺结合外用β-胡萝卜素治疗寻常型银屑病患者的临床疗效。方法将200例患者随机分为2组,对照组采用针刺治疗92例,治疗组采用针刺结合外用β-胡萝卜素治疗108例,检测两组患者治疗前后皮损面积严重程度指数（PASI）评分及部分皮损处涂抹β-胡萝卜素的组织病理变化的比较来评价治疗结果。结果治疗组PASI评分下降明显优于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P﹤0.01）;治疗组总有效率为90.7%,对照组为78.2%（P﹤0.05）,治疗疗效优于对照组;治疗组皮损处涂抹β-胡萝卜素后银屑病样改变恢复程度明显优于对照组皮损处只针刺后的改变（P〈0.01）。结论针刺结合外用β-胡萝卜素治疗银屑病有显著疗效。     

北京地区常见蔬菜中叶黄素、玉米黄素和β-胡萝卜素的测定及其含量

目的测定分析常见蔬菜中叶黄素、玉米黄素和β-胡萝卜素的含量。方法采用高效液相色谱法Develosil C30柱;流动相A:乙腈:甲醇=75:25,B:甲基叔丁基醚,梯度洗脱;紫外检测器,检测波长480nm检测北京市常见市售蔬菜中叶黄素、玉米黄素和β-胡萝卜素的含量。结果叶黄素、玉米黄素和β-胡萝卜素保留时间分别为10.355、10.732和20.789min,实现基线分离。深绿色叶菜,如苋菜、芹菜叶、香菜、菠菜、小白菜中叶黄素含量最为丰富。玉米黄素仅在黄花菜(干)中检出。熟制后,各类蔬菜的平均叶黄素和β-胡萝卜素含量呈上升趋势。结论绿色蔬菜,尤其是深绿色叶菜,是叶黄素、β-胡萝卜素的主要膳食来源,摄入熟制后的蔬菜有利于增加叶黄素、玉米黄素的摄入量和生物利用率。     

Class III Obesity and its Relationship with the Nutritional Status of Vitamin A in Pre- and Postoperative Gastric Bypass

Background  Epidemiological findings have shown the rise of the prevalence of obesity in several segments of the world population, and more recent evidences point to a possible association with vitamin A deficiency (VAD). The aim of this study was to investigate vitamin A nutritional status in individuals with class III obesity in the preoperative period and 30 and 180 days after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, correlating these findings with lipid profile and body mass index (BMI). Methods  The sample was composed of class III obese individuals, males and females, in the preoperative period (T1) and 30 (T2) and 180 days (T3) after bariatric surgery with 5,000 IU of supplementation of retinol acetate. Vitamin A nutritional status was assessed through biochemical indicators (retinol and β-carotene serum levels), which were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with an inadequacy cutoff of <1.05 μmol/L and ≥40 μg/dL, respectively. Results  Out of the 114 assessed patients, the mean age was 36.9 ± 11.6 years and BMI was ≥40 kg/m². The prevalence of VAD was 14%, being 37.5% in T1, 50.8% and 67.8% in T2, and 52.9% and 67% in T3, according to retinol and serum β-carotene, respectively. A decrease of retinol and β-carotene serum levels was observed with BMI increase in T1. An increase of very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLc) and triglycerides was verified with the increase of retinol, being VLDLc in T3 and triglycerides in T1 and T2. In T1, high-dense lipoprotein cholesterol presented a positive and significant correlation with β-carotene and a negative and significant correlation in T3. Conclusion  High prevalence of VAD in the preoperative period and in 30 and 180 postoperative days, even during supplementation, with higher inadequacy of β-carotene in all the three studied time periods, probably occurred because of its bioconversion to retinol due to the increased demand to which those individuals were exposed. It is suggested that the oral intake supplementation does not present the expected impact, and the need of assessing the nutritional status of vitamin A in the pre- and postoperative Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is emphasized. High prevalence of VAD in T1, with severity in T2 and T3, corroborates the utilization of the cutoff of <1.05 μmol/L as a VAD marker in the studied segment and reinforces its utilization as a tool in clinical practice to identify VAD in morbid obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery.     

Simultaneous measurement of serum retinol,tocopherols, carotenes,and carotenoids by high performance liquid chromatography

An isocratic, high-performance liquid chromatography method is presented for the simultaneous analysis of retinol, tocopherols, carotenes, and other carotenoids. The method employs detection at two wavelengths (292 and 450 nm) and three internal standards, which are: retinyl acetate, alpha-tocopheryl acetate, and retinyl palmitate. The use of the internal standards is important for accurate quantitation, especially to correct for recovery of beta-carotene. The long-term (n = 81, over three months) precision of the method ranged from a coefficient of variation of 8.2% for retinol to 16% for lycopene. This assay system provides accurate, precise, and rapid analysis and is suitable for longitudinal and cross-sectional large-scale epidemiological studies of these vitamins.     

Kinetics of gastro-intestinal transit and carotenoid absorption and disposal in ileostomy volunteers fed spinach meals

Summary.Background: Reports of low carotenoid absorption from food sources has undermined their postulated protective role as one of the active agents in diets rich in vegetable matter.Aim of the study: This study quantified -carotene and lutein absorption from a representative green vegetable with different degrees of processing, using both mass balance and metabolic modelling of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein plasma fraction (TRL) response.Methods: Whole or chopped-leaf cooked spinach was fed to volunteers (n = 7, paired) with vegetable oil (40 g) in yoghurt. Blood and ileal effluent samples were collected for up to 24 h. Effluent and TRL samples were analysed for lutein and -carotene by HPLC. A digesta transit model was used to describe meal transit and a single compartment model used to predict percentage absorption from the plasma TRL response.Results: Mass balance showed 25% of lutein and -carotene were absorbed from chopped spinach, compared with 25% -carotene and 40 % lutein from whole-leaf spinach. Increased lutein absorption correlated to slower gastrointestinal (GI) transit for the whole-leaf meal. An area under the curve (AUC) response for the TRL fraction, found in 50% of cases, was not confined to those with the greatest percentage absorption. Absorption by mass balance and TRL AUC indicate a half-life of newly absorbed carotenoid around 11 minConclusion: GI residence time appears to have an effect on the absorption of lutein but not -carotene. Rapid clearance is probably the main reason for absence of measurable plasma concentration excursions. Lack of plasma response cannot be interpreted as lack of carotenoid absorption without knowledge of the absorption and disposal kinetics.Abbreviations AUC Area under the curve - BMI Body mass index - GI Gastro-intestinal - HDL High-density lipoproteins - HPLC High performance liquid chromatography - LDL Low-density lipoproteins - SD Standard deviation - SI Small intestine - TGWM Total gastrointestinal washout method - TRL Triglyceride rich lipoproteins - VLDL Very low density lipoproteins - IV Intravenous     

Randomised β-carotene supplementation and incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease in women: is the association modified by baseline plasma level?

In a nested case-control study of 513 women with cancer; 130 with cardiovascular disease and equal numbers of controls, we found no effect of randomised beta-carotene on risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease within any quartile of baseline plasma beta-carotene, nor was there a trend across quartiles (P for trend 0.15 and 0.62, respectively).     

The effect of serum carotenoids on atrophic gastritis among the inhabitants of a rural area in Hokkaido, Japan

A total of 206 residents (76 males and 130 females) of a rural area of Hokkaido, Japan, attending a health check in August, 1997, were studied to assess the relationship between serum carotenoids and atrophic gastritis (AG). Of the participants, 91 had AG as indicated by their serum levels of pepsinogen I and pepsinogen II. Logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for gender and age, revealed that the odds ratios for serum carotenoid levels were lower for subjects with high serum levels of α-carotene (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% C.I., 0.19–0.88) and β-carotene (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% C.I., 0.18–0.91) than for those with low serum carotenoid levels. In addition, the odds ratios of subjects with high serum levels of β-cryptoxanthin (odds ratio, 0.60; 95% C.I., 0.28–1.31), provitamin A (odds ratio, 0.38; 95% C.I., 0.17–0.85), and retinol (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% C.I., 0.31–1.48) were found to be lower than the odds ratios for those with low serum levels. Odds ratios for subjects with high serum zeaxanthin/lutein levels were higher than odds ratios for those with low serum levels. These results suggest that frequent intake of foods ric, in carotenoids with provitamin A activity may reduce the risk of AG.     

Red palm oil in the maternal diet increases provitamin A carotenoids in breastmilk and serum of the mother-infant dyad

Background Despite vitamin A supplementation programs, vitamin A deficiency in children remains a public health concern in Honduras. Aim of the study We investigated the effectiveness of short-term dietary supplementation of mothers with red palm oil as a strategy for improving the vitamin A status of the mother-infant dyad. Methods Lactating mothers in Colonia Los Pinos, a barrio of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, consumed a total of 90-mg β-carotene as red palm oil (n = 32) supplements (n = 36) or placebo (n = 18) in six equal doses over 10 days. Carotenoids and retinol in maternal and infant serum, and breastmilk carotenoids and retinol were measured before and after supplementation. Maternal diet was evaluated by 24-hour recall. Results Maternal serum α-carotene and β-carotene concentrations were increased 2 fold by palm oil compared with 1.2 fold by β-carotene supplements. Changes were significantly different in infant serum α-carotene but not β-carotene among the three experimental groups. Increases in breastmilk β-carotene were greater for the palm oil group (2.5 fold) than for the β-carotene supplement group (1.6 fold) and increases in milk α-carotene concentrations (3.2 fold) were slightly greater than those of β-carotene. There were also small but significant changes among groups in breastmilk lutein and lycopene. Breastmilk retinol was not significantly different among the groups over the treatment period. Conclusions Red palm oil in the maternal diet increases provitamin A carotenoids in breastmilk and serum of the mother-infant dyad. The use of dietary red palm oil to improve the vitamin A status of this population should be further investigated. Received: 24 August 2000, Accepted: 12 January 2001     

β-carotene protects rats against bronchitis induced by cigarette smoking

Objective To investigate the protective effects of B-carotene in rats against the development of chronic bronchitis induced by cigarette smoking.Methods Forty-two Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three study groups: ①control (n =15), animals underwent no treatment; ②cigarette smoking (n = 15), animals developed chronic bronchitis through long-term cigarette smoking twice a day for 75 d; ③β-carotene plus cigarette smoking animals (n =12) were given 1 ml or 15 mg/kg β-carotene orally every day just before cigarette smoking. The levels of IL-6, IL-8, NO, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lipoperoxide(LPO) in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were measured and the pathological changes to lung tissue were analyzed using light microscopy.Fiesults Long-term cigarette smoking caused an obvious increase in the amount of IL-6, IL-8 and LPO and a sharp decrease in the levels of NO and SOD in smoking animals compared to controls. β-carotene intake reversed all the changes induced by smoking and alleviated the pathological changes caused by chronic bronchitis.Conclusions Quantitative oral intake of B-carotene had protective effects against chronic bronchitis induced by long-term cigarette smoking, which was associated with the increased production of NO,the clearance of some oxidative free radicals (OFR) and the alleviation of chronic inflammation.