Cancer prevention by natural carotenoids

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Hoyoku Nishino, | Harukuni Tokuda, | Michiaki Murakoshi, ^; | Yoshiko Satomi, | Mitsuharu Masuda, | Mari Onozuka, | Shino Yamaguchi, | Junko Takayasu, | Jun Tsuruta, | Masato Okuda, | Frederick Khachik, | Tomio Narisawa, | Nobuo Takasuka, | Masamichi Yano,

Affiliations: Department of Biochemistry, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan | Lion Co., Japan | Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan | Department of Dentistry, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan | Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA | Akita University College of Allied Medical Science, Akita 010-8543, Japan | National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan | Fruit Tree Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Shimizu 424-0292, Japan

Note: [] Department of Biochemistry, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyoku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan. Tel.: +81 75 251 5316; Fax: +81 75 213 2746

Abstract: Various natural carotenoids were proven to have anticarcinogenic activity. Epidemiological investigations have shown that cancer risk is inversely related to the consumption of green and yellow vegetables and fruits. Since \beta-carotene is present in abundance in these vegetables and fruits, it has been investigated extensively as possible cancer preventive agent. However, various carotenoids which co-exist with \beta-carotene in vegetables and fruits also have anti-carcinogenic activity. And some of them, such as \alpha-carotene, showed higher potency than \beta-carotene to suppress experimental carcinogenesis. Thus, we have carried out more extensive studies on cancer preventive activities of natural carotenoids in foods; i.e., lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthin and \beta-cryptoxanthin. Analysis of the action mechanism of these natural carotenoids is now in progress, and some interesting results have already obtained; for example, \beta-cryptoxanthin was suggested to stimulate the expression of RB gene, an anti-oncogene, and p73 gene, which is known as one of the p53-related genes. Based on these results, multi-carotenoids (mixture of natural carotenoids) seems to be of interest to evaluate its usefulness for practice in human cancer prevention.

Keywords: natural carotenoids, multi-carotenoids, cancer prevention

Journal: BioFactors, vol. 13, no. 1-4, pp. 89-94, 2000