Lutein and zeaxanthin belong to the xanthophyll family of carotenoids, which are pigments produced by plants. Structurally, they are very similar, differing only slightly in the arrangement of atoms. Key sources of these carotenoids include kale, savoy cabbage, spinach, broccoli, peas, parsley, corn, and egg yolks. The recommended daily intake of lutein is approximately 10.0 mg and that of zeaxanthin is 2 mg. Lutein intake in adults varies, with average intakes being 1–2 mg/day. Due to the lack of synthesis of consumption of these compounds in humans, these substances are extremely important for the proper functioning of certain organs of the body (eye, skin, heart, intestines). Eating a lot of dark leafy vegetables and some fruits can help to prevent our bodies from developing diseases. The protective effects of carotenoids are mainly related to their defense against oxidative stress and their ability to scavenge free radicals. Lutein and zeaxanthin are the only dietary carotenoids that accumulate in the retina, specifically the macula, and are called macular pigments. These carotenoids are concentrated by the action of specific binding proteins such as StARD3, which binds lutein, and GSTP1, which binds zeaxanthin and its dietary metabolite, mesozeaxanthin. It has been shown that supportive therapy with lutein and zeaxanthin can have a beneficial effect in delaying the progression of eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. This article presents the current state of knowledge on the role of lutein and zeaxanthin, especially from human studies targeting their metabolism and bioavailability, with recommendations to consume xanthophyll-rich foods.
In conclusion, our data showed that insufficient antioxidant capacity may have an important role in age-related macular degeneration. The polymorphism of GPx Pro197Leu may reduce the ability to scavenge free radicals in retina and contribute to the development of AMD.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represents a heterogeneous group of chronic disorders characterized by inflammation of gastrointestinal tract, typically with a relapsing and remitting clinical course of unknown etiology. Presumably, IBD develops with response exogenous environmental factors only in persons with genetic predisposition. This predisposition was suggested to be associated with polymorphism and mutations in genes encoding proinflammatory immune system proteins. Enhanced production of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was found in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and mice with experimental colitis. These results suggest that MIF plays a critical role in etiology of the colitis. the aim of the study was determine whether the MiF -173 G/C gene polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). material and methods. A total of 99 IBD patients, including 58 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 41 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 436 healthy controls recruited from the Polish population, were genotyped for MiF polymorphisms. Genotyping of MIF gene polymorphism was performed by a RFLP-PCR. Results. We found an increased risk of UC for the C allele of the MIF-173 G/C polymorphism. The distribution of the genotypes was not significantly different in the CD group compared with the controls. conclusions. We demonstrated that the C allele is associated with an increased risk for development of UC. This suggests that the G/C polymorphism in the MiF gene promoter may be a potential risk factor for UC in Polish population.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are characterized recurrent inflammation of gastrointestinal tract. The etiology and pathogenesis this disease is currently unclear, but it has become evident that immune and genetic factors are involved in this process. The aim of this study was to determine whether gene polymorphisms: MIF-173 G/C; CXCL12-801 G/A and CXCR4 C/T exon 2 position of rs2228014 is associated with susceptibility to IBD. A total of 286 patients were examined with IBD, including 152 patients with ulcerative colitis and 134 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 220 healthy subjects were recruited from the Polish population. Genotyping for polymorphisms in CXCL12/CXCR4 and MIF was performed by RFLP-PCR. Statistical significance was found for polymorphisms CXCR4, a receptor gene for CXCL12 genotypes and alleles in CD and for genotype C/T and T allele in ulcerative colitis with respect to control. This confirms the effect of CXCL12 gene. The interplay between CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 affects homeostasis and inflammation in the intestinal mucosa. Three-gene analysis in CD confirmed the association of genotype GGGGCT. Statistical analysis of clinical data of patients with ulcerative colitis showed significant differences in the distribution of genotype C/T and T allele for CXCR4 in the left-side colitis. Having CXCR4/CXCL12 chemokine axis polymorphisms may predispose to the development of IBD. Activation can also be their defensive reaction to the long-lasting inflammation.
It has been shown that the polymorphism of antioxidant enzymes CAT gene -262 C / T may have protective effects in patients who are carriers of a genotype C / T at the UC. The potential protective effect without statistical relationships were also observed for other genotypes and alleles studied polymorphic variants of antioxidant enzymes in CD and CAT- 262C / T and + 35 A / C SOD1 in UC. Conducted our audit should be extended to more group of patients in order to assess whether or not to confirm the observed during analysis, the protective effect of CAT-262 C / T in ulcerative colitis and other trends observed for other polymorphic variants tested genes.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the oxidative DNA damage, pro- antioxidant status in Polish patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Method: Oxidative DNA damage were measured by comet assay techniques; nitric oxide (NO) and plasmatic lipid peroxidation (MDA) as oxidative stress were valuated by colometric methods; superoxide dismutase (SOD1), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) as antioxidative defence were determined by spectrophotometric methods.
Results: The level of oxidative DNA damage in IBD patients was significantly higher in relation to controls (P = 0.01). Alike, in control subject as well as in patients with IBD, lymphocytes are characterized by complete repair of DNA damage.
A significant decrease of SOD (P = 0.031), CAT (P = 0.006), GPx1 (P = 0.001) activity was seen in IBD patients vs control. MDA (P = 0.001) and NO (P = 0.001) concentrations were significantly increased in IBD patients than in healthy subjects.
Conclusion: Our results may be due to induction of DNA repair genes may occur at the stage of the pathological changes pathway (IBD), that may be caused by excessive oxidative stress. However, the reasons for these relationship, and whether it is direct or indirect, remains to be explored.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.