AstaREAL, natural astaxanthin, to combat low=功效.pdf

BioReal (Sweden) AB AstaREAL, natural astaxanthin, to combat low chronic inflammations. Introduction Low chronic inflammation is an underlying cause of many seemingly unrelated diseases as atherosclerosis, diabetes, digestive system diseases and obesity. The inflammation is a process initiated by the immune system as it reacts to injury or infection. The process is generally accompanied by tissue damage associated with oxidation of macromolecules by inflammation-derived free radicals. Recent results indicate that oxidative modulations of lipids normally present in e.g. cellular membranes, contributes to disruption of the tightly controlled balance of immune tolerance and ultimately provokes chronic inflammation (Leitinger 2008). Astaxanthin is a natural lipid soluble antioxidant that is deposited in cellular membrane and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects both in in vitro and in vivo studies. The aim of this article is to present results of studies with astaxanthin in connection to inflammation in order to give an insight how supplementation with astaxanthin might be beneficial in the combat of low chronic inflammations. Astaxanthin – How it works Astaxanthin is a lipid soluble carotenoid antioxidant. It is found naturally in e.g. fish, crustaceans and birds. It gives the pink colour to the flesh of wild salmon and astaxanthin is often occurring together with omega-3 lipids in natureUpon oral administration astaxanthin can be found in all organs of the body (Petri et al 2007), At the cellular level astaxanthin accumulates in the membrane fractions like the cell membrane and in the membranes of the mitochondria. Astaxanthin has a unique structure that enables the molecule to span the double layer membrane and thereby exposing itself both to the interior as well as the outside of the cell, figure 1. The antioxidant activity of astaxanthin is greater than that of many other well known antioxidants like