TY - JOUR
T1 - Prooxidant effects of beta-carotene in cultured cells
AU - Palozza, Paola
AU - Serini, Simona
AU - Di Nicuolo, Fiorella
AU - Piccioni, Elisabetta
AU - Calviello, Gabriella
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - There is a growing body of interest on the role of beta-carotene and other carotenoids in human chronic diseases, including cancer. While epidemiological evidence shows that people who ingest more dietary carotenoids exhibit a reduced risk for cancer, results from intervention trials indicate that supplemental beta-carotene enhances lung cancer incidence and mortality among smokers. A possible mechanism which can explain the dual role of beta-carotene as both a beneficial and a harmful agent in cancer as well as in other chronic diseases is its ability in modulating intracellular redox status. beta-Carotene may serve as an antioxidant or as a prooxidant, depending on its intrinsic properties as well as on the redox potential of the biological environment in which it acts. This review summarizes the available evidence for a prooxidant activity of beta-carotene in cultured cells, focusing on biochemical and molecular markers of oxidative stress, which have been reported to be enhanced by the carotenoid.
AB - There is a growing body of interest on the role of beta-carotene and other carotenoids in human chronic diseases, including cancer. While epidemiological evidence shows that people who ingest more dietary carotenoids exhibit a reduced risk for cancer, results from intervention trials indicate that supplemental beta-carotene enhances lung cancer incidence and mortality among smokers. A possible mechanism which can explain the dual role of beta-carotene as both a beneficial and a harmful agent in cancer as well as in other chronic diseases is its ability in modulating intracellular redox status. beta-Carotene may serve as an antioxidant or as a prooxidant, depending on its intrinsic properties as well as on the redox potential of the biological environment in which it acts. This review summarizes the available evidence for a prooxidant activity of beta-carotene in cultured cells, focusing on biochemical and molecular markers of oxidative stress, which have been reported to be enhanced by the carotenoid.
KW - beta carotene
KW - cultured cells
KW - beta carotene
KW - cultured cells
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/23777
M3 - Article
SN - 0098-2997
SP - 353
EP - 362
JO - Molecular Aspects of Medicine
JF - Molecular Aspects of Medicine
ER -