Lutein is a dietary carotenoid that has been found in eggs and yellow-colored fruits and vegetables and has diverse biological activities.
1,2,3,4 It reduces hyperglycemia-induced mitochondrial DNA damage and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in ARPE-19 cells when used at a concentration of 10 μM.
1 Lutein (20 mg/kg) increases nitric oxide (NO) production and decreases serum levels of endothelin-1 (Item No.
24127) in a rat model of hyperhomocysteinemia.
2 Dietary administration of lutein (0.2%) decreases monocyte migration and lesion size in an
ApoE-/- and
Ldlr-/- mouse models of atherosclerosis. Lutein reduces infarct size and cardiac malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and troponin T levels, and increases cardiac levels of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and Nrf2 in a rat model of heart failure induced by isoproterenol (Item No.
15592).
3 It forms a retinal pigment in human eyes, and high dietary intake of lutein is positively correlated with reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts in humans.
4