Abstract
As it exhibits no provitamin A activity, the dietary intake of zeaxanthin is not considered essential. However, its contribution to ocular health has long been acknowledged. Numerous publications emphasize the importance of zeaxanthin alongside lutein in ocular diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration which constitute an important health concern, especially among the elderly. Considering that the average dietary ratio of lutein to zeaxanthin favors the first, more bioaccessible food sources of zeaxanthin that can hinder the development and progression of the above-mentioned disorders are of great interest. In this paper, a brief overview of the more recent state of knowledge as regards dietary sources together with their respective zeaxanthin bioaccessibility assessed through a standardized in vitro digestion method was provided.
Highlights
Among the 1195 identified natural carotenoids [1], only lutein (β,ε-Carotene-3,30 -diol) and zeaxanthin (β,β-Carotene-3,30 -diol) have the ability to pass the blood–retina barrier and to accumulate in the macula lutea of the human eye
(SR-BI), cluster determinant 36 (CD36) and Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) have been proven to facilitate the selective uptake of carotenoids by intestinal cells, but at the same time passive diffusion of carotenoids across the enterocytes is believed to occur in certain conditions [6,7]
Carotenoids are partially stored in the liver or packaged and secreted into circulation as very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), which in turn can be processed to low-density lipoproteins (LDL) [8,9]
Summary
Among the 1195 identified natural carotenoids [1], only lutein (β,ε-Carotene-3,30 -diol) and zeaxanthin (β,β-Carotene-3,30 -diol) have the ability to pass the blood–retina barrier and to accumulate in the macula lutea of the human eye. Lutein and zeaxanthin follow the same absorption pathway as dietary lipids After their release from the food matrix, the oxygenated carotenoids need to be solubilized into lipid emulsion particles in the stomach, incorporated into mixed micelles stabilized by the biliary salts in the duodenum before being taken up by the small intestinal cells and packaged in chylomicrons for secretion into the lymphatic system [5]. Given the fact that a high amount of zeaxanthin in the micellar phase is associated with a potentially high absorption by the intestinal cells and transportation into plasma, data on the bioaccessibility of zeaxanthin from different food sources is a prerequisite for determining its bioavailability [31]. Out of the 253 initial collected studies, 119 were selected and included in the present review
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