Dietary Lutein Absorption from Marigold Extract is Rapid in BALB/c Mice

Abstract

Even though lutein can stimulate immunity and decrease cancer growth, no systematic studies are available on the uptake of lutein in mice. We studied the uptake of lutein in 8-wk-old female BALB/c mice fed a diet containing 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4% lutein. Mice were killed on d 0, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 (n = 6/period), and blood, spleen and liver were collected. Food intake and body, liver and spleen weights did not differ among treatment groups. Lutein + zeaxanthin were not detectable in the plasma, liver and spleen of unsupplemented mice. Mice fed lutein showed very rapid lutein + zeaxanthin absorption. On d 3, concentrations of plasma lutein + zeaxanthin had rapidly increased (P < 0.05) in lutein-fed mice and no further increases were observed. Plasma lutein + zeaxanthin concentrations did not differ among lutein-fed mice by d 7 (2.58 ± 0.2 μmol/L). Even though maximal uptake of plasma lutein + zeaxanthin was observed by d 3, uptake of lutein + zeaxanthin by the liver and especially by the spleen generally continued to increase (P < 0.05) through d 28 to reach concentrations of 0.11 ± 0.001 (spleen) and 0.71 ± 0.0002 (liver) nmol/g. Therefore, dietary lutein is readily absorbed into the plasma and taken up by liver and spleen of mice. Plasma lutein + zeaxanthin concentrations were higher than in human studies; however, mice were fed lutein at a level several hundredfold greater than in humans. The liver is a major storage organ for lutein + zeaxanthin in mice. Uptake of lutein + zeaxanthin by the spleen suggests a role for lutein in modulating immunity.