What Is Canthaxanthin?

In order to understand the function of Canthaxanthin, understanding of a group of carotenoids would be helpful. There are two major groups of carotenoids, Carotenes and Xanthophyll. Beta-carotene is the most common carotene and Canthaxanthin is a xanthophyll which is closely related. Carotenoids are bright colors, yellow, orange, and red that are found in nature.

Beta-Carotene Is The Yellow through orange colors such as the yellow in squash or the orange in carrots. Canthaxanthin is the orangish red and brownish red color, such as the red you see in the skin of apples, shrimp, crabs, and lobsters.

Carotenoids Are Biological Pigments that are the coloring of living organisms and the necessary molecules needed for important metabolic reactions. They are distributed everywhere in leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of plants. Carotenoids are also found in many animals, especially in marine invertebrates. They tend to accumulate in brightly colored feathers of tropical birds. All carotenoids that are found in animals are ultimately derived from plants or algae. Carotenoids are potent antioxidant molecules that protect plants from damage caused by singlet and triplet oxygen, which is the by-product of ultraviolet rays and photosynthetic metabolism. They are free radical scavengers that prevent harmful uncontrolled oxidation chain reaction.

Carotenoids also protect plants from direct ultraviolet damage by absorbing high-energy ultraviolet photons then dissipating the energy along their hydrocarbon chains. Mutant plants that contain no carotenoids soon die due to ultraviolet induced damage to the chlorophyll. The carotenoid pigments color the beautiful array of orange, yellow, and red leaves in autumn. The green chlorophyll masks the different colors or carotenoids until various carotenoid colors are revealed. Likewise, in animals, carotenoids act as ultraviolet absorbers, antioxidants and free radical scavenger, protecting DNA from genetic damage.

Canthaxanthin Is A Naturally Occurring carotenoid found in many different plants and animals. It is the red coloring of many fruits, vegetables, and flowers. It gives the pink hue to the feathers of brightly colored birds such as flamingos. A few species of pink shellfish and some ocean crustaceans such as the red lobster also contain this xanthophyll, as does the pink flesh of salmon and the red spots on the skin of trout. Besides being a red pigment, Canthaxanthin functions as an ultravioletphoton absorber, a single and triplet oxygen quencher and free radical deactivator. A major cause of skin cancer is repeated sun burns to the skin. Damage to DNA due to ultraviolet radiation, excited forms of oxygen, and foe radicals can cause mutations that lead to carcinogenesis.

The use of Canthaxanthin may decrease one's chances of getting skin cancer by decreasing the necessary exposure time in the sunlight to acquire a tan, thus helping prevent sun damage to the skin.