Synthesis, stability and bioavailability of astaxanthin succinate diester

We synthesized astaxanthin succinate diester (ASD), a novel astaxanthin (AST) derivate, with succinic anhydride and free AST. ASD was purified and characterized using silica gel column chromatography and spectrometry, respectively.

The ASD final synthesis rate was 82.63%. A stability test revealed a high AST and ASD retention rate at pH 5.0-7.0. ASD showed better stability than did AST under acidic conditions. Both sample ions showed lower retention rates under Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ states. The ASD metabolic curve showed serum and liver area under the curve from 0 h to time t (AUC_0-t ) values of 45.05 ± 4.58 and 120.38 ± 23.66 µg h^-1  mL^-1 , respectively. The long-term accumulation was significantly higher in the ASD group than in the AST group, which showed higher accumulation in the heart, muscle and spleen than in other tissues in vivo.

The thermal stability and bioavailability of ASD were higher than that of the non-esterified free AST and common free AST, respectively. Additionally, AST accumulation in different tissues of the ASD group was multifold higher than that of free AST. These results prove that ASD may serve as a better source of AST for human nutrition than does free AST. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.