Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Induction of Drug-Induced, Autoimmune Hepatitis in BALB/c Mice for the Study of Its Pathogenic Mechanisms
Published on: May 29, 2020
Thermal stability and oral absorbability of astaxanthin esters from Haematococcus pluvialis in Balb/c mice
Qingxin Zhou1,2, Jie Xu1, Lu Yang1
1College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Background:
Astaxanthin is used as a functional nutraceutical and pigment in many food products. It is mostly exists in the form of a fatty acid ester in nature. However, no detailed descriptions are available concerning the stability and oral absorbability of astaxanthin esters. In the present study, the thermal stability and absorbability of astaxanthin esters from Haematococcus pluvialis were evaluated in comparison with free-form astaxanthin.
Results:
The thermal stability of astaxanthin esters was found to be higher than that of free-form astaxantin. After gavage with astaxanthin esters, only free-form astaxanthin was detected in the digestive tract wall, blood plasma and liver, indicating that astaxanthin esters must be hydrolyzed to free-form astaxanthin in the gut before absorption. Furthermore, there was a considerable selective accumulation of different astaxanthin isomers in Balb/c mice, which selectivity decreased in the order: 13-cis > all-trans > 9-cis. Accumulated astaxanthin was mainly distributed in the heart, liver, spleen, muscle and adipose tissue, although significant differences between tissues were observed.
Conclusion:
From the present study, it can be concluded that astaxanthin esters had a higher thermal stability and higher bioavailability than free-form astaxanthin. These results provide important evidence with respect to using astaxanthin esters as bioactive components to replace free-form astaxanthin in functional food products. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
Related Concept Videos
Nuclear Stability
To hold positively charged protons together...
RNA Stability
Thermal expansion and Thermal stress: Problem Solving
To solve the problem, first, identify the known and unknown quantities. The initial length (L) of the bridge is 1275 m, the coefficient of linear expansion (α) for steel is 12 x 10-6/°C, and the change in temperature (ΔT) is 55...
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...
Stability
The stability of an LTI system is determined by the roots of its characteristic equation, known as poles. A system is stable if it produces a bounded...
Thermal Strain

