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Published on: February 15, 2019
In Vivo Antioxidant Effects Evaluation of Genetically Modified Astaxanthin-Rich Maize
Xiyao Liu1, Rui Wang1, Jiaxi Lu1
1Key Laboratory of Public Nutrition and Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 29 Nanwei Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100050, China.
Abstract:
Astaxanthin-rich maize has been developed through genetic modification as a potential dietary source of astaxanthin. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional components and the antioxidant effects of astaxanthin-rich maize. The antioxidant effects were assessed from a 60-day feeding experiment with 9-month-old male SD rats. The results showed that the content of astaxanthin in astaxanthin-rich maize was 24.91 μg/g. Compared with rats fed conventional feed or parental maize, those fed astaxanthin-rich maize showed higher serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) (p < 0.05). Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) in the astaxanthin-rich maize group was lower than that in the conventional feed group (p < 0.05). Liver protein carbonyl and MDA in the astaxanthin-rich maize group were lower than those in the conventional feed group (p < 0.05). Liver SOD activity, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and GSH level in the astaxanthin-rich maize groups were higher than those in the conventional feed group or the parental maize group (p < 0.05). The astaxanthin-rich maize showed positive antioxidant effects in several indicators. In the future, antioxidant evaluations of the astaxanthin-rich maize need to be conducted over a broader concentration range and using more oxidative stress indicators.
