Lutein and Brain Function

Foods

John W. Erdman¹  Joshua W. Smith¹  Matthew J. Kuchan³  Emily S. Mohn⁴  Elizabeth J. Johnson⁴  Stanislav S. Rubakhin²  Lin Wang²  Jonathan V. Sweedler²  Martha Neuringer⁵ 

[1] Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; E-Mail:;Departments of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; E-Mails:;Abbott Nutrition, Discovery Research, Columbus, OH 43219, USA; E-Mail:;Jean Mayer US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA; E-Mails:;Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: lutein;    brain function;    monkeys;    animal models;    carotenoids;   

DOI  :  10.3390/foods4040547

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Lutein is one of the most prevalent carotenoids in nature and in the human diet. Together with zeaxanthin, it is highly concentrated as macular pigment in the foveal retina of primates, attenuating blue light exposure, providing protection from photo-oxidation and enhancing visual performance. Recently, interest in lutein has expanded beyond the retina to its possible contributions to brain development and function. Only primates accumulate lutein within the brain, but little is known about its distribution or physiological role. Our team has begun to utilize the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) model to study the uptake and bio-localization of lutein in the brain. Our overall goal has been to assess the association of lutein localization with brain function. In this review, we will first cover the evolution of the non-human primate model for lutein and brain studies, discuss prior association studies of lutein with retina and brain function, and review approaches that can be used to localize brain lutein. We also describe our approach to the biosynthesis of ¹³C-lutein, which will allow investigation of lutein flux, localization, metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Lastly, we describe potential future research opportunities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.