Pharmacokinetic properties of lutein emulsion after oral administration to rats and effect of food intake on plasma concentration of lutein.

摘要

Lutein is a carotenoid found mainly in green leafy vegetables and is located in the macula lutea in the human eye. An intake of lutein as food is needed since humans cannot synthesize it de novo. Although lutein has received much attention recently due to its antioxidant activities, little information about the pharmacokinetic properties of lutein is available. Lutein emulsion formulation was used and the pharmacokinetics of lutein emulsion after oral administration to rats was investigated. The bioavailability of lutein using this formulation was calculated to be 5.20%. It was found that a large amount of lutein was accumulated in the intestinal mucosa. The absorption of orally administered compounds in the intestine can be enhanced by interaction with food or food components. Thus, the effect of food intake on the intestinal absorption of lutein was investigated. The plasma concentration of lutein after oral administration of the emulsion formulation was improved significantly by food intake. It is possible that the absorption of lutein in the intestine is improved significantly by some food components. Bile acids may also play important roles in the intestinal absorption of lutein since the absorption of lipophilic compounds such as cholesterol is related to bile acids. The results of these studies should contribute to an improvement of lutein absorption and provide important information for obtaining more effective pharmacological effects of lutein.