Oxidative carotenoids, retinoids and related conjugated polyenes, inducible fractions and compounds useful as cell-differentiation inducers, cell proliferation inhibitors and anti-tumor agents

摘要

Representative carotenoids, β-carotene, lycopene and canthaxanthin, and to a lesser extent, representative retinoids, retinoic acid, have been enlarged and oxidized to a ratio that is active against cell proliferation, tumors, and tumorigenic viruses, modeled by oxidized β-carotene It is useful as a toxic reagent and produces substances with properties that are useful as promoters of cell differentiation. This is evident from the chemical analysis of highly oxidized β-carotene production mixtures in which none of the various forms of vitamin A are present or present in small amounts. Moreover, the biological activity of canthaxanthin and lycopene, which cannot produce vitamin A, indicates that vitamin A and other active substances are present. Although the cell proliferation inhibitory and differentiation-promoting activity of oxidized β-carotene is similar to vitamin A itself, the effect on oxidized β-carotene is generally stronger in various environments. Unlike vitamin A, the oxidized β-carotene in the present invention is nontoxic. Oxidized carotenoids are mixtures of compounds separated into many fractions, depending on molecular weight and polarity. Fractions show comparable or higher anticancer activity than the activity of unfractionated oxidized carotenoids.