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Phospholipids affect the intestinal absorption of carotenoids in mice

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Lipids

Abstract

Previously, we have shown that uptake of carotenoids solubilized with mixed micelles by human intestinal Caco-2 cells is enhanced by lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) and suppressed by PC. This study determined the effect of PC and lysoPC in mixed micelles on the accumulation of β-carotene and lutein in mice in order to elucidate the roles of micellar phospholipid in the intestinal uptake of carotenoids in vivo. Mixed micelles were composed of 2.5 mM monooleoylglycerol, 7.5 mM oleic acid, 12 mM sodium taurocholate, 200 μM carotenoid, and 3 mM phospholipid in PBS. The mice were fed single doses of β-carotene or lutein solubilized in PC (PC group), lysoPC (LPC group), and no phospholipid (NoPL group) micelles. The β-carotene responses in the plasma and liver of the PC group were markedly lower than those of the other two groups, whereas no differences were noticed between the LPC and NoPL groups. The average level of lutein in the plasma of the PC group after administration was significantly (P<0.05) lower than those of the other groups. Moreover, the average level of lutein in the liver was significantly (P<0.05) different among the groups in the order of LPC>NoPL>PC. Thus, the results clearly indicate that PC suppressed the accumulation of β-carotene and lutein in plasma and liver and that lysoPC enhanced the accumulation of lutein in liver. These results suggest that the hydrolysis of PC to lysoPC plays an important role in the intestinal uptake of carotenoids solubilized in mixed micelles.

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Abbreviations

AUC:

area under the curve

LPC:

group, group fed mixed micelles containing lysoPC

lysoPC:

lysophosphatidylcholine

NoPL group:

group fed mixed micelles containing no phospholipid

PC group:

group fed mixed micelles containing PC

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Author notes

  1. Villikannan Baskaran

    Present address: Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Central Food Technological Research Institute, 570 013, Mysore, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Food Research Institute, 2-1-12 Kannondai, 305-8642, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Villikannan Baskaran, Tatsuya Sugawara & Akihiko Nagao

Authors
  1. Villikannan Baskaran
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  2. Tatsuya Sugawara
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  3. Akihiko Nagao
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Baskaran, V., Sugawara, T. & Nagao, A. Phospholipids affect the intestinal absorption of carotenoids in mice. Lipids 38, 705–711 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-003-1118-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-003-1118-5

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