期刊名称：Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology
印刷版ISSN：0301-4800
电子版ISSN：1881-7742
出版年度：1992
卷号：38
期号：Special
页码：321-326
DOI：10.3177/jnsv.38.Special_321
出版社：Center for Academic Publications Japan
摘要：Carotenoid (CARs: beta-carotene BC and/or canthaxanthin CX) supplementation have been shown to be chemopreventive in animals, since 1980, against direct or indirect chemical carcinogenesis/photo-carcinogenesis of the skin, breast, stomach, salivary glands, colon-rectum, urinary bladder, and against transplanted tumors. This action could be either independent of or dependent on pro-vitamin A activity of BC. In vitro , both BC and CX proved to be antimutagenic and to have anti-malignant transformation properties in cell cultures. Preliminary interventions in humans with BC ± CX prevented the onset of second primary tumors in lung, colon, urinary bladder, and head and neck. The powerful antioxidant properties of CARs, possibly associated with their retinoid potential, played a role in all the above observations, producing free-radical quenching and immunostimulation. The current development of the above investigations on CARs in the Pavia University Tumor Center has so far achieved the following data: 1) the anticlastogenic action of CARs in humans was demonstrated by the reduction of the micronuclei induced by bleomycin in cultured lymphocytes from subjects supplemented with CARs; 2) the immunoresponse modulated by BC augmented in mice, thus lengthening survivals after transplantation of ascites tumors along with a dramatic increase in liver mastocytes; 3) a synergism between BC and retinol, previously shown in pre-menstrual mastalgia (with BBD or otherwise), was confirmed as a relevant tool to obtain marked relief and/or complete recovery from breast pain only in cyclical mastalgia with no side effects at all in 20-42 aged women; 4) finally, a tentative trial with BC 80 mg/day in nonsurgically treatable human lung cancer cases performing high K. I. on admission, achieved a S. D. status as monitored by X-ray and high K.I. for one year, leading to an increase (1.5-3 times more) in overall survival with respect to expected median survival. The latter was consistent with a therapeutic rather than a preventive effect by BC.
