Antioxidant fat-soluble vitamins and lipid peroxides in serum

Serum concentrations of carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, cryptoxanthin, and lutein/zeaxanthin, and additionally the conce ntrations of retinol and alpha-tocopherol, were investigated by high-perfor mance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of samples from 90 Japanese (56 males an d 34 females) who took part in a mass examination held in 1997. At the same time, their serum lipid peroxides were measured by the hemoglobin-methylen e blue (Hb-MB) method. Serum alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, and total carotenoids were significantly higher in females (151.6 +/- 23.8 pmol/ml, 327.8 +/- 58.4 pmol/ml, 375.4 +/- 97.8 pmol/ml, and 1.9 +/- 0.3 nm ol/ml, respectively) than in males (84.1 +/- 11.5 pmol/ml, 120.0 +/- 15.6 p mol/ml, 135.0 +/- 18.2 pmol/ml, and 1.3 +/- 0.1 nmol/ml, respectively). The se differences may be mainly due to increased intake of carotenoids in fema les. On the other hand, serum lipid peroxides in females were 81% of those in males. There was no correlation between fat-soluble vitamins and lipid p eroxides in males and females. In the subjects high in serum total-choleste rol (greater than or equal to 220 mg/dl), there was a negative correlation between lipid peroxides and lycopene in the females, suggesting that lipid peroxidation in the serum of females high in total-cholesterol may be inhib ited by the fat-soluble antioxidant lycopene.