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Abstract
Objectives
Xanthophyll pigments lutein and zeaxanthin cross the blood–retina barrier to preferentially accumulate in the macular region of the neural retina. There they form macular pigment, protecting the retina from blue light damage and oxidative stress. Lutein and zeaxanthin also accumulate in brain tissue. The objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between retinal and brain levels of these xanthophylls in non-human primates.
Methods
Study animals included rhesus monkeys reared on diets devoid of xanthophylls that were subsequently fed pure lutein or pure zeaxanthin (both at 3.9 µmol/kg per day, n = 6/group) and normal rhesus monkeys fed a stock diet (0.26 µmol/kg per day lutein and 0.24 µmol/kg per day zeaxanthin, n = 5). Retina (4 mm macular punch, 4–8 mm annulus, and periphery) and brain tissue (cerebellum, frontal cortex, occipital cortex, and pons) from the same animals were analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.
Results
Lutein in the macula and annulus was significantly related to lutein levels in the cerebellum, occipital cortex, and pons, both in bivariate analysis and after adjusting for age, sex and n-3 fatty acid status. In the frontal cortex the relationship was marginally significant. Macular zeaxanthin was significantly related to zeaxanthin in the cerebellum and frontal cortex, while the relationship was marginally significant in the occipital cortex and pons in a bivariate model.
Discussion
An integrated measure of total macular pigment optical density, which can be measured non-invasively, has the potential to be used as a biomarker to assess brain lutein and zeaxanthin status.
Keywords:
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Noelle Landauer, Lauren Renner, and Alison Weiss for tissue collection, Emily Eggert for help with some of the tissue extractions, and Gerard Dallal and Tammy Scott for advice on statistical analysis.
Funding sources: USDA 581950-7-07 and DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., NIH grants DK29930 and RR000163, and The Foundation Fighting Blindness.