Summary
Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the most common chronic non-infectious diseases in Lithuania and other European countries. Damage caused by oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of these multifactorial diseases. Formation of reactive oxygen species and other free radicals can occur within the body from normal metabolic processes or be influenced by various external environmental factors. Free radicals can be neutralized by various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Dietary antioxidants have an important role. Therefore, chronic disease pre - vention programs encourage the intake of plant products, especially fruits and vegetables rich in various antioxidants. Carot- enoids are the most widely distributed pigments in the nature synthesized by plants or microorganisms. In the human body only a few carotenoids can be found, such as P-carotene, a-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, P-cryptoxanthin, and cantha- xanthin. They are one of the most important exogenous lipophilic antioxidants which can reduce the risk of number of chronic non-infectious diseases. However, their biological action is not limited to antioxidant or vitamin A precursor activity. These compounds are able to influence the immune system, cell gap communication, xenobiotic metabolism and inflammatory processes. This article aims to review the metabolic and chemical properties, bioavailability, mechanisms of action and implications for human health of common dietary and human body carotenoids.
Keywords: antioxidants, carotenoids, reactive oxygen species, chronic non-in- fectious diseases.
