Description
β-Carotene is a red-orange terpene pigment originally found in various plants and fruits; it is a prodrug for vitamin A. β-Carotene exhibits antioxidative, cytoprotective, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-obesity activities. β-Carotene is used in research models to quantify antioxidative activity. In bone marrow cells, β-carotene protects against radioactive isotope-induced DNA damage. In breast cancer cells, this compound induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, decreasing cellular viability. β-Carotene decreases total cholesterol, VLDL and LDL levels, suppresses expression of SREBP2 and LDL-R, and increases expression of PPARα in vivo. In other animal models, this compound decreases body fat and adipocyte size and suppresses TNF-α-induced inflammation.