Relative one-electron reduction potentials of carotenoid radical cations and the interactions of carotenoids with the vitamin E radical cation

Pulse radiolysis studies have been used to determine the electron-transfer rate constants between various pairs of carotenoids, one of which is present as the radical cation. These dietary carotenoids include those of importance to vision, namely zeaxanthin and lutein. These results have suggested the order of relative ease of electron transfer between six carotenoids. Additional experiments, involving electron transfer between astaxanthin (ASTA), β-apo-8‘-carotenal (APO), and vitamin E (TOH), lead to the following order in terms of relative ease of electron transfer for the seven carotenoid radical cations studied:  astaxanthin > β-apo-8‘-carotenal > canthaxanthin > lutein > zeaxanthin > β-carotene > lycopene, such that lycopene is the strongest reducing agent (the most easily oxidized) and astaxanthin is the weakest, and the radical cations of the visual carotenoids, lutein (LUT) and zeaxanthin (ZEA), are reduced by lycopene (LYC) but not by β-carotene (β-CAR). Work on 7,7‘-dihydro-β-carotene (77DH) and vitamin E allows us to better understand the interaction of the vitamin E radicals with carotenoids.