Abstract
β-cryptoxanthin (β-CX) is a kind of carotenoids contained in Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) and has many health-promoting effects such as the visceral fat reduction, the preventive effect on osteoporosis, and the effect to improve bloodstream. On the other hand, there is a report that deep seawater (DSW) accelerates the absorption of vitamin C by the cells. We investigated the effect of DSW on the absorption of β-CX by a human intestinal model using Caco-2 cells. We found that DSW accelerated the absorption of β-CX by Caco-2 cell remarkably. It is suggested that
DSW accelerates the expression of a carotenoid transporter gene, SR-B1. It is also suggested that β-CX is absorbed through SR-B1, because the absorption of β-CX was suppressed by a specific inhibitor of SR-B1 receptor, BLT-1. It is suggested that the accelerative effect to absorb β-CX is specific to DSW, because this effect was not observed by using surface seawater (SSW) .
