Overview

The world faces an unprecedented growth in cancer incidence. The increase inthe incidence of cancer represents an alarming menace and greater challenge to thescientific community. Despite the advances made in basic scientific knowledgerelated to cancer as well as clinical treatment of certain malignancies, death rates fromsome common forms of cancer continue to rise. Furthermore, most of the drugs usedpresently in cancer therapy are highly toxic to a wide spectrum of organs such asgastro-intestinal tract, heart, lungs, kidney, bone marrow and brain and theirsubsequent failure has been observed to be a frequent cause of death from cancer. Oneof the most promising strategies for cancer control today is chemoprevention. Agrowing interest is seen in the pharmacological evaluation of various plant products toassess their chemopreventive activity. Carotenoids, which belong to the chemicalgroup known as isoprenoid polyenes, are lipid-soluble yellow-orange-red pigmentsfound in all higher plants and some animals. Carotenoids are considered keymolecules for life. Light capture, photosynthesis photoprotection, excess lightdissipation and quenching of singlet oxygen are among key biological functions ofcarotenoids relevant for life on earth. Biological properties of carotenoids allow for awide range of commercial applications. Indeed, recent interest in the carotenoids hasbeen mainly for their nutraceutical properties. Numerous studies have reported thatcarotenoids have the potential to prevent cancers, diabetes, inflammatory andcardiovascular disease (CVD). In the present study, the xanthophyll carotenoid mesozeaxanthin(MZ) was evaluated for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, cytotoxic, induction of apoptosis in transformed cells and antitumour effects. Inaddition to this, the anti-carcinogenic effect of MZ was studied against variouschemical carcinogens induced cancer models in animals and its possiblechemopreventive mechanism of action was also analysed. We further evaluatedchemoprotective, radioprotective and hepato-protective potential of MZ.Oxidative stress is an imbalance between production of free radicals and antioxidativesystems and has been associated with several degenerative diseasesincluding cancer. The antioxidant potential of carotenoid MZ was evaluated both invitro and in vivo. MZ was found to scavenge superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicalsand nitric oxide radicals and inhibited in vitro lipid peroxidation. MZ also exhibitedsignificant singlet oxygen quenching activity. MZ scavenged stable free radicals like

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