Canthaxanthin and its effects on lipid membranes in lab models
What it found
In lab tests using artificial membranes, canthaxanthin strongly changed the physical properties of lipids at very small amounts.
These changes may explain how it damages blood vessels in the eye.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood vessel damage
These eye crystals are linked to damage in nearby blood vessels and the growth of abnormal new ones. Human retinal blood vessels are mainly made of palmitate (25.1%), oleate (28.8%) and stearate (16.8%) fatty acids.
Animal and lab studies
Strong membrane effects
In lab tests, canthaxanthin changed the physical traits of artificial lipid membranes at amounts below 1 mol%. Sometimes effects appeared at just 0.05 mol%, which was much lower than needed for lutein or zeaxanthin.
How molecules interact
Lab tests showed canthaxanthin stiffened the fat chains in membranes and clumped together into groups. It also formed hydrogen bonds with the fats or through water molecules.
Levels in monkey eyes
Monkeys fed extra canthaxanthin had up to 250 ng/g of it in their macula tissue. That was higher than their levels of zeaxanthin (180 ng/g) and lutein (50 ng/g).
Studies in people and animals
Eye crystal deposits
Taking in canthaxanthin can lead to golden yellow or red crystals forming in the retina around the macula. This happens even at small amounts used in food colouring or cosmetics, in both animals and people.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that canthaxanthin harms the eye because it binds very tightly to the fat molecules in cell membranes.
- Their view is that these strong molecular interactions and the clumping of the pigment drive the damage to blood vessels.
- They point out that these effects happen at much smaller amounts than those seen with other similar plant pigments.
How it was done
Canthaxanthin is used as a food colour and in cosmetics, but it can form crystals in the retina and damage nearby blood vessels. The authors wanted to understand how this pigment interacts with cell membranes to cause that harm.
The authors gathered and examined past lab experiments on artificial lipid layers, bubbles and films mixed with canthaxanthin. They looked at how the pigment changed membrane structure and behaviour at different concentrations.
What it can’t tell you
- These findings come from artificial membranes in lab tests, so they cannot show exactly what happens inside a living human eye.
- Observations linking canthaxanthin to eye damage in people only show a connection, not proof that the pigment alone caused it.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Life Sciences, Poland
The paper
- Title
- Interactions between canthaxanthin and lipid membranes--possible mechanisms of canthaxanthin toxicity
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Sujak A (2009). Interactions between canthaxanthin and lipid membranes--possible mechanisms of canthaxanthin toxicity. Cellular & molecular biology letters. doi:10.2478/s11658-009-0010-8Free full textPubMed 19214394DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error