Astaxanthin for inflammation and stress genes in PCOS
What it found
In women with PCOS, 12 mg of astaxanthin daily for 8 weeks lowered some inflammatory markers and changed the activity of certain stress-related genes in blood cells.
It did not improve body mass index, excess hair, hair loss or menstrual regularity.
What they found
Studies in people
Inflammatory markers
The women taking astaxanthin had lower levels of TNF-α, IL-18 and IL-6 compared to the placebo group. There was no clear difference in CRP levels between the groups.
Stress gene activity
In the astaxanthin group, the activity of several genes involved in cell stress and death (CHOP, XBP1, ATF4 and DR5) was lower than in the placebo group. The changes in ATF6 and GRP78 were not statistically significant.
Cell death proteins
The level of active caspase-3, a protein involved in cell death, was lower in the astaxanthin group. There was no significant difference in caspase-8 levels.
PCOS symptoms
Astaxanthin had no significant positive effect on body mass index, excess hair growth, hair loss or menstrual cycle regularity. The authors noted a slight improvement in menstrual regularity in the astaxanthin group compared to their own baseline, but not compared to placebo.
What the authors conclude
“It appears that ASX may benefit PCOS by changing the ER stress-apoptotic pathway and reducing serum inflammatory markers; however, additional research is required to determine this compound's potential relevance.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that 8 weeks of astaxanthin in PCOS patients can modulate ER stress-apoptosis in PBMCs by changing the expression of genes involved in the UPR process and apoptosis.
- They also state that astaxanthin reduced serum levels of pro-inflammatory markers, such as IL-18, TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP in PCOS patients.
- They advise that more extensive research is required to determine the potential role of astaxanthin.
How it was done
PCOS is linked to inflammation and stress in cells, and astaxanthin is an antioxidant that might help. The authors wanted to see if it could affect these processes in women with PCOS.
They randomly assigned 56 women with PCOS, aged 18 to 40, to take either 12 mg of astaxanthin or a placebo for 8 weeks. Blood samples were taken before and after to measure inflammatory markers and gene activity in immune cells.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small study of 56 women, so the results may not apply to all women with PCOS.
- The study lasted only 8 weeks, so it cannot show what might happen with longer use.
- The authors did not measure astaxanthin levels in the blood, so they cannot be sure how well the supplement was absorbed.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
The paper
- Title
- Randomized clinical trial of astaxanthin supplement on serum inflammatory markers and ER stress-apoptosis gene expression in PBMCs of women with PCOS
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Jabarpour M, Amidi F, Aleyasin A, Nashtaei MS, Marghmaleki MS (2024). Randomized clinical trial of astaxanthin supplement on serum inflammatory markers and ER stress-apoptosis gene expression in PBMCs of women with PCOS. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine. doi:10.1111/jcmm.18464Free full textPubMed 39036884DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error