利用秀丽线虫模型研究左旋和右旋虾青素的抗氧化活性差异及其分子作用机制

膳食中富含的虾青素的抗氧化作用对人体健康至关重要，虾青素存在的不同构型决定了其在生物体内发挥不同的抗氧化活性。迄今为止，不同立体异构体（左旋和右旋）虾青素的抗氧化活性差异及其原因尚不清楚。根据手性物质结构和功能的关系理论以及项目组前期的研究，左旋和右旋虾青素的抗氧化活性存在显著差异。因此本项目从不同生物来源（雨生红球藻和红法夫酵母）中分别制备左旋和右旋虾青素，首次采用国际高度认可的秀丽线虫模型来揭示左旋和右旋虾青素的抗氧化活性差异，重点研究在Insulin/IGF-1信号通路中虾青素对抗氧化相关基因和蛋白表达水平的变化，从分子生物学角度深入探讨左旋和右旋虾青素抗氧化存在差异的作用机理。研究结果对于揭示不同立体异构体结构和功能的关系及其作用机制具有重要的理论意义，对于指导虾青素在健康食品中的应用具有重要的指导价值。

The antioxidative activity of astaxanthin rich in human diet play an important role in human health. There are different configurations of astaxanthin based on its chemical structure, and different configurations of astaxanthin may have different antioxidative activities in vivo. So far, the differences in antioxidative activity of 3R,3R’ (R) and 3S,3S’ (S) is not clear. According to the theory on the relationship between chiral structure and function as well as our previous studies, it is concluded that there are significant differences in antioxidative activity between R and S astaxanthin. Therefore, in this project we will prepare R and S astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis and Phaffia rhodozyma, respectively. The model of Caenorhabditis elegans, a widely used model, will be used to reveal the differences in the antioxidative activity of R and S astaxanthin for the first time. The project will focus on determination of the expression levels of related genes and proteins in Insulin/IGF-1 signal pathway, and elucidation of the molecular mechanism of differences in the antioxidative activity of R and S astaxanthin. The proposed studies will generate important knowledge on the relationship between chemical structure and function of the chiral substance and the molecular mechanism involved, which will provide a solid scientific foundation to use astaxanthin in healthy food.