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• Barbosa, A
• Martínez, A
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• Barbosa, A
• Martínez, A
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• Barbosa, A
• Martínez, A

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Molecules 2012, 17(1), 1039-1054; doi:10.3390/molecules17011039

Article

The Metal Cation Chelating Capacity of Astaxanthin. Does This Have Any Influence on Antiradical Activity?

Elizabeth Hernández-Marin ¹ , Andrés Barbosa ²  and Ana Martínez ^1,*,*

¹ Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, C. U. P.O. Box 70-360, Coyoacán, 04510 México, D. F., Mexico ² Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 30 November 2011; in revised form: 16 December 2011 / Accepted: 5 January 2012 / Published: 20 January 2012

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carotenoids)

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Abstract: In this Density Functional Theory study, it became apparent that astaxanthin (ASTA) may form metal ion complexes with metal cations such as Ca⁺², Cu⁺², Pb⁺², Zn⁺², Cd⁺² and Hg⁺². The presence of metal cations induces changes in the maximum absorption bands which are red shifted in all cases. Therefore, in the case of compounds where metal ions are interacting with ASTA, they are redder in color. Moreover, the antiradical capacity of some ASTA-metal cationic complexes was studied by assessing their vertical ionization energy and vertical electron affinity, reaching the conclusion that metal complexes are slightly better electron donors and better electron acceptors than ASTA.

Keywords: carotenoids; astaxanthin; oxidative stress; antioxidant; chelating compound; metal ions; antireductant; antiradical

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