Figure 6.

β-Carotene and zeaxanthin accumulation in hepatic mitochondria of mice. Five-week-old Bco1^−/−, Bco2^−/−, and ko/ko mice (n=4 each) were subjected to a 4 wk feeding with controlled diets containing β-carotene or zeaxanthin, respectively. Lipids were extracted from liver and quantified by HPLC analysis. A) Representative HPLC diagrams at 420 nm of lipid extracts of mice fed diets supplemented with β-carotene (black trace) or zeaxanthin (red trace). Insets: spectral characteristics of accumulated carotenoids. Note that zeaxanthin accumulates in the form of its oxidized 3-dehyro-derivative, as indicated by retention time and spectral characteristics. B) Carotenoid levels per protein in extracts of total liver and isolated mitochondria. Data represent means ± sd of 4 mice/data point.