IOVS Blood
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Originally published In Press as doi:10.1167/iovs.08-1939 on August 1, 2008
 (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2008;49:5568-5573.)
© 2008 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
DOI:  10.1167/iovs.08-1939
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
iovs.08-1939v1
49/12/5568    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by van de Kraats, J.
Right arrow Articles by van Norren, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by van de Kraats, J.
Right arrow Articles by van Norren, D.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin Measured Separately in the Living Human Retina with Fundus Reflectometry

Jan van de Kraats, Martijn J. Kanis, Stijn W. Genders, and Dirk van Norren

From the Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

PURPOSE. To separately measure the optical densities of lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) in the human retina in vivo. L and Z are the basic constituents of the macular pigment (MP).

METHODS. Spectral fundus reflectance was measured in 23 subjects (group 1) at 0°, 1°, 2°, 4°, and 8° eccentricity with a modified macular pigment reflectometer. A model generated the optical densities of L (LOD) and Z (ZOD), using their slightly different absorption spectra. Three other subjects (group 2) took 20 mg/d zeaxanthin for 6 months; they were measured approximately monthly for 18 months.

RESULTS. Mean LOD for group 1 at the central fovea was 0.200 ± 0.061 (range, 0.085–0.305), mean ZOD was 0.494 ± 0.169 (range, 0.169–0.806), resulting in a mean Z fraction [ZOD/(LOD + ZOD)] of 0.71. ZOD dropped faster toward the periphery than LOD, measuring 0.044 and 0.010 (Z fraction 0.18) at 8°, respectively. Zeaxanthin supplementation in group 2 caused a significant increase in ZOD, and no or minor changes in LOD. ZOD further increased over a 10-month period after supplementation in all subjects.

CONCLUSIONS. LOD and ZOD had different spatial profiles that, apart from scaling factors, showed similarity to in vitro literature data. Supplementation with Z caused LOD to decrease and ZOD to increase. These results strongly suggest that the optical densities of L and Z can be assessed in vivo by fundus reflectometry, opening new ways of investigating the putative protective roles of L and Z in retinal disease.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology