Clinical Chemistry, Vol 21, 258-259, Copyright © 1975 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Presence of Carotenoids in the Erythrocyte Membranes of Carotenemic and Noncarotenemic Individuals

¹ Department of Medical Microbiology, Channing Laboratory, Boston City Hospital, 774 Albany St., Boston, Mass. 02118; and the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 02115.

Erythrocytes and erythrocyte membcarotenemic (serum carotene >4.0 mg/liter) and noncarotenemic individuals contain a small amount of carotenoid pigments. The principal pigment isolated from erythrocytes and erythrocyte membranes from carotenemic individuals cochromatographed with, and has an absorption spectrum similar to, authentic beta-carotene. Traces of beta-carotene were also found in the extracts of the erythrocytes and membranes obtained from the noncarotenemic individuals. These pigments were demonstrable only when the erythrocytes were extracted in the presence of an anti-oxidant (pyrogallol). Anti-oxidants should be used in the extraction and saponification process when only small samples are available or when only small amounts of carotenoid pigments are present in the material to be extracted.