Comparison of vegetable oils on the uptake of lutein and zeaxanthin by ARPE-19 cells

AIM: To compare the effect of vegetable oils on the uptake of lutein and zeaxanthin by adult retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE)-19 cells in vitro.

METHODS: ARPE-19 cells were cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium-F-12 supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin-streptomycin in a humidified 5% CO2 incubator maintained at 37°C. Cells were treated with 247 µmol/L lutein, 49 µmol/L zeaxanthin and 1% (v/v) of either coconut oil, corn oil, peanut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, castor oil, or linseed oil for 48h. Lutein and zeaxanthin concentration in the cells were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTS: Among the oils tested, the highest lutein and zeaxanthin uptake was observed with coconut oil while the lowest was observed with linseed oil.

CONCLUSION: ARPE-19 uptake of lutein and zeaxanthin are found to be dependent on the type of oils.