1. ^*Department of Dermatology, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York
2. ^‡Department Pathology, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York
3. ^†Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, Department of Physics University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA

Correspondence: Richard D. Granstein, Department of Dermatology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021. Email: rdgranst@med.cornell.edu

¹These authors had equal responsibility for the work described in this article.

²Current address: Department of Dermatology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany.

Received 25 June 2003; Revised 7 July 2003; Accepted 16 July 2003; Published online 12 February 2004.

Abstract

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) promotes skin cancer development by mutagenic, immunosuppressive, and oxidative-stress-inducing mechanisms; however, certain antioxidants may counteract and prevent UVR-induced photodamage. Lutein is a xanthophyll carotenoid with potent antioxidant activity. Because reactive oxygen species (ROS) are believed to have a role in UVR-induced skin damage, we investigated whether lutein can modify UVR effects including the tissue swelling response to midrange UVR (280–320 nm, ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation) and UVB suppression of contact hypersensitivity (CHS) in both the local and the systemic models of UV-induced immunosuppression. We found that compared to mice fed the standard laboratory diet, mice fed dietary lutein demonstrated significant inhibition of ear swelling owing to UVB radiation. Mice exposed to 1700 J per m² UVB radiation four times at daily intervals and then sensitized to dinitrofluorobenzene at the site of irradiation showed a decreased CHS response upon challenge. This suppression by UVB radiation was significantly inhibited by lutein feeding. When UVB radiation was given at a single dose of 10,000 J per m² to inhibit the induction of CHS at a distant, nonirradiated site, no effect of lutein was seen. Finally, lutein accumulated in the skin of mice following diet supplementation and was shown to decrease ROS generation following UVR exposure. Thus, lutein modulates the skin's response to UVR and may contribute to the defense against some of the deleterious effects of solar radiation.