Patil · Natural products and bioprospecting 2022 · narrative review · n=?

Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical potential of natural bioactive pigment: astaxanthin.

Cited 101 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of secondary literature and mechanistic properties without systematic search methodology

PubMed 35794254 · doi:10.1007/s13659-022-00347-y · record verified 2026-08-29

What was done

This narrative review summarizes the chemical structure, natural biological sources (including marine organisms, microalgae, red yeast, and bacteria), and reported pharmacological and nutraceutical bioactivities of the keto-carotenoid astaxanthin.

What was found

The abstract provides no numerical data, statistics, or effect sizes. It qualitatively describes astaxanthin as exhibiting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-aging, anti-viral, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, and fertility-enhancing properties across non-communicable chronic diseases.

Why it matters

It aggregates the wide-ranging proposed health applications and therapeutic targets of astaxanthin across cardiovascular, metabolic, immune, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Limits

The abstract contains no empirical data, sample sizes, or formal systematic review criteria. It describes broad biological potentials without distinguishing between in vitro, animal, or human clinical evidence.

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