Nutrishield ^® β-Carotene Attenuates LPS-Induced Systemic Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Murine Model

Abstract β-Carotene is a strong antioxidant and immunomodulator, but it breaks down in the presence of oxygen and isn’t readily bioavailable. Nutrishield® β-Carotene is a special starch-based microencapsulation system designed to protect β-carotene from oxidation, make it easier to spread in the gastrointestinal environment, and improve its effectiveness. This study reported Nutrishield® as a formulation platform by using β-carotene as a model compound. We compared how well it worked in vitro and in vivo with β-carotene that wasn’t encapsulated. We randomly put thirty-two male BALB/c mice into four groups (n=8): Control, LPS, LPS + β-Carotene (10 mg/kg/day), and LPS + Nutrishield® (the same dose of β-Carotene). After an intraperitoneal injection of LPS (1 mg/kg, twice weekly), the treatments were administered orally for 28 days. LPS administration significantly elevated TNF-α (142 ± 8 pg/mL), IL-6 (118 ± 7 pg/mL), and serum 8-OHdG (5.4 ± 0.3 ng/mL) in comparison to controls (TNF-α = 62 ± 5 pg/mL; IL-6 = 51 ± 4 pg/mL; 8-OHdG = 2.1 ± 0.2 ng/mL). Nutrishield® β-Carotene supplementation significantly normalized cytokine profiles (TNF-α = 69 ± 4 pg/mL; IL-6 = 56 ± 3 pg/mL; IL-10 increased from 38 ± 2 to 76 ± 3 pg/mL; p < 0.001 vs. LPS). Histological analysis demonstrated reduced hepatocellular vacuolation and renal tubular degeneration in the Nutrishield® β-Carotene group relative to the β-carotene and LPS groups. These findings demonstrate that Nutrishield® microencapsulation significantly enhances the functional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory efficacy of β-carotene in a murine model of systemic inflammation. Graphical Abstract