Characterisation of carotenoid radical cations in liposomal environments: interaction with vitamin C

Pulse radiolysis was used to generate the radical cations of β-carotene and two xanthophylls, zeaxanthin and lutein, in unilamellar vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidyl choline. The rate constants for the reaction (repair) of these carotenoid radical cations with the water-soluble vitamin C were found to be similar (∼1×107 M−1 s−1) for β-carotene and zeaxanthin and somewhat lower (∼0.5×107 M−1 s−1) for lutein. The results are discussed in terms of the microenvironment of the carotenoids and suggest that for β-carotene, a hydrocarbon carotenoid, the radical cation is able to interact with a water-soluble species even though the parent hydrocarbon carotenoid is probably entirely in the non-polar region of the liposome.