Abstract
Considerable attention currently being given to beta-carotene as a promising chemopreventive agent (1,2). Several observations can be cited in support of this idea. Epidemiological evidence points to an inverse relationship between the intake of beta-carotene-containing green or yellow vegetables and the incidence of cancers at various sites (3–7), including oral cancer (8). Animal studies show beta-carotene to have a marked protective effect against a variety of carcinogens (9,10), and in vitro experiments have revealed an antimutagenic (11) and antitransformation (12) activity. Whether these protective effects of beta-carotene are due to its scavenging potential for radicals (13,14), to its capacity to interfere with the activation of carcinogens, or to its conversion into vitamin A which is the actual chemopreventive agent, is at present difficult to assess. Several largescale intervention trials have been initiated to prove or disprove the usefulness of beta-carotene in preventing the development of carcinomas. However, clinical trials using cancer as the endpoint are expensive, require a relatively large number of participants, and last for a long time. Tests that could provide more rapid results would be invaluable in assessing treatment protocols before long-term, manpower-intensive intervention trials are initiated. Two “intermediate endpoints” appear to be worth a more detailed validation.
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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York
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Stich, H.F., Rosin, M.P., Hornby, A.P., Mathew, B., Sankaranarayanan, R., Nair, M.K. (1989). Pilot Intervention Studies with Carotenoids. In: Krinsky, N.I., Mathews-Roth, M.M., Taylor, R.F. (eds) Carotenoids. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0849-2_22
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