Application

Violaxanthin has been used as a standard/control in high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of pigment extracts to confirm the high-level astaxanthin accumulation suspected from the visual phenotype ofNt-AXT plants.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Violaxanthin is a carotene epoxide that is a precursor to capsanthin. It is one of three xanthophylls involved in the evolution of plastids of green plants (oxygen evolution) and participating in photo-induced interconversions known as the violaxanthin cycle. The cleavage of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoids (violaxanthin) to xanthoxin is the key regulatory step of abscisic acid biosynthesis.

Violaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant and a vital precursor to important compounds like fucoxanthin and β-damascenone. It is a non-photochemical fluorescence quenching structural component of the xanthophyll cycle that shields the photosynthetic system from excessive light. The 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS⁺) radical scavenging action of violaxanthin extracted from water spinach/water morning glory is strong, and it also inhibits lipid peroxidation and red blood cell hemolysis. Hence, it has the potential to be used in a wide range of medicinal and health products.

General description

Violaxanthin is an epoxidized carotenoid obtained from plants. It is an orange-colored natural xanthophyll pigment.