Canthaxanthin (BioCAD00000007934)

blood epidermis plant natural products microbial natural products

Metabolite Card

Formula: C40H52O2 (564.3967)
SMILES: C\C(\C=C\C=C(/C)\C=C\C1=C(C)C(=O)CCC1(C)C)=C/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/C=C(\C)/C=C/C1=C(C)C(=O)CCC1(C)C

Synonyms [en]

Canthaxanthin; beta,beta-Carotene-4,4'-dione; Carophyll Red; Orobronze; Cantaxanthin; 4,4'-Dioxo-beta-carotene

Reviewed

Last reviewed on 2024-06-28.

Cite this Page

Canthaxanthin. 数据之源，洞见之始. SMRUCC genomics institute, a synthetic life researcher from China. https://biocad_registry.innovation.ac.cn/s/(-)-arctiin (retrieved 2026-01-03) (CAD Registry RN: BioCAD00000007934). Licensed under the Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Note

Canthaxanthin, also known as Cantaxanthin, Cantaxanthine, or Canthaxanthine is a keto-carotenoid, a pigment widely distributed in nature. Carotenoids belong to a larger class of phytochemicals known as terpenoids. Canthaxanin is also classified as a xanthophyll. Xanthophylls are yellow pigments and form one of two major divisions of the carotenoid group; the other division is formed by the carotenes. Both are carotenoids. Xanthophylls and carotenes are similar in structure, but xanthophylls contain oxygen atoms while carotenes are purely hydrocarbons, which do not contain oxygen. Their content of oxygen causes xanthophylls to be more polar (in molecular structure) than carotenes and causes their separation from carotenes in many types of chromatography. (Carotenes are usually more orange in color than xanthophylls. Canthaxanthin is naturally found in bacteria, algae and some fungi. Canthaxanthin is associated with E number E161g and is approved for use as a food coloring agent in different countries, including the United States and the EU. Canthaxanthin is used as poultry feed additive to yield red color in skin and yolks. The European Union permits the use of canthaxanthin in feedstuff at a maximum content of 25 mg/kg of final feedstuff while the United States allows the use of this pigment in broiler chicken and salmonid fish feeds. Canthoxanthin was first isolated in edible chanterelle mushroom (Cantharellus cinnabarinus), from which it derived its name. It has also been found in green algae, bacteria, archea (a halophilic archaeon called Haloferax alexandrines), fungi and bioaccumulates in tissues and egg yolk from wild birds and at low levels in crustaceans and fish such as carp, golden grey mullet, and seabream. Canthaxanthin is not found in wild Atlantic Salmon, but is a minor carotenoid in Pacific Salmon. Canthaxanthin is used in farm-raised trout to give a red/orange color to their flesh similar to wild trout. Canthaxanthin has been used as a food additive for egg yolk, in cosmetics and as a pigmenting agent for human skin applications. It has also been used as a feed additive in fish and crustacean farms. Canthaxanthin is a potent lipid-soluble antioxidant (PMID: 2505240). Canthaxanthin increases resistance to lipid peroxidation primarily by enhancing membrane alpha-tocopherol levels and secondarily by providing weak direct antioxidant activity. Canthaxanthin biosynthesis in bacteria and algae proceeds from beta-carotene via the action of an enzyme known as a beta-carotene ketolase, that is able to add a carbonyl group to carbon 4 and 4' of the beta carotene molecule.

Extracellular Membrane
Entity Information

DBLinks

Other DBLinks
  • CAS Registry Number: 514-78-3
  • PubChem: 5281227
  • ChEBI: ChEBI:3362
  • HMDB: HMDB0003154
  • HMDB: HMDB03154
  • LipidMaps: LMPR01070264
  • KEGG: C08583
  • BioCyc: CPD-7851
  • NCBI MeSH: Canthaxanthin
  • Wikipedia: Canthaxanthin
  • RefMet: RM0058978
  • MoNA: Bruker_HCD_library001786
  • MoNA: CA000013
  • MoNA: CA000112
  • MoNA: PM009821
  • MoNA: PM015403
  • MoNA: PS065301
  • MoNA: PS065302
  • MoNA: PS065303
  • MoNA: PS065304
  • MoNA: PS065305
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-LTQ006201
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-LTQ006202
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003055
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003056
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003057
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003058
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003059
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003060
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003061
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003062
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QEHF003063
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QTOF006965
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QTOF006966
  • MoNA: VF-NPL-QTOF006967
  • Metlin: METLIN_3597
  • Coconut NaturalProduct: CNP0355008.0

Class / Ontology

Metabolic Network
ID EC Number Name
KEGG:R07563 1.14.99.63 echinenone,donor:oxygen oxidoreductase (canthaxanthin-forming)
KEGG:R07568 1.14.15.24 canthaxanthin,reduced ferredoxin [iron-sulfur] cluster:oxygen 3-oxidoreductase
KEGG:R12180 C08592<=>C08583
Rhea:RHEA:48269 4',4'-dihydroxyechinenone => canthaxanthin + H2O
Rhea:RHEA:48270 canthaxanthin + H2O => 4',4'-dihydroxyechinenone
Rhea:RHEA:48271 4',4'-dihydroxyechinenone <=> canthaxanthin + H2O
Rhea:RHEA:55665 1.14.99.63 echinenone + 2 AH2 + 2 O2 => canthaxanthin + 2 A + 3 H2O
Rhea:RHEA:55666 1.14.99.63 canthaxanthin + 2 A + 3 H2O => echinenone + 2 AH2 + 2 O2
Rhea:RHEA:55667 1.14.99.63 echinenone + 2 AH2 + 2 O2 <=> canthaxanthin + 2 A + 3 H2O
BioCyc:RXN-18966 CPD-20425 --> CPD-7851 + WATER
BioCyc:RXN-8196 CPD-7854 --> CPD-7851
BioCyc:RXN-8185 1.14.99.63 CPD-7850 + 2 Donor-H2 + 2 OXYGEN-MOLECULE --> CPD-7851 + 2 Acceptor + 3 WATER
BioCyc:RXN-19151 1.14.15.24 CPD-7851 + 4 Reduced-ferredoxins + 2 OXYGEN-MOLECULE + 4 PROTON --> CPD-7847 + 4 Oxidized-ferredoxins + 2 WATER
BioCyc:RXN-16444 1.14.13.- canthaxanthin hydroxylase
BioCyc:RXN-8186 CPD-7851 + 2 Reduced-ferredoxins + OXYGEN-MOLECULE + 2 PROTON --> CPD-7849 + 2 Oxidized-ferredoxins + WATER
BioCyc:RXN-16410 1.1.99.- CPD-17652 + Acceptor --> CPD-7851 + Donor-H2
BioCyc:RXN-16442 1.14.13.- CPD-7851 + NADH + PROTON + OXYGEN-MOLECULE --> CPD-17660 + NAD + WATER
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Organism Source

Taxonomy Source

  1. Agrobacterium aurantiacum [ncbi taxid: 44155]
  2. Alcaligenes PC1 [ncbi taxid: ]
  3. Anabaena aerulosa oscillatorioides [ncbi taxid: ]
  4. Anabaena cylindrica [ncbi taxid: 1165]
  5. Anabaena flos-aquae [ncbi taxid: ]
  6. Anabaena variabilis [ncbi taxid: ]
  7. Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413 [ncbi taxid: ]
  8. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae [ncbi taxid: 1176]
  9. Arabidopsis thaliana [ncbi taxid: 3702]
  10. Botryococcus braunii [ncbi taxid: 38881]
  11. Bradyrhizobium lupini [ncbi taxid: 136996]
  12. Calothrix parietina [ncbi taxid: 32054]
  13. Cantharellus cinnabarinus [ncbi taxid: 57193]
  14. Cetraria australiensis [ncbi taxid: 425280]
  15. Chlorella fusca [ncbi taxid: ]
  16. Chlorella zofingiensis [ncbi taxid: ]
  17. Chlorococcum citriforme [ncbi taxid: 1521711]
  18. Corbicula clams [ncbi taxid: ]
  19. Corbicula japonica [ncbi taxid: 141464]
  20. Corbicula sandai [ncbi taxid: 141465]
  21. Escherichia coli strain B-4-HBA3 [ubiC] [ncbi taxid: ]
  22. Ettlia carotinosa [ncbi taxid: 707317]
  23. Euchaeta russelli [ncbi taxid: ]
  24. Euglena gracilis [ncbi taxid: 3039]
  25. Fusinus perplexus [ncbi taxid: ]
  26. Gelliodes callista [ncbi taxid: 1336858]
  27. Gymnogobius castaneus [ncbi taxid: 255296]
  28. Homo sapiens [ncbi taxid: 9606]
  29. Merismopedia punctata [ncbi taxid: 882065]
  30. Micrococcus roseus [ncbi taxid: ]
  31. Microcystis aeruginosa [ncbi taxid: 1126]
  32. Muriella decolor [ncbi taxid: 1236197]
  33. Muriellopsis sp. [ncbi taxid: ]
  34. Nannochloropsis gaditana [ncbi taxid: 72520]
  35. Nannochloropsis oculata [ncbi taxid: 43925]
  36. Nannochloropsis salina [ncbi taxid: ]
  37. Navicula pelliculosa [ncbi taxid: ]
  38. Neochloris wimmeri [ncbi taxid: ]
  39. Nostoc commune [ncbi taxid: 1178]
  40. Ochrocarpos punctatus [ncbi taxid: ]
  41. Oriolus cruentus [ncbi taxid: 370835]
  42. Oriolus traillii [ncbi taxid: 890116]
  43. Oscillatoria limosa [ncbi taxid: 153188]
  44. Oscillatoria tenuis [ncbi taxid: 126345]
  45. Paedoclione doliiformis [ncbi taxid: ]
  46. Pavlova lutheri [ncbi taxid: ]
  47. Phoenicoparrus andinus [ncbi taxid: 704177]
  48. Phoenicoparrus jamesi [ncbi taxid: 704178]
  49. Phoenicoparrus ruber [ncbi taxid: ]
  50. Phormidium foveolarum [ncbi taxid: ]
  51. Phormidium lucidum [ncbi taxid: 693231]
  52. Plesiocolochirus minutus [ncbi taxid: ]
  53. Protosiphon botryoides [ncbi taxid: 44656]
  54. Protousnea sp. [ncbi taxid: ]
  55. Rabdosia setschwanensis [ncbi taxid: ]
  56. Rhizobium lupini [ncbi taxid: ]
  57. Scenedesmus vacuolatus [ncbi taxid: 77546]
  58. Scotiellopsis oocystiformis [ncbi taxid: ]
  59. Scytonema crassum [ncbi taxid: ]
  60. Skeletonema costatum [ncbi taxid: 2843]
  61. Solorina crocea [ncbi taxid: 48864]
  62. Stigonema hormoides [ncbi taxid: 1547880]
  63. Stigonema ocellatum [ncbi taxid: 221293]
  64. Tetracystis intermidium [ncbi taxid: ]
  65. Tolypothrix tenuis [ncbi taxid: 457083]
  66. Xipholena punicea [ncbi taxid: 114392]

Pathway Synthetic

pathway id name
BioCyc:META_PWY-5288 astaxanthin biosynthesis (bacteria, fungi, algae)
BioCyc:META_PWY-7637 2,2'-dihydroxyketocarotenoids biosynthesis
BioCyc:META_PWY-5291 canthaxanthin biosynthesis
BioCyc:META_PWY-7636 astaxanthin biosynthesis (flowering plants)
PlantCyc:CHLAMY_PWY-5288 astaxanthin biosynthesis (bacteria, fungi, algae)
PlantCyc:PLANT_PWY-5291 canthaxanthin biosynthesis
PlantCyc:PLANT_PWY-5288 astaxanthin biosynthesis (bacteria, fungi, algae)
PlantCyc:PLANT_PWY-7636 astaxanthin biosynthesis (flowering plants)
PlantCyc:VCARTERI_PWY-5288 astaxanthin biosynthesis (bacteria, fungi, algae)
WikiPathways:WP1259 Retinol metabolism
WikiPathways:WP1038 Vitamin A and carotenoid metabolism
WikiPathways:WP1297 Retinol metabolism
WikiPathways:WP716 Vitamin A and carotenoid metabolism
WikiPathways:WP805 Retinol metabolism
WikiPathways:WP3843 Vitamin A and carotenoid metabolism
View All Pathways