Epidemiological and clinical studies have revealed that vitamin A and its derivatives (carotenoids and retinoids) can reduce the risk of ovarian tumours and may have a role in the metabolism of patients with ovarian cancer. The aim of the study was identification and quantitative assessment of carotenoids found in nature, mainly of provitamin A group, in the tissue material obtained from patients with different lesions of the ovaries. Material for analysis was obtained from 100 women, aged 16-74, operated on for ovarian tumours in the Department of Gynaecology. Carotenoid pigments were separated using column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. In the tissue material subjected to analysis, 14 carotenoids were identified, including provitamin A carotenoids; β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, echinenone and hydroxyechinenone. α-carotene was not found. In the whole group of pathological lesions, the total carotenoid content was relatively low (mean 1.717 µg/g tissue) and the mean content of provitamin A carotenoids was 17.28%. These results are similar to results obtained in the group of normal ovarian tissue. In the group of benign mucinous tumours (1.042 µg/g tissue) and tumours in the thecoma-fibroma group (1.328 µg/g tissue) and dysgerminoma group (1.279 µg/g tissue), the total carotenoid content was lower. Only in the endometriosis group was this value higher (2.185 µg/g tissue). Epoxy carotenoids; lutein epoxide, violaxanthin and mutatoxanthin were predominant (in %). Irrespective of histological classification, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lutein epoxide, violaxanthin and mutatoxanthin were identified in all tissue examined. Antheraxanthin was isolated in all tissue except for normal ovarian tissue, serous malignant and mucinous benign and malignant tumours, endometrioid malignant tumours, dermoid cysts, corpus luteum cysts and simple cysts. Hydroxyechinenone was isolated sporadically. Only in one case was capsanthin isolated. Carotenoids act as chemopreventive agents, irrespective of whether they are finally transformed into vitamin A, and may represent a potentially powerful alternative to present chemotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of ovarian cancer.

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