Generation of reactive oxygen species in rat blood leukocytes under the influence of different types of carrageenans

Carrageenans are biopolymers commonly found in red seaweed. In the food industry, commercial carrageenans are used as emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, and gelling agents to enhance the quality, structure, and sensory properties of various products. Although carrageenans are generally recognized as safe for human consumption, numerous studies have indicated that these food additives, especially those with a random helix conformation, can adversely affect the gastrointestinal mucosa. In this article, we assess the level of ROS generation in rat leukocytes subjected to a carrageenan-enriched diet as a potential risk for oxidative stress development. It has been demonstrated that the generation of ROS by blood leukocytes in rats orally fed kappa-carrageenan (κ), iota-carrageenan (ι), and lambda-carrageenan (λ) had significantly higher values of 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence intensity not only in comparison with the control group but also between the experimental groups. The use of semi-purified carrageenan did not cause statistically significant changes in the generation of ROS in the blood leukocytes of rats of this experimental group. It is concluded that the consumption of a carrageenan-enriched diet leads to increased production of ROS by leukocytes, which can provoke prolonged pathological changes in organs and tissues of the body. The most significant changes in the generation of ROS in rat leukocytes were found under conditions of oral administration of κ- and λ-carrageenans, while the use of semi-purified carrageenan in the form of a 1% solution did not affect the generation of ROS in leukocytes. Keywords: carrageenans, leukocytes, reactive oxygen species, rats.