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Astaxanthin

Antioxidantoral · inferred

Carotenoid pigment ~6000x more potent than vitamin C as an antioxidant. Fat-soluble with a half-life of ~16-52 hours depending on formulation. Crosses the blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers. Protects against oxidative stress, UV damage, and supports cardiovascular health.

Projected serum levels — 12 mg, once daily

Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin modeled serum levels, 12 mg once daily over 15 days Population-based pharmacokinetic estimate. Steady state reached after approximately 3 days. 0 0.50 1 1.5 2 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule ≈ steady state · day 3
Astaxanthin modeled serum levels with a loading dose of 22.6 mg, then 12 mg once daily The first dose is larger so levels approach steady state faster. 0 0.50 1 1.5 2 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule

Maintenance schedule: 12 mg once daily (oral).

Loading schedule: 22.6 mg on day 1, then 12 mg once daily — reaching therapeutic levels sooner.

Modeled steady state after ~3 days: peak ≈ 1.8 mg, trough ≈ 1.0 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 12 mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.

Key facts

Category
Antioxidant
Route modeled
Oral
Model confidence
inferred
Half-life
21 h
Common dose
12 mg
Suggested maximum
24 mg/day
Reference dose range
6–24 mg (single dose)
Suggested cadence
once daily
Validated against
100 mg oral — Cmax 1.2 mg/L at 6.7 h

Documented interactions

  • contraindicated
    Carbamazepine (Tegretol) + Astaxanthin CYP induction

    Carbamazepine (Tegretol) inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change Astaxanthin AUC by ~0.20x

  • contraindicated
    Clarithromycin (Biaxin) + Astaxanthin CYP inhibition

    Clarithromycin (Biaxin) mechanism_based of CYP3A4 predicted to change Astaxanthin AUC by ~10.00x

  • contraindicated
    Dasatinib (Sprycel) + Astaxanthin CYP inhibition

    Dasatinib (Sprycel) time_dependent_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Astaxanthin AUC by ~5.00x

  • contraindicated
    Diltiazem + Astaxanthin CYP inhibition

    Diltiazem mechanism_based of CYP3A4 predicted to change Astaxanthin AUC by ~10.00x

  • contraindicated
    Efavirenz (Sustiva) + Astaxanthin CYP induction

    Efavirenz (Sustiva) inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change Astaxanthin AUC by ~0.12x

  • contraindicated
    Grapefruit (whole fruit) + Astaxanthin CYP inhibition

    Grapefruit (whole fruit) mechanism_based of CYP3A4 predicted to change Astaxanthin AUC by ~10.00x

Serum checks 207 modeled interaction pairings for astaxanthin across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.

Research behind this entry

  1. Oral Bioavailability of the Antioxidant Astaxanthin in Humans Is Enhanced by Incorporation of Lipid Based Formulations Osterlie M et al. · Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2000 DOI

    Demonstrated that lipid-based formulations significantly enhance astaxanthin oral bioavailability, with elimination half-life of ~16 hours.

  2. Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study of Standard Astaxanthin and its Micellar Formulation in Healthy Male Volunteers Madhavi D et al. · European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, 2024 DOI

    Micellar astaxanthin showed 3.4x higher bioavailability than standard formulation in healthy men, with improved Cmax and AUC.

  3. Plasma Appearance and Distribution of Astaxanthin E/Z and R/S Isomers in Plasma Lipoproteins of Men After Single Dose Administration Osterlie M et al. · Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2000 DOI

    Characterized astaxanthin plasma pharmacokinetics after 100 mg dose, finding Tmax of 6.7h, elimination half-life of 21h, and preferential incorporation into VLDL.

  4. Oral bioavailability of the antioxidant astaxanthin in humans is enhanced by incorporation of lipid based formulations. Mercke Odeberg J, Lignell A, Pettersson A, Höglund P · European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2003 DOI

    This citation reports a human primary study involving Astaxanthin. It does not by itself establish a qualified dose, safety profile, efficacy claim, or pharmacokinetic route for this record.

4 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.