Astaxanthin

ID: astaxanthin

Aliases: Haematococcus pluvialis carotenoid

Type: compound

Route/form: route not curated

Status: supplement

Evidence level: preclinical

Best data tier: direct preclinical; adjacent human controlled/review

Support scope: human, non-human/mechanistic

Source types: preclinical, systematic_review

Linked sources: 2

Broad outcomes: Cardiovascular / lipids / blood pressure, Hormones / fertility / sexual health, Longevity / mitochondrial / redox

Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.

Targets / mechanism

• oxidative stress
• corpus cavernosum protection
• radiation-induced erectile dysfunction model

Optimization domains

• erectile quality
• oxidative stress
• vascular function
• supplement

Research basis

• A rat model reports protective effects on corpus cavernosum tissue in radiation-induced erectile dysfunction.
• Adds an erectile-quality oxidative-stress node with a clear model context.

Limits, risks, and missing evidence

• Radiation-injury ED in rats is not equivalent to common human erectile dysfunction.
• Supplement formulations vary and human sexual-function outcome data for this claim are not established.

Risk flags

• preclinical only
• model specific
• standardization uncertainty
• limited human data
• adjacent human evidence

Linked papers, labels, and reviews

1. Astaxanthin mitigates radiation-induced erectile dysfunction in a rat model
   preclinical / nature_astaxanthin_ried_2025
   Rat radiation-induced erectile dysfunction and corpus cavernosum protection source.
2. Antioxidant Supplementation for Erectile Dysfunction: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trials
   systematic_review / pmc_antioxidants_ed_meta_2024
   Human antioxidant-supplement ED context; includes astaxanthin-adjacent antioxidant rationale but is not a direct astaxanthin radiation-ED trial.