CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Inflammation Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1621308
The Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Astaxanthin as an Adjunctive Therapy in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- 1Future University in Egypt, New Cairo, Egypt
- 2El-Mataryia Teaching Hospital, Cairo, Beni Suef, Egypt
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. Oxidative stress and excessive inflammation contribute significantly to disease progression and severity. Astaxanthin (ASX), a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory carotenoid, has demonstrated protective effects against oxidative damage and immune dysregulation in various conditions. However, its potential role as an adjunctive therapy in CAP remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the effects of ASX supplementation on inflammatory cytokines, and clinical outcomes in patients with CAP.Patients and Methods: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted, in which adult patients diagnosed with CAP were enrolled and assigned to receive either 12 mg/day ASX or a placebo in addition to standard antibiotic therapy for seven days.Inflammatory markers, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-10 (IL-10), were measured at baseline and post-treatment.Secondary outcomes included Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, as well as length of hospital stay.Results: A total of 80 patients (40 per group) completed the study. Patients receiving ASX exhibited significant reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to the placebo group.Notably, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were significantly lower in the ASX group at the end of the study (P< 0.05). Additionally, SOFA and APACHE II scores showed greater improvements in ASXtreated patients, suggesting a potential role in mitigating disease severity. Although the ASX group had a shorter hospital stay than the placebo group, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).ASX supplementation as an adjunct to standard CAP treatment significantly reduced inflammation while improving disease severity scores. ASX was found to be safe and welltolerated. These findings highlight its potential therapeutic role in CAP management, warranting further investigation in larger, long-term clinical trials to confirm its benefits and establish optimal dosing strategies.
Keywords: Community-acquired pneumonia, antioxidant, astaxanthin, Oxidative Stress, adjuvant therapy, Inflammatory markers, SOFA, APACHE
Received: 12 Jun 2025; Accepted: 18 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Youssef, Ateyya, Hanna Samy and Elmokadem. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Fatma Makram Youssef, Future University in Egypt, New Cairo, Egypt
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.