Canthaxanthin has induced a recurrence of skin complaints in volunteers treated orally, and its consumption has also resulted in crystal deposition in the retina of the eye, often associated with subtle changes in retinal response. The eye effects have been reproduced in rabbits treated orally or by injection.
Canthaxanthin was of low acute oral toxicity to mice. Repeated dietary administration to rats, mice and dogs resulted in tissue discolouration and, in rats and mice, increased blood cholesterol levels and liver effects. There was no convincing evidence of reproductive toxicity in a multi-generation rat feeding study or when rats and rabbits were treated orally during pregnancy. In unpublished carcinogenicity feeding studies in rats and mice, an increased incidence of benign liver tumours was noted in female rats. Canthaxanthin gave no evidence of activity in a range of genotoxicity screening tests (mostly unpublished). Minimal eye irritation has been reported in rabbits.
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