Abstract: β-carotene can inhibit tumor cells proliferation of many cancers including breast,colon,human leukemia,melanoma and prostate adenocarcinomas,and could promote apoptosis through activating caspase-2 and caspase-8,reducing mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm),increasing the release of cytochrome c,regulate nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway,suppressing activation protein-1 (AP-1),down-regulating the expression of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2,Bcl-XL and c-myc,up-regulating the level of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) and heat-shocking protein 70 and 90. The ability of regulating the intracellular redox status of β-carotene is involved in its antitumor activity. Moreover,these mechanisms have a pleiotropy,it is very likely that they play synergistic effect to promote apoptosis,and therefore the clarification of its molecular mechanism will lay a theoretical foundation for developing β-carotene as a functional food and applying it to adjuvant cancer treatment.

Key words: &beta, -carotene； tumour； apoptosis； molecular mechanism；