Study Design for CAP-e Testing
The CAP-e assay uses red blood cells to absorb antioxidants from a physiological liquid containing soluble product. All compounds not absorbed into the cell are the removed and the cell is exposed to oxidative stress. An indicator dye shows the degree of intracellular damage to the cell, in the presence versus absence of serial dilutions of the test product.
Example of Study Design for Bioavailability Testing
Below is a diagram illustrating the involvement of each human subject.
When a cross-over study design is implemented, the relative difference in antioxidant status can be calculated as the difference between “no product” and “product”, i.e. the difference between grey and green data sets for each time point. This value, Delta, is a measure of improved antioxidant status after consumption and is illustrated by the red arrows below.
