Since carotenoids have proven to be anticancer agents elucidation of the mechanism of their action is our ultimate goal. In order to achieve this we have to understand (a) how the carotenoids are absorbed across the gut, (b) what changes do they undergo and (c) how are they transported in circulation and distributed in various parts of the body. It would also be important to find out how these processes are affected when carotenoids are consumed in excess. We plan to systematically analyze all the above issues using rats as the experimental animals. We will use both whole animal and isolated enzyme systems to solve these questions. The knowledge gained in these investigations could lead to our understanding of carotenoid action in the treatment of cancer in man.