Effects of lycopene on the initial state of atherosclerosis in New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits

Pharmacological potentials of lycopene against aging and aging-related disorders: A review

Aging and aging-related chronic disorders are one of the principal causes of death worldwide. The prevalence of these disorders is increasing gradually and globally. Considering this unwavering acceleration of the global burden, seeking alternatives to traditional medication to prevent the risk of aging disorders is needed. Among them, lycopene, a carotenoid, is abundant in many fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, grapefruits, and watermelons, and it has a unique chemical structure to be a potent antioxidant compound. This nutraceutical also possesses several anti-aging actions, including combating aging biomarkers and ameliorating several chronic disorders. However, no systematic evaluation has yet been carried out that can comprehensively elucidate the effectiveness of lycopene in halting the course of aging and the emergence of chronic diseases linked to aging. This review, therefore, incorporates previous pre-clinical, clinical, and epidemiological studies on lycopene to understand its potency in treating aging disorders and its role as a mimic of caloric restriction. Lycopene-rich foods are found to prevent or attenuate aging disorders in various research. Based on the evidence, this review suggests the clinical application of lycopene to improve human health and alleviate the prevalence of aging and aging disorders.

Atherosclerosis Plaque Reduction by Lycopene Is Mediated by Increased Energy Expenditure through AMPK and PPARα in ApoE KO Mice Fed with a High Fat Diet

Lycopene is a carotenoid found in tomatoes that has potent antioxidant activity. The Mediterranean diet is particularly rich in lycopene, which has well-known beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. We tested the effects of lycopene extract in a group of 20 ApoE knockout mice, fed with a high fat western diet for 14 weeks. Starting from week 3 and up to week 14, the mice were randomly divided into two groups that received lycopene (n = 10) by oral suspension every day at the human equivalent dose of 60 mg/day (0.246 mg/mouse/day), or the vehicle solution (n = 10). The lycopene administration reduced triglycerides and cholesterol blood levels starting from week 6 and continuing through to the end of the experiment (p < 0.001). This reduction was mediated by an enhanced liver expression of PPAR-α and AMPK-α and reduced SREBP levels (p < 0.0001). As a histological red-out, the extent of atherosclerotic plaques and the intima−media thickness in the aorta were significantly reduced by lycopene. In this context, lycopene augmented the Nrf-2 positivity staining in the endothelium, thereby confirming that its antioxidant activity was mediated by this nuclear factor. The positive results obtained in this pre-clinical model further support the use of lycopene extracts to reduce atherosclerosis.

Role of Polyphenols and Carotenoids in Endothelial Dysfunction: An Overview from Classic to Innovative Biomarkers

Nowadays, the dramatically increased prevalence of metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes mellitus and their related complications, including endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease, represents one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Dietary nutrients together with healthy lifestyles have a crucial role in the endothelium health-promoting effects. From a growing body of evidence, active natural compounds from food, including polyphenols and carotenoids, have attracted particular attention as a complementary therapy on atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, as well as preventive approaches through the attenuation of inflammation and oxidative stress. They mainly act as radical scavengers by promoting a variety of biological mechanisms, such as improvements in endothelial function, blood pressure, platelet activity, and insulin sensitivity, and by modulating various known biomarkers. The present review highlights the role of polyphenols and carotenoids in early endothelial dysfunction with attention to their beneficial effect in modulating both classical and recent technologically generated emerging biomarkers. These, alone or in combination, can play an important role in the prediction, diagnosis, and evolution of cardiovascular disease. However, a main challenge is to speed up early and prompt new interventions in order to prevent or slow down disease progression, even with an adequate intake of bioactive compounds. Hence, there is an urgent need of new more validated, appropriate, and reliable diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers useful to diagnose endothelial dysfunction at an earlier stage.

Lycopene in protection against obesity and diabetes: A mechanistic review

Lycopene, a natural pigment that mainly exists in the mature fruit of tomatoes, has gained increasing attention due to its protective effects against obesity and diabetes. The aim of this review is to summarize the potential mechanisms in which lycopene exerts protection against obesity and diabetes, along with highlighting its bioavailability, synthesis and safety. Literature sources used in this review were from the PubMed Database, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, National Science and Technology Library, Wanfang Data, and the Web of Science. For the inquiries, keywords such as lycopene, properties, synthesis, diabetes, obesity, and safety were used in various combinations. About 200 articles and reviews were evaluated. Lycopene exhibits anti-obesity and anti-diabetic activities in different organs and/or tissues, including adipose tissue, liver, kidney, pancreas, brain, ovaries, intestine, and eyes. The underlying mechanism may be attributed to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and through its ability to regulate of AGE/RAGE, JNK/MAPK, PI3K/Akt, SIRT1/FoxO1/PPARγ signaling pathways and AchE activity. The epidemiological investigations support that lycopene consumption may contribute to lowering the risk of obesity and diabetes. The cis-isomers of lycopene are more bioavailable and better absorbed than trans-lycopene, and mainly distribute in liver and adipose tissue. Lycopene exhibits a good margin of safety and can be obtained by plant extraction, chemical synthesis and microbial fermentation. In summary, lycopene consumption beneficially contributes to protecting against diabetes and obesity in animal studies and epidemiological investigations, which supports the potential of this compound as a preventive/therapeutic agent against these disorders. Well-designed, prospective clinical studies are warranted to evaluate the potential therapeutic effect of lycopene against common metabolic diseases.

Lycopene Modulates Pathophysiological Processes of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obese Rats

Background: The higher consumption of fat and sugar are associated with obesity development and its related diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Lycopene is an antioxidant whose protective potential on fatty liver degeneration has been investigated. The aim of this study was to present the therapeutic effects of lycopene on NAFLD related to the obesity induced by a hypercaloric diet. Methods: Wistar rats were distributed in two groups: Control (Co, n = 12) and hypercaloric (Ob, n = 12). After 20 weeks, the animals were redistributed into the control group (Co, n = 6), control group supplemented with lycopene (Co+Ly, n = 6), obese group (Ob, n = 6), and obese group supplemented with lycopene (Ob+Ly, n = 6). Ob groups also received water + sucrose (25%). Animals received lycopene solution (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle (corn oil) via gavage for 10 weeks. Results: Animals which consumed the hypercaloric diet had higher adiposity index, increased fasting blood glucose, hepatic and blood triglycerides, and also presented in the liver macro and microvesicular steatosis, besides elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Lycopene has shown therapeutic effects on blood and hepatic lipids, increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), mitigated TNF-α, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and further improved the hepatic antioxidant capacity. Conclusion: Lycopene shows therapeutic potential to NAFLD.

Rabbit metabolic response and selected meat quality traits: Evaluation of dietary PLX® 23 and LycoBeads® feed supplement

Effects of dietary supplementation of verbascoside and lycopene, alone and in combination, on some blood parameters, plasma oxidative status and meat quality traits in intensively reared rabbits were investigated. The test lasted 60 days and was conducted on 200 weaned-rabbits, divided into four groups of 50 animals each (5 animals each cage × 10 repetitions). The control group (CON) received a fattening feed without any feed supplements, whereas the experimental groups received the following: the first, an integration in 22 g of PLX^® 23 (Lippia citriodora extract; VB group) per ton of feed; the second, an integration in 100 g of LycoBeads^® (Solanum lycopersicum extract; LIC group) per ton of feed; and the third, an integration of both feed supplements in combination at the same doses (LIC+VB group). The dietary supplementation with Lippia citriodora and Solanum lycopersicum resulted in an improvement of the blood lipid profile, oxidative plasma markers, and hepatic and renal activity of treated growing rabbits. Feed additives also produced meat with a lower content in SFA and an increased PUFA content, and inhibited the lipid oxidation improving the oxidative stability of rabbit meat. The dietary supplementation, even reporting no effects on productive parameters and carcass yield, showed an improvement on several blood parameters, as indicator of animal welfare, and on quality and healthy meat markers.

A Focus on Four Popular “Functional Foods” as Part of a Strategy to Combat Metabolic Disease Through the Increased Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables

Fruit and vegetable consumption is on the rise as an increasing number of people recognize their health promoting effects, which are mediated through phytochemicals with disease combatting properties. The aim of this paper is to identify the potential benefits of fruits and vegetables in chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. An electronic search of databases such as Pubmed Central, Science Direct and Web of Science from the last 5 years was conducted. Four commonly consumed edible fruit and vegetables, namely, Hypoxis hemmerocallidea (African potato), Moringa oleifera (Moringa), Persea americana (Avocado) and Psidium guajava (Guava) and their potential role in the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome and other disorders, are presented. In this narrative review plant uses extend beyond traditional medicine and include usage in food preparation, beverages, as part of fragrances, culinary flavouring, as well as cosmetic use, but more importantly have potential in contributing to the amelioration of the deleterious effects of diseases/health conditions. In addressing disease states, including metabolic syndrome and other disorders, the interest in medicinal plants continues to grow with the possibility of novel compounds and/or new drug discovery. Alternative and affordable methods of large scale harvesting of medicinal plants, as well as identification and specificity of bioactive compounds as future therapeutics are essential for sustainability.

Lycopene and Vascular Health

Lycopene is a lipophilic, unsaturated carotenoid, found in red-colored fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, red grapefruits, and guava. The present work provides an up to date overview of mechanisms linking lycopene in the human diet and vascular changes, considering epidemiological data, clinical studies, and experimental data. Lycopene may improve vascular function and contributes to the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disorders. The main activity profile of lycopene includes antiatherosclerotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antiplatelet, anti-apoptotic, and protective endothelial effects, the ability to improve the metabolic profile, and reduce arterial stiffness. In this context, lycopene has been shown in numerous studies to exert a favorable effect in patients with subclinical atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, stroke and several other cardiovascular disorders, although the obtained results are sometimes inconsistent, which warrants further studies focusing on its bioactivity.

Quantification of Lycopene, β-Carotene, and Total Soluble Solids in Intact Red-Flesh Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Using On-Line Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

A great interest has recently been focused on lycopene and β-carotene, because of their antioxidant action in the organism. Red-flesh watermelon is one of the main sources of lycopene as the most abundant carotenoid. The use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in post-harvesting has permitted us to rapidly quantify lycopene, β-carotene, and total soluble solids (TSS) on single intact fruits. Watermelons, harvested in 2013–2015, were submitted to near-infrared (NIR) radiation while being transported along a conveyor belt system, stationary and in movement, and at different positions on the belt. Eight hundred spectra from 100 samples were collected as calibration set in the 900–1700 nm interval. Calibration models were performed using partial least squares (PLS) regression on pre-treated spectra (derivatives and SNV) in the ranges 2.65–151.75 mg/kg (lycopene), 0.19–9.39 mg/kg (β-carotene), and 5.3%–13.7% (TSS). External validation was carried out with 35 new samples and on 35 spectra. The PLS models for intact watermelon could predict lycopene with R² = 0.877 and SECV = 15.68 mg/kg, β-carotene with R² = 0.822 and SECV = 0.81 mg/kg, and TSS with R² = 0.836 and SECV = 0.8%. External validation has confirmed predictive ability with R² = 0.805 and RMSEP = 16.19 mg/kg for lycopene, R2 = 0.737 and RMSEP = 0.96 mg/kg for β-carotene, and R² = 0.707 and RMSEP = 1.4% for TSS. The results allow for the market valorization of fruits.

Lycopene and tomato powder supplementation similarly inhibit high-fat diet induced obesity, inflammatory response, and associated metabolic disorders

SCOPE

Several studies have linked the high intake of lycopene or tomatoes products with lower risk for metabolic diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and to compare the effect of lycopene and tomato powder on obesity-associated disorders.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Male C57BL/J6 mice were assigned into four groups to receive: control diet (CD), high fat diet (HFD), high fat diet supplemented with lycopene or with tomato powder (TP) for 12 weeks. In HFD condition, lycopene and TP supplementation significantly reduced adiposity index, organ, and relative organ weights, serum triglycerides, free fatty acids, 8-iso-prostaglandin GF2α and improved glucose homeostasis, but did not affect total body weight. Lycopene and TP supplementation prevented HFD-induced hepatosteatosis and hypertrophy of adipocytes. Lycopene and TP decreased HFD-induced proinflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in the liver and in the epididymal adipose tissue. The anti-inflammatory effect of lycopene and TP was related to a reduction in the phosphorylation levels of IκB, and p65, and resulted in a decrease of inflammatory proteins in adipose tissue.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that lycopene or TP supplementation display similar beneficial health effects that could be particularly relevant in the context of nutritional approaches to fight obesity-associated pathologies.

Plaque-hyaluronidase-responsive high-density-lipoprotein-mimetic nanoparticles for multistage intimal-macrophage-targeted drug delivery and enhanced anti-atherosclerotic therapy

Increasing evidence has highlighted the pivotal role that intimal macrophage (iMΦ) plays in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic plaques, which represents an attractive target for atherosclerosis treatment. In this work, to address the insufficient specificity of conventional reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (rHDL) for iMΦ and its limited cholesterol efflux ability, we designed a hyaluronan (HA)-anchored core-shell rHDL. This nanoparticle achieved efficient iMΦ-targeted drug delivery via a multistage-targeting approach, and excellent cellular cholesterol removal. It contained a biodegradable poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) core within a lipid bilayer, and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) absorbing on the lipid bilayer was covalently decorated with HA. The covalent HA coating with superior stability and greater shielding was favorable for not only minimizing the liver uptake but also facilitating the accumulation of nanoparticles at leaky endothelium overexpressing CD44 receptors in atherosclerotic plaques. The ultimate iMΦ homing was achieved via apoA-I after HA coating degraded by hyaluronidase (HAase) (abundant in atherosclerotic plaque). The multistage-targeting mechanism was revealed on the established injured endothelium-macrophage co-culture dynamic system. Upon treatment with HAase in vitro, the nanoparticle HA-(C)-PLGA-rHDL exhibited a greater cholesterol efflux capacity compared with conventional rHDL (2.43-fold). Better targeting efficiency toward iMΦ and attenuated liver accumulation were further proved by results from ex vivo imaging and iMΦ-specific fluorescence localization. Ultimately, HA-(C)-PLGA-rHDL loaded with simvastatin realized the most potent anti-atherogenic efficacies in model animals over other preparations. Thus, the HAase-responsive HDL-mimetic nanoparticle was shown in this study to be a promising nanocarrier for anti-atherogenic therapy, in the light of efficient iMΦ-targeted drug delivery and excellent function of mediating cellular cholesterol efflux.

Protective effect of lycopene on high-fat diet-induced cognitive impairment in rats

A Western diet, high in saturated fats, has been linked to the development of cognitive impairment. Lycopene has recently received considerable attention for its potent protective properties demonstrated in several models of nervous system dysfunction. However, it remains unclear whether lycopene exerts protective effects on cognition. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of lycopene on learning and memory impairment and the potential underlying mechanism in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). One-month-old male rats were fed different diets for 16 weeks (n=12 per group), including a standard chow diet (CD), a HFD, or a HFD plus lycopene (4mg/kg, oral gavage in the last three weeks). Behavioral testing, including the Morris water maze (MWM), object recognition task (ORT), and anxiety-like behavior in an open field (OF), were assessed at week 16. The dendritic spine density and neuronal density in the hippocampal CA1 subfield were subsequently measured. The results indicate that HFD consumption for 16 weeks significantly impaired spatial memory (P<0.001), working memory (P<0.01), and object recognition memory (P<0.01), decreased the dendritic spine density (P<0.001), damaged pyramidal neurons in the CA1 subfield (P<0.001) compared with the CD group. However, lycopene significantly attenuated learning and memory impairments and prevented the reduction in dendritic spine density (P<0.001). Thus, this study indicated that lycopene helps to protect HFD induced cognitive dysfunction.

Intravenous Administration of Lycopene, a Tomato Extract, Protects against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Background: Oral uptake of lycopene has been shown to be beneficial for preventing myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the strong first-pass metabolism of lycopene influences its bioavailability and impedes its clinic application. In this study, we determined an intravenous (IV) administration dose of lycopene protects against myocardial infarction (MI) in a mouse model, and investigated the effects of acute lycopene administration on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and related signaling pathways during myocardial I/R. Methods: In this study, we established both in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cell model and in vivo regional myocardial I/R mouse model by ligating left anterior artery descending. TTC dual staining was used to assess I/R induced MI in the absence and presence of acute lycopene administration via tail vein injection. Results: Lycopene treatment (1 μM) before reoxygenation significantly reduced cardiomyocyte death induced by H/R. Intravenous administration of lycopene to achieve 1 μM concentration in circulating blood significantly suppressed MI, ROS production, and JNK phosphorylation in the cardiac tissue of mice during in vivo regional I/R. Conclusion: Elevating circulating lycopene to 1 μM via IV injection protects against myocardial I/R injury through inhibition of ROS accumulation and consequent inflammation in mice.

Lycopene stabilizes lipoprotein levels during D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide induced hepatitis in experimental rats

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of lycopene on lipoprotein metabolism during D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (D-Gal/LPS) induced hepatitis in experimental rats.

METHODS

The efficacy of lycopene was validated during D-Gal/LPS induced hepatitis by analyzing the activity of lipid metabolizing enzymes such as lipoprotein lipase (LPL), lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) and hepatic triglyceride lipase (HTGL). Lipo protein analyses were done by the estimation of very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL).

RESULTS

The toxic insult of D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (D-Gal/LPS) in experimental group of animals reduces the normal values of lipid metabolizing enzymes due to liver injury. The significant drop in the levels of HDL and concomitant increase in the values of VLDL and LDL were observed. The pretreatment of lycopene restore these altered values to near normal level in experimental group of animals.

CONCLUSIONS

In the light of results, it can be concluded that administration lycopene stabilizes the lipoprotein levels by regulating the lipid metabolizing enzymes through its antioxidant defense and helps to maintain the normal lipid metabolism during toxic injury in liver.

Effect of lycopene-enriched olive and argan oils upon lipid serum parameters in Wistar rats

BACKGROUND

Lycopene has the highest antioxidant activity within carotenoids and is an effective free radical scavenger. Virgin olive oil (VOO) and argan oil (AO) contain trace amounts of a wide variety of phytochemicals which have desirable nutritional properties. The present study intended to assess the effect of various dietary VOO and AO in combination with lycopene consumption on serum biochemical parameters, including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TGs) and phospholipids, as well as on hepatosomatic index (HSI) of rats.

RESULTS

Results showed that ingestion of VOO and AO diminished TC, LDL-C, TGs and phospholipid levels, whereas the HDL-C levels augmented in all the groups assayed. The enrichment of VOO and AO with lycopene improved the beneficial effects derived from the consumption of both oils on serum biochemical parameters. A decrease in body weight gain and HSI was detected after the consumption of lycopene-enriched oils.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the inclusion of lycopene in VOO and AO may be used as a natural tool to fight against hyperlipidaemic and hypercholesterolaemic-derived disorders.

Chronic exposure to Rhodobacter sphaeroides extract Lycogen™ prevents UVA-induced malondialdehyde accumulation and procollagen I down-regulation in human dermal fibroblasts

UVA contributes to the pathogenesis of skin aging by downregulation of procollagen I content and induction of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-associated responses. Application of antioxidants such as lycopene has been demonstrated as a convenient way to achieve protection against skin aging. Lycogen™, derived from the extracts of Rhodobacter sphaeroides, exerts several biological effects similar to that of lycopene whereas most of its anti-aging efficacy remains uncertain. In this study, we attempted to examine whether Lycogen™ could suppress malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and restore downregulated procollagen I expression induced by UVA exposure. In human dermal fibroblasts Hs68 cells, UVA repressed cell viability and decreased procollagen I protein content accompanied with the induction of MMP-1 and MDA accumulation. Remarkably, incubation with 50 μM Lycogen™ for 24 h ameliorated UVA-induced cell death and restored UVA-induced downregulation of procollagen in a dose-related manner. Lycogen™ treatment also prevented the UVA-induced MMP-1 upregulation and intracellular MDA generation in Hs68 cells. Activation of NFκB levels, one of the downstream events induced by UVA irradiation and MMP-1 induction, were also prevented by Lycogen™ administration. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that Lycogen™ may be an alternative agent that prevents UVA-induced skin aging and could be used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

Can carotenoids attenuate vascular aging?

One of the main manifestations of vascular aging is the development of atherosclerotic lesions. These lesions become unstable and prone to rupture due to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are produced by the inflammatory milieu in the atherosclerotic plaque. The carotenoids are a group of red, orange, or yellow pigmented polyisoprenoid hydrocarbons synthesized by prokaryotes and higher plants. Lycopene, lutein, and other carotenoids have anti-oxidant activity that attenuates the inflammatory atherosclerotic process and delays vascular aging. This ability improves endothelial function due to the increase in bioavailability of NO. Carotenoid consumption also improves the metabolic profile, decreasing the incidence of diabetes, lowering LDL levels, and improving blood pressure control. The beneficial metabolic effect is translated to improvement in atherosclerosis, which is characterized by a decrease in carotid intima-media thickness. The favorable anti-atherosclerotic effect of carotenoids was also demonstrated in cross-sectional population studies showing a positive correlation between low carotenoid levels and adverse cardiovascular outcome. However, carotenoid utilization failed to decrease major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in randomized control double blind trials. The main still unanswered question is: What is the therapeutic role of carotenoids in atherosclerotic disease? Is their anti-atherosclerotic effect restricted to primary prevention or can it alter the prognosis of existing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases?