Hepatoprotective effects of lycopene against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats

Lycopene, the major carotenoid in tomatoes, is a known antioxidant that may lower oxidative stress biomarkers by a mechanism that is not fully elucidated. The intoxication of rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) resulted in significant histological hepatic degradation accompanied by a marked increa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of functional foods 2013-10, Vol.5 (4), p.1601-1610
Main Authors: Pinto, Carmen, Rodríguez-Galdón, Beatriz, Cestero, Juan J., Macías, Pedro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antioxidants
Liver
Lycopene
Stress oxidative
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Summary:Lycopene, the major carotenoid in tomatoes, is a known antioxidant that may lower oxidative stress biomarkers by a mechanism that is not fully elucidated. The intoxication of rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) resulted in significant histological hepatic degradation accompanied by a marked increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and in the number of apoptotic cells. The induced oxidative stress in turn results in a significant elevation of lipid peroxidation and H2O2 generation, together with a decrease in the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and a significant reduction in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S transferase (GST). CCl4-intoxicated rats, pre-treated with lycopene, showed strongly reduced cell damage and ROS generation. The level of markers for hepatic integrity in lycopene pre-treated rats was close to the controls in the absence of CCl4 treatment, indicating the protective effect of lycopene pre-treatment. In the same way, lycopene pre-treated rats significantly increased SOD, CAT, GPx, GST activities and GSH level. In addition, we measured an increased lipoxygenase (LOX) activity in CCl4-intoxicated rats. This activity was reduced in lycopene pre-treated rats to values close to those observed in the controls, suggesting a potential pharmacological application of this dietary carotenoid.
ISSN:1756-4646
DOI:10.1016/j.jff.2013.07.002