浅谈番茄红素的生理功能

番茄红素（ｌｙｃｏｐｅｎｅ）是一种重要的类胡萝卜素,它广泛存在于水果及蔬菜中,在番茄、杏、番石榴、西瓜、番木瓜、红葡萄中均含有较多的番茄红素,其中尤以番茄中的含量为最高。通常人们通过饮食获取番茄红素,且８０％是通过食用番茄及其加工品而获得的。番茄红素由碳、氢两种元素构成,它的分子式为Ｃ４０Ｈ５０。由于番茄红素分子中没有β紫罗酮环的结构,故它没有维生素Ａ原的功能,因此,长期以来人们一直认为它不具有类胡萝卜素的生理活性。然而,最近的研究表明,番茄红素的抗氧化性能是天然类胡萝卜素中最强的,它的独特的…     

重叠延伸PCR克隆三孢布拉霉carRA基因及其功能活性检测系统的构建

三孢布拉氏霉菌CarRA蛋白,既有番茄红素环化酶功能活性又有八氢番茄红素合成酶功能活性,为了对CarRA蛋白进行双功能活性分析,及探测CarRA蛋白的番茄红素环化酶功能活性位点,构建了在大肠杆菌体内通过颜色互补检测两种酶活性的系统。通过重叠延伸PCR的方法克隆得到了carRA基因,并构建原核表达载体pET28a-carRA,与携带crtI/crtB/crtE基因簇的质粒pAC-LYC共转化BL21(DE3),验证番茄红素环化酶功能活性;与以pAC-LYC为基础构建的携带crtI/crtE基因簇的质粒pAC     

番茄红素的功能性质及其应用的研究

番茄红素是一种广泛存在于红色水果蔬菜中的类胡萝卜素。番茄红素具有许多生理功能,它具有较强的单线态氧清除能力,具有较好的防癌、抗癌能力。本实验比较了番茄红素和VE的抗氧化能力,研究了番茄红素对肝癌小鼠H22的抑制作用及番茄红素在食品中的应用。     

番茄红素调控肠道菌群对健康影响的研究进展北大核心

番茄红素(lycopene)在番茄中含量丰富,具有多种功能活性和营养价值,探讨番茄红素调控肠道菌群对健康的影响有助于深入理解番茄红素的健康效应和作用机制。本文综述了番茄红素的理化性质及其消化、吸收、代谢,重点阐述了番茄红素对宿主肠道菌群种类、数量和代谢产物的影响,以及在番茄红素调控作用下肠道菌群对宿主炎症、心血管疾病、非酒精性脂肪肝和癌症发展的干预作用。该综述为未来番茄营养探索及产品开发提供了思路和方向。     

番茄红素生产工艺研究进展

番茄红素结构中含有碳-碳双键,能够清除氧自由基,具有很强的抗氧化活性,可防止脂蛋白和DNA氧化损伤,还具有抗衰老和降低肿瘤发生的作用,因此具有重要的研究价值。本文综述了番茄红素的生产工艺,主要包括化学合成法、溶剂及辅助萃取法和微生物发酵法。     

番茄红素与疾病防治

番茄 (Ｌｙｃｏｐｅｒｓｉｃｏｎｅｓｃｕｌｅｎｔｕｍ )在过去5 0年中成为人们最喜欢的蔬菜之一。它富含类胡萝卜素 ,主要包括番茄红素 (ｌｙｃｏｐｅｎｅ)、γ 胡萝卜素、八氢番茄红素、六氢番茄红素、β 胡萝卜素、番茄黄素 ,还有几种微量类胡萝卜素。番茄通过其所含的类胡萝卜素 ,主要是番茄红素对单线态氧的猝灭和自由基的清除、阻断亚硝胺的形成、抑制细胞增殖、诱导细胞分化、增加免疫力、减少ＤＮＡ的损伤及对细胞间隙连接通讯的影响等多种作用方式 ,能起防治癌症和心血管疾病的作用[1 3] 。因此番茄红素的药用和保健价值的研究成为…     

番茄红素热处理异构化方法研究

番茄红素在受热的情况下会发生反式异构体(all-trans)向顺式异构体(cis-isomers)的转化。本文研究了乙酸乙酯热回流、微波法及超声-微波协同法对番茄红素异构化的影响。结果表明:乙酸乙酯热回流处理后,6%番茄红素油树脂中顺式异构体占比高于90%番茄红素中顺式异构体占比;氮气保护对番茄红素的异构化无明显保护作用;微波对番茄红素异构化有较强的促进作用,处理5 h后顺式占比可以高达54.7%,但超声-微波协同法对番茄红素异构化的影响与微波单独使用时无明显变化。所以微波是较好的番茄红素热处理异构化方法。     

番茄果实内番茄红素含量的遗传

番茄成熟果实内番茄红素含量,决定了以它为原料的番茄罐头的红度和质量等级,成为选育优良罐藏番茄品种的主要质量指标之一。有关番茄红素含量遗传的研究50多年前就开始了,迄今已知控制或影响番茄红素含量遗传的基因达17对以上。如番茄果实基本色素基因R/r和T/t,果实表皮色素基因Y/y,抑制番茄红素合成的杏黄果肉基因。at,β-胡萝卜素基因B/b及其修饰基因MOB,可提高     

液态烷烃氧载体对粘红酵母发酵产番茄红素的影响

研究正己烷、正十二烷、正十六烷3种液态烷烃作为氧载体对粘红酵母生长和番茄红素合成的影响,发现氧载体不仅使菌体生物量提高,同时使单位细胞的番茄红素产率增大,从而提高粘红酵母合成番茄红素的能力。3种液态烷烃中正十二烷作为氧载体效果较好,试验结果表明,在发酵第0 h时添加4%的正十二烷,细胞生物量达到16.49 g/L,番茄红素合成量达到42.32 mg/L分别比对照组提高了26.2%和50.17%。     

重组腺病毒Ad-Mig基因治疗裸鼠肾细胞癌的实验研究

目的:研究腺病毒介导的小鼠Mig基因对BALB/c裸鼠肾细胞癌的抗肿瘤效果,探讨肾细胞癌治疗的新途径.方法:利用786-O肾癌细胞皮下注射BALB/c裸鼠建立肾细胞癌模型,应用携带Mig基因的重组腺病毒(Ad-Mig)直接进行瘤内注射治疗,观察裸鼠皮下肿瘤生长情况和荷瘤裸鼠的生存期;用乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)释放法检测CTL和NK的杀伤活性.结果:Mig基因能显著抑制荷瘤裸鼠皮下肿瘤的生长,并使鼠生存期明显延长,还能显著增强鼠脾细胞NK和CTL杀伤活性.结论:重组腺病毒Ad-Mig基因对鼠肾细胞癌有显著治疗效果.     

Concomitant supplementation of lycopene and eicosapentaenoic acid inhibits the proliferation of human colon cancer cells

Several studies indicated that people who live in the Mediterranean region have very low rates of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. It is well known that Mediterranean-style diet is rich in vegetables, tomato, fruit, fish and olive oil. These important dietary components may contribute to lower risk of cancer. Lycopene, a major component in tomato, exhibited potential anticarcinogenic activity. Previous studies showed that consumption of fish containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) correlated with reduced risk of cancer. However, the combined effects of lycopene and EPA on the proliferation of human colon cancer have not been studied well yet. Thus, we investigated the anticancer properties and therapeutic potential of lycopene and EPA in human colon cancer HT-29 cells. In this study, we determined the combined effects of lycopene and EPA on the proliferation of human colon cancer HT-29 cells. We demonstrated that low concentration of lycopene and EPA could synergistically inhibit the proliferation of colon cancer cells. The inhibitory mechanism was associated with suppression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, treatment of lycopene and EPA also synergistically blocked the activation of downstream mTOR molecule. Immunocytochemical staining results revealed that lycopene and EPA could also up-regulate the expression of apoptotic proteins such as Bax and Fas ligand to suppress cell survival. In conclusion, our novel findings suggest that lycopene and EPA synergistically inhibited the growth of human colon cancer HT-29 cells even at low concentration. The inhibitory effects of lycopene and EPA on cell proliferation of human colon cancer HT-29 cells were, in part, associated with the down-regulation of the PI-3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.     

A review of animal model studies of tomato carotenoids,lycopene, and cancer chemoprevention

There are relatively few reports on the cancer chemopreventive effects of lycopene or tomato carotenoids in animal models. The majority, but not all, of these studies indicate a protective effect. Inhibitory effects were reported in two studies using aberrant crypt foci, an intermediate lesion leading to colon cancer, as an end point and in two mammary tumor studies, one using the dimethylbenz(a)anthracene model, and the other the spontaneous mouse model. Inhibitory effects were also reported in mouse lung and rat hepatocarcinoma and bladder cancer models. However, a report from the author's laboratory found no effect in the N-nitrosomethylurea-induced mammary tumor model when crystalline lycopene or a lycopene-rich tomato carotenoid oleoresin was administered in the diet. Unfortunately, because of differences in routes of administration (gavage, intraperitoneal injection, intra-rectal instillation, drinking water, and diet supplementation), species and strain differences, form of lycopene (pure crystalline, beadlet, mixed carotenoid suspension), varying diets (grain-based, casein based) and dose ranges (0.5-500 ppm), no two studies are comparable. It is clear that the majority of ingested lycopene is excreted in the feces and that 1000-fold more lycopene is absorbed and stored in the liver than accumulates in other target organs. Nonetheless, physiologically significant (nanogram) levels of lycopene are assimilated by key organs such as breast, prostate, lung, and colon, and there is a rough dose-response relationship between lycopene intake and blood levels. Pure lycopene was absorbed less efficiently than the lycopene-rich tomato carotenoid oleoresin and blood levels of lycopene in rats fed a grain-based diet were consistently lower than those in rats fed lycopene in a casein-based diet. The latter suggests that the matrix in which lycopene is incorporated is an important determinant of lycopene uptake. A number of issues remain to be resolved before any definitive conclusions can be drawn concerning the anticancer effects of lycopene. These include the following: the optimal dose and form of lycopene, interactions among lycopene and other carotenoids and fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin E and D, the role of dietary fat in regulating lycopene uptake and disposition, organ and tissue specificity, and the problem of extrapolation from rodent models to human populations.     

Mechanistic understanding of β-cryptoxanthin and lycopene in cancer prevention in animal models

To better understand the potential function of carotenoids in the chemoprevention of cancers, mechanistic understanding of carotenoid action on genetic and epigenetic signaling pathways is critically needed for human studies. The use of appropriate animal models is the most justifiable approach to resolve mechanistic issues regarding protective effects of carotenoids at specific organs and tissue sites. While the initial impetus for studying the benefits of carotenoids in cancer prevention was their antioxidant capacity and pro-vitamin A activity, significant advances have been made in the understanding of the action of carotenoids with regards to other mechanisms. This review will focus on two common carotenoids, provitamin A carotenoid β-cryptoxanthin and non-provitamin A carotenoid lycopene, as promising chemopreventive agents or chemotherapeutic compounds against cancer development and progression. We reviewed animal studies demonstrating that β-cryptoxanthin and lycopene effectively prevent the development or progression of various cancers and the potential mechanisms involved. We highlight recent research that the biological functions of β-cryptoxanthin and lycopene are mediated, partially via their oxidative metabolites, through their effects on key molecular targeting events, such as NF-κB signaling pathway, RAR/PPARs signaling, SIRT1 signaling pathway, and p53 tumor suppressor pathways. The molecular targets by β-cryptoxanthin and lycopene, offer new opportunities to further our understanding of common and distinct mechanisms that involve carotenoids in cancer prevention.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Carotenoids recent advances in cell and molecular biology edited by Johannes von Lintig and Loredana Quadro.     

Overview of mechanisms of action of lycopene

Dietary intakes of tomatoes and tomato products containing lycopene have been shown to be associated with decreased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases in numerous studies. Serum and tissue lycopene levels have also been inversely related to the risk of lung and prostate cancers. Lycopene functions as a very potent antioxidant, and this is clearly a major important mechanism of lycopene action. In this regard, lycopene can trap singlet oxygen and reduce mutagenesis in the Ames test. However, evidence is accumulating for other mechanisms as well. Lycopene at physiological concentrations can inhibit human cancer cell growth by interfering with growth factor receptor signaling and cell cycle progression specifically in prostate cancer cells without evidence of toxic effects or apoptosis of cells. Studies using human and animal cells have identified a gene, connexin 43, whose expression is upregulated by lycopene and which allows direct intercellular gap junctional communication (GJC). GJC is deficient in many human tumors and its restoration or upregulation is associated with decreased proliferation. The combination of low concentrations of lycopene with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 exhibits a synergistic effect on cell proliferation and differentiation and an additive effect on cell cycle progression in the HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cell line, suggesting some interaction at a nuclear or subcellular level. The combination of lycopene and lutein synergistically interact as antioxidants, and this may relate to specific positioning of different carotenoids in membranes. This review will focus on the growing body of evidence that carotenoids have unexpected biologic effects in experimental systems, some of which may contribute to their cancer preventive properties in models of carcinogenesis. Consideration of solubility in vitro, comparison with doses achieved in humans by dietary means, interactions with other phytochemicals, and other potential mechanisms such as stimulation of xenobiotic metabolism, inhibition of cholesterogenesis, modulation of cyclooxygenase pathways, and inhibition of inflammation will be considered. This review will point out areas for future research where more evidence is needed on the effects of lycopene on the etiology of chronic disease.     

Effects of lycopene supplementation in patients with localized prostate cancer

Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between dietary intake of lycopene and prostate cancer risk. We conducted a clinical trial to investigate the biological and clinical effects of lycopene supplementation in patients with localized prostate cancer. Twenty-six men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer were randomly assigned to receive a tomato oleoresin extract containing 30 mg of lycopene (n = 15) or no supplementation (n = 11) for 3 weeks before radical prostatectomy. Biomarkers of cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed by Western blot analysis in benign and cancerous prostate tissues. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring the peripheral blood lymphocyte DNA oxidation product 5-hydroxymethyl-deoxyuridine (5-OH-mdU). Usual dietary intake of nutrients was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Prostatectomy specimens were evaluated for pathologic stage, Gleason score, volume of cancer, and extent of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Plasma levels of lycopene, insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, and prostate-specific antigen were measured at baseline and after 3 weeks of supplementation or observation. After intervention, subjects in the intervention group had smaller tumors (80% vs 45%, less than 4 ml), less involvement of surgical margins and/or extra-prostatic tissues with cancer (73% vs 18%, organ-confined disease), and less diffuse involvement of the prostate by high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (33% vs 0%, focal involvement) compared with subjects in the control group. Mean plasma prostate-specific antigen levels were lower in the intervention group compared with the control group. This pilot study suggests that lycopene may have beneficial effects in prostate cancer. Larger clinical trials are warranted to investigate the potential preventive and/or therapeutic role of lycopene in prostate cancer.     

Bioavailability of all-trans and cis-isomers of lycopene

Lycopene, the predominant carotenoid in tomatoes, is among the major carotenoids in serum and tissues of Americans. Although about 90% of the lycopene in dietary sources is found in the linear, all-trans conformation, human tissues contain mainly cis-isomers. Several research groups have suggested that cis-isomers of lycopene are better absorbed than the all-trans form because of the shorter length of the cis-isomer, the greater solubility of cis-isomers in mixed micelles, and/or as a result of the lower tendency of cis-isomers to aggregate. Work with ferrets, a species that absorbs carotenoids intact, has demonstrated that whereas a lycopene dose, stomach, and intestinal contents contained 6-18% cis-lycopene, the mesenteric lymph secretions contained 77%-cis isomers. The ferret studies support the hypotheses that cis-isomers are substantially more bioavailable then all-trans lycopene. In vitro studies suggest that cis-isomers are more soluble in bile acid micelles and may be preferentially incorporated into chylomicrons. The implications of these findings are not yet clear. Rats appear to accumulate lycopene in tissues within the ranges reported for humans, suggesting that they can be used to study effects of lycopene isomers on disease processes. Investigations are underway to determine whether there are biological differences between all-trans and various cis-isomers of lycopene regarding its antioxidant properties or other biological functions.     

A review of epidemiologic studies of tomatoes,lycopene, and prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. Preventable measures for this malignancy are not well established. Among potentially beneficial natural compounds is the carotenoid lycopene, which is derived largely from tomato-based products. Recent epidemiologic studies have suggested a potential benefit of this carotenoid against the risk of prostate cancer, particularly the more lethal forms of this cancer. Five studies support a 30% to 40% reduction in risk associated with high tomato or lycopene consumption, three are consistent with a 30% reduction in risk, but the results were not statistically significant, and seven were not supportive of an association. The largest relevant dietary study, a prospective study in male health professionals found that consumption of two to four servings of tomato sauce per week was associated with about a 35% risk reduction of total prostate cancer and a 50% reduction of advanced (extraprostatic) prostate cancer. Tomato sauce was by far the strongest predictor of plasma lycopene levels in this study. In the largest plasma-based study, very similar risk reductions were observed for total and advanced prostate cancer for the highest versus lowest quintile of lycopene. Other studies, mostly dietary case-control studies, have not been as supportive of this hypothesis. The reasons for these inconsistencies are unclear, but in three of the seven null studies, tomato consumption or serum lycopene level may have been too low to observe an effect. Because the concentration and bioavailability of lycopene vary greatly across the various food items, dietary questionnaires vary markedly in their usefulness of estimating the true variation in tissue lycopene concentrations across individuals. To optimize the interpretation of future findings, the usefulness of the questionnaire to measure lycopene levels in a population should be directly assessed. Although not definitive, the available data suggest that increased consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based products may be prudent.     

A novel cleavage product formed by autoxidation of lycopene induces apoptosis in HL-60 cells

Dietary carotenoids have been thought to have beneficial effects on human health through their antioxidant activity, provitamin A activity, and effects on cancer cell propagation. Recent studies suggest that oxidation products or metabolites are involved in biological activities of carotenoids. We previously reported that an autoxidation mixture of lycopene induced apoptosis in HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells, but lycopene alone did not. In the present study, bioassay-directed fractionations of autoxidized lycopene led to isolation of a novel cleavage product of lycopene. Spectral analyses elucidated its structure as (E,E,E)-4-methyl-8-oxo-2,4,6-nonatrienal (MON), suggesting the formation through the oxidative cleavages at the 5, 6- and 13, 14-double bonds of lycopene. MON was proved to cause a dose-dependent reduction of viability in HL-60 cells with morphological changes such as chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation. Treatment of HL-60 cells with MON could induce DNA fragmentation and increase apoptotic cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The MON treatment could enhance both caspase 8 and caspase 9 activities. Moreover, it reduced the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X_L proteins, whereas it had no effect on the level of Bax protein. These results clearly indicated that MON induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells, associated with the down regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X_L and the activation of caspase cascades. The concentration of MON attained by treatment of the autoxidized lycopene preparation was far less than the IC₅₀ (10 μM) value of MON alone in reducing the viability of HL-60 cells. The fractionation of the oxidized lycopene indicated the presence of other active oxidation products. Thus, unidentified products as well as MON would be responsible for the apoptosis-inducing activity of the autoxidized lycopene.     

Effects of lycopene and tomato paste extracts on DNA and lipid oxidation in LNCaP human prostate cancer cells

Animal and epidemiological studies point to a cancer preventive/therapeutic role for tomato products and its antioxidant, lycopene. It is hypothesized that lycopene will behave as an antioxidant at low concentrations and as a prooxidant at high concentrations in LNCaP human prostate cancer cell culture systems. We characterized the antioxidant, and prooxidant effects of a hexane extract of tomato paste (TP) and water solubilized lycopene at different concentrations using a prostate cancer cell line. Placebo (5% triglyceride, Roche Inc.) was used as a control. After 6, 24 hr and 48 hr incubation, LNCaP cells were harvested and used for each measurement. Cellular proliferation was determined using the MTT colorimetric assay. Lycopene and TP hexane extract inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent (0.1-50 microM lycopene) manner and growth inhibition was 55% and 35% at 1 microM lycopene and TP hexane extract, respectively after 48 hr incubation. The levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine/deoxyguanosine (an oxidative DNA damage product) was significantly increased starting at 5 microM lycopene from both TP hexane extract and pure lycopene after 24 and 48 hr incubation with no protection at the lower concentrations. Malondialdehyde formation (a lipid peroxidation product measured by HPLC separation of the MDA-TBA adduct) was significantly reduced at low concentrations (0.1-1 microM) of lycopene in all treatments. Clinically relevant concentrations of lycopene and the tomato fraction containing lycopene significantly reduced LNCaP cancer cell survival which can only be partially explained by increased DNA damage at high lycopene concentrations (> 5 microM). Low concentrations of lycopene acted as a lipid antioxidant but did not protect DNA.