title: Intake of tomato-enriched diet protects from 6-hydroxydopamine-induced degeneration of rat nigral dopaminergic neurons.
abstract: There is extensive evidence that oxidative damage of dopamine (DA)-containing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) may contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the potential neuroprotective effect of diets enriched with wild-type Red Setter (RS) tomato or transgenic High Carotene (HC) tomato, rich in beta-carotene, obtained by the activation of lycopene beta-cyclase (tlcy-b), in an animal model of PD. Male Fischer 344 rats were fed for 14 days with standard Altromin diet, 5% RS- or 5% HC-enriched diet. Seven days after the beginning of this diet regimen, the rats were lesioned by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injected into the left SNc. After further 7 days, the rats were sacrificed, and DA and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels in both the left (ipsilateral) and the right (contralateral) striata were measured. Striatal DA levels were reduced by 86.5 +/- 5.0% in control, 86.2 +/- 5.0% in HC-, and 56.0 +/- 9.0% in RS-fed group. Striatal DOPAC was decreased by 85.6 +/- 5.0% in controls, 83.0 +/- 6.0% in HC-, and 58.9 +/- 10.0% in RS-fed group. Blood was obtained from the rats on day 14 and the plasma level of licopene and beta-carotene was measured by liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS) for the determination of lycopene and beta-carotene levels. The plasma level of lycopene was 4.7 +/- 0.2 ng/ml in 5% RS-fed rats, while it was undetectable (< 2.5 ng ml(-1)) in control and HC-fed rats. The efficacy of RS diet to preserve striatal dopaminergic innervation can be attributed to the ability of lycopene to prevent the degeneration of DA-containing neurons in the SNc.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Consorzio Mario Negri Sud, 66030 Santa Maria Imbaro (CH), Italy. vdimatteo@negrisud.it
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: di Matteo
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pierucci
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Giovanni
authors.forename: Luana Katia
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Dragani
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murzilli
authors.forename: Andreina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poggi
authors.forename: Ennio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esposito
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D019753:Intramolecular Lyases / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016627:Oxidopamine / Q000633:toxicity; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D002338:Carotenoids; D016627:Oxidopamine; D019753:Intramolecular Lyases; C070925:lycopene cyclase-isomerase; D004298:Dopamine