title: Lycopene inhibits ischemia/reperfusion-induced neuronal apoptosis in gerbil hippocampal tissue.
abstract: Plant lycopene exhibits antioxidant activity in animal tissues. Transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in Mongolian gerbils resulted in delayed neuronal death in hippocampal regions. We examined the antioxidant effects of lycopene because we expected lycopene to attenuate ischemia-related neuronal damage by controlling apoptosis at the gene level. The gerbils were divided into two groups: the normal feeding (control) group that received normal market food (MF) and the lycopene group that received MF containing lycopene (5 mg in 100 g MF food). After 1.5-2.0 months (when body weight were 60-65 g), the lycopene level was 38.2 ± 17.6 ng/ml in serum and 11.9 ± 4.0 μg/g-wet weight tissue in the liver. Levels of B cell leukemia-2, an apoptosis-suppressing protein, decreased in control animal brains 1, 3, and 7 days after surgery, whereas the levels increased in lycopene-treated animal brains. Moreover, cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3 activity increased gradually after ischemia, but was suppressed in the lycopene-treated animal brains 7 days after surgery. Finally, hippocampal superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased in the control group 3 h after ischemia and, gradually increased thereafter, whereas it was significantly elevated in the lycopene group. Thus, orally administered lycopene is accumulated in the body, and provided protections against ischemia/reperfusion-induced brain injury by inducing an increase in SOD activity and inhibiting apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan. fujita-k@ohkagakuen-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kimikazu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimoto
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imada
authors.forename: Gaku
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inakuma
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miyachi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000077276:Lycopene; D008297:Male; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D002338:Carotenoids; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D053148:Caspase 3; D000077276:Lycopene