The protection of lycopene on the forestomach neoplasm in mice

Objective:To observe the role of lycopene in forestomach carcinogenesis process in mice,to explore its possible mechanism of action.Methods:Kunming mice were randomly and equally divided into 4 groups:lycopene groups were fed with high,medium and low doses of lycopene,the model group was fed with normal diet.After 2 weeks,all animals were fed with salad oil consisting of benzo(α) pyrene and put to death after 24 weeks.The effects of different concentrations of lycopene on the formation of forestomach neoplasm in mice were studied by measuring the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),total antioxidant(T-AOC) and levels of malondialdehyde(MDA) and glutathione(GSH) in serum.Results:The tumor were found in all groups and confirmed by pathology.Compared with model group,high-dose lycopene tumor rates and tumor diameter were significantly reduced(P0.05).At the same time,the level of MDA in the high dose group decreased(P0.01),but the activity of CAT and GSH-Px increased,and the difference was significant.Compared with model group,the activity of SOD and T-AOC were significantly higher in high-dose and middle-dose lycopene groups.Conclusion:Lycopene can inhibit growth of tumor and the mechanism may be related to its action of increasing activity of antioxidant enzyme and reducing lipid peroxidation.