An appraisal of the therapeutic value of lycopene for the chemoprevention of prostate cancer: A nutrigenomic approach

Abstract

Lycopene is the predominant and bioactive carotenoid present in the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a widely appreciated healthful vegetable. In vivo, in vitro and clinical studies conducted in recent years have revealed an inverse association between the dietary intakes of lycopene with the risk of prostate cancer (PCa). Lycopene has been proposed to protect against PCa by the reduction of lipid oxidation, inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, and its antioxidative properties. Attention has been paid towards the interactive impact of lycopene and its genetic predisposition with the prostate carcinogenesis. In particular, lycopene is believed to play a key role in regulating the gene expressions and modulating the development of PCa. This paper presents a state of art review of the lycopene×gene interaction for the protective treatment of PCa. The key pathway for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), cell cycle, androgen receptor, steroid signaling, inflammation and inflammatory cytokines, gap junction communications, carotenoid cleavage enzymes, and endogenous antioxidant enzymes are concisely elucidated. Furthermore, the evidence underlying its potent impacts on the integrin, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), prostate specific antigen (PSA) and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) expressions is outlined.