Antioxidant and anticancer activity of nano lycopene

Abstract

Lycopene is a phytochemical found in various plants, algae and fungi; the most common lycopene source is tomato. Lycopene has been shown to have various biomedical activities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant activity. The major drawback of lycopene is its insolubility in water which leads to less bioavailability of the component. Nanoformulation and nanoencapsulation are fields of nanotechnology that aim to improve the bioavailability of many natural compounds and enhance stability. To overcome the limitation of lycopene, various nanoformulations of lycopene are used and studied for its biomedical activity. Scientists have done multiple researches on nanoformulation of lycopene to improve its availability at targeted sites and to enhance the biomedical activity of lycopene compared to free lycopene. This mini review discussed the recent findings of nanoformulated lycopene and their anticancer and antioxidant activity.