Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the effect of lycopene, an antioxidant carotenoid on circulatory lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status during 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced hamster buccal pouch (HBP) carcinogenesis. All the hamsters painted with 0.5 per cent DMBA on the buccal pouches developed oral squamous cell carcinoma. Enhanced lipid peroxidation in circulation of tumour-bearing animals was accompanied by a significant decrease in the levels of ascorbic acid, vitamin E, reduced glutathione (GSH) and the GSH-dependent enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR). Administration of lycopene (2.5 mg/kg body weight) significantly suppressed DMBA-induced HBP carcinomas, decreased lipid peroxidation and enhanced the levels of antioxidants. Our results suggest that the antioxidant activity of lycopene is an important mechanism through which lycopene exerts its anticarcinogenic effects.
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