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Tomato lycopene is a
natural antioxidant and can alleviate hypercholesterolemia
Amany M. Basuny*, Ahmed M. Gaafar and Shaker M. Arafat
Food
Technology Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza,
Egypt.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
dramany_basuny@yahoo.com.
Accepted
27 October, 2008 |
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Lycopene of tomato wastes was extracted and determination.
The level of tomato lycopene was 145.50 ppm. An aliquots of
the concentrated tomato lycopene, represent 100, 200, 400
and 800 ppm; grade lycopene (200 ppm) and butylated hydroxyl
toluene (BHT, 200 ppm) were investigated by the
1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging
method. These compounds were administered to rats fed on
hypercholestrolemic diet daily form 10 weeks by stomach
tube. Serum lipid contents (total lipids, total cholesterol,
high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density
lipoprotein cholesterol), oxidative biomarkers (glutathione
peroxidase and malonaldhyde), the liver (aspartate
aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline
phosphatase activities) and kidney (uric acid, urea and
creatinine) function testes were measured to assess the
safety limits of the lycopene in tomato wastes. The data of
the aforementioned measurements indicated that the
administration of tomato lycopene did not cause any changes
in liver and kidney functions. On the contrary, rats fed on
hyperchoestrolemic diet induced significant increases in the
enzyme activities and the serum levels of total lipids,
total cholesterol, low and high density lipoprotein and
decreased levels of the glutathione peroxidase and
malonaldhyde.
Key
words:
Lycopene, antioxidant activity, serum analysis, oxidative
biomarkers. |
