Antioxidant Effect of Lycopene in Peritoneal Asbestosis of the Rat
Bogdan Sevastre1, Adela Joanta2, Sanda Andrei3, Ioan B. Marcus1, and Alexandru I. Baba4
1 Department of Pathophysiology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2 Department of Physiology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3 Department of Biochemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
4 Department of Pathologic Anatomy, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Corresponding author: Bogdan Sevastre
Department Pathophysiology
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine,
3 Manastur Street 400372
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Telephone: 0040 264 596384 ext. 123
Fax number: 0040 264 593792
E-mail: sevastre_b@mail.com , or
bosev@email.ro
CEJOEM 2006, Vol.12. No.1.: 49–53
Key words:
Lycopene, asbestos, oxidative stress, rats
Abstract:
Lycopene is a well-known antioxidant, widely occurring in various kinds of fruit and vegetables,
particularly in tomato. Its beneficial effect was proved in a wide range of diseases including cancer.
In this study, rats inoculated with asbestos were fed a lycopene-enriched diet. Twenty-four adult male
Wistar rats were divided into four groups of equal size, as follows: lycopene group (I), asbestos
+ lycopene group (II), asbestos group (III), and control group (IV). Asbestos was
intraperitoneally injected once to Groups II and III. In Groups I and II, lycopene was added
to food, two weeks before the administration of asbestos (Group II) and during the entire 8-month
period of the experiment (Group I and II). Blood and tissue samples (from the heart and liver) were
taken at the end of the experiments. Markers of oxidative damage (lipid peroxides, malonyldialdehyde, and
protein carbonyl) from blood and tissue, and antioxidant capacity (plasma ceruloplasmin and hydrogen donor
ability) were determined and evaluated. The findings confirmed increased oxidative stress in blood serum
and liver as a consequence of chronic peritoneal asbestosis. Lycopene was proved to exert a protective effect
mainly on the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, it was less effective in preventing the protein damage.
Received: 5 December 2005
Accepted: 18 October 2006
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