Institute of General Pathology, Catholic University, School of Medicine, L. Go F. Vito, 1 00168 Rome, Italy.
Arch Biochem Biophys. 2010 Dec 1;504(1):26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2010.06.031. Epub 2010 Jul 3.
Increasing evidence suggests that lycopene may protect against atherosclerosis, although, the exact mechanism(s) is still unknown. Because lycopene is an efficient antioxidant, it has been proposed for a long time that this property may be responsible for its beneficial effects. Consistent with this, the carotenoid has been demonstrated to inhibit ROS production in vitro and to protect LDL from oxidation. However, recently, other mechanisms have been evoked and include: prevention of endothelial injury; modulation of lipid metabolism through a control of cholesterol synthesis and oxysterol toxic activities; reduction of inflammatory response through changes in cytokine production; inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation through regulation of molecular pathways involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Focusing on cell culture studies, this review summarizes the experimental evidence for a role of lycopene in the different phases of atherosclerotic process.
越来越多的证据表明，番茄红素可能对动脉粥样硬化有保护作用，尽管其确切机制尚不清楚。由于番茄红素是一种有效的抗氧化剂，因此长期以来人们一直认为这种特性可能是其有益作用的原因。与此一致的是，已经证明类胡萝卜素可以抑制体外 ROS 的产生，并保护 LDL 免受氧化。然而，最近，人们提出了其他一些机制，包括：预防内皮损伤；通过控制胆固醇合成和氧化固醇毒性活性来调节脂质代谢；通过改变细胞因子的产生来减少炎症反应；通过调节参与细胞增殖和细胞凋亡的分子途径来抑制平滑肌细胞增殖。本文聚焦于细胞培养研究，总结了番茄红素在动脉粥样硬化过程不同阶段的作用的实验证据。
