Raiola Assunta, Rigano Maria Manuela, Calafiore Roberta, Frusciante Luigi, Barone Amalia
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Università 100, Portici, 80055 Naples, Italy.
Mediators Inflamm. 2014;2014:139873. doi: 10.1155/2014/139873. Epub 2014 Mar 12.
Consumption of tomato fruits, like those of many other plant species that are part of the human diet, is considered to be associated with several positive effects on health. Indeed, tomato fruits are an important source of bioactive compounds with known beneficial effects including vitamins, antioxidants, and anticancer substances. In particular, antioxidant metabolites are a group of vitamins, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and phenolic acid that can provide effective protection by neutralizing free radicals, which are unstable molecules linked to the development of a number of degenerative diseases and conditions. In this review, we will summarize the recent progress on tomatoes nutritional importance and mechanisms of action of different phytochemicals against inflammation processes and prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension). In addition, we will summarize the significant progress recently made to improve the nutritional quality of tomato fruits through metabolic engineering and/or breeding.
食用番茄果实，如同人类饮食中许多其他植物物种的果实一样，被认为对健康有多种积极影响。事实上，番茄果实是生物活性化合物的重要来源，这些化合物具有已知的有益作用，包括维生素、抗氧化剂和抗癌物质。特别是，抗氧化代谢物是一组维生素、类胡萝卜素、酚类化合物和酚酸，它们可以通过中和自由基提供有效的保护，自由基是与许多退行性疾病和病症的发展相关的不稳定分子。在这篇综述中，我们将总结番茄在营养方面的重要性以及不同植物化学物质对抗炎症过程和预防慢性非传染性疾病（如肥胖、糖尿病、冠心病和高血压）的作用机制的最新进展。此外，我们还将总结最近通过代谢工程和/或育种在提高番茄果实营养品质方面取得的重大进展。
