Singh Preeti, Goyal G K
Authors are with Food Packaging Lab, Dairy Technology Div., Natl. Dairy Research Inst., Karnal 132 001, Haryana, India. Direct inquiries to author Singh (E-mail:
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2008 Jun;7(3):255-270. doi: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2008.00044.x.
Lycopene is the principal pigment of the carotenoids naturally found in tomatoes and is important not only because of the color it imparts but also because of the recognized health benefits associated with its presence. Red tomatoes typically contain about 95% of their lycopene as the all-trans isomer, the most stable form. In tangerine tomatoes, on the other hand, the lycopene is present as tetra-cis-lycopene, a geometric isomer of all-trans lycopene. Lycopene is a major component found in blood serum. This carotenoid has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. Prevention of heart disease has been shown to be another antioxidant role played by lycopene because it reduces the accumulation of platelets that eventually lead to blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes. In contrast to many other food phytonutrients whose effects have only been studied in animals, lycopene from tomatoes has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against several cancers, which now include colorectal, prostate, breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers. This review outlines the background information dealing with lycopene and presents the most comprehensive and current understanding of its potential functional role in human health.
番茄红素是天然存在于西红柿中的类胡萝卜素的主要色素，它之所以重要，不仅是因为它赋予的颜色，还因为其存在所带来的公认的健康益处。红色西红柿通常含有约95%的全反式异构体形式的番茄红素，这是最稳定的形式。另一方面，在橙色西红柿中，番茄红素以四顺式番茄红素的形式存在，它是全反式番茄红素的几何异构体。番茄红素是血清中的主要成分。这种类胡萝卜素因其抗氧化和防癌特性而受到广泛研究。预防心脏病已被证明是番茄红素发挥的另一种抗氧化作用，因为它能减少最终导致血栓、心脏病发作和中风的血小板积聚。与许多其他仅在动物身上研究过其作用的食物植物营养素不同，来自西红柿的番茄红素已在人体中反复研究，并被发现对多种癌症具有保护作用，目前包括结直肠癌、前列腺癌、乳腺癌、肺癌和胰腺癌。这篇综述概述了有关番茄红素的背景信息，并展示了对其在人类健康中潜在功能作用的最全面和最新的理解。
