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Lycopene Inhibits Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Neuronal Apoptosis in Gerbil Hippocampal Tissue

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Abstract

Plant lycopene exhibits antioxidant activity in animal tissues. Transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in Mongolian gerbils resulted in delayed neuronal death in hippocampal regions. We examined the antioxidant effects of lycopene because we expected lycopene to attenuate ischemia-related neuronal damage by controlling apoptosis at the gene level. The gerbils were divided into two groups: the normal feeding (control) group that received normal market food (MF) and the lycopene group that received MF containing lycopene (5 mg in 100 g MF food). After 1.5–2.0 months (when body weight were 60–65 g), the lycopene level was 38.2 ± 17.6 ng/ml in serum and 11.9 ± 4.0 μg/g-wet weight tissue in the liver. Levels of B cell leukemia-2, an apoptosis-suppressing protein, decreased in control animal brains 1, 3, and 7 days after surgery, whereas the levels increased in lycopene-treated animal brains. Moreover, cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3 activity increased gradually after ischemia, but was suppressed in the lycopene-treated animal brains 7 days after surgery. Finally, hippocampal superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased in the control group 3 h after ischemia and, gradually increased thereafter, whereas it was significantly elevated in the lycopene group. Thus, orally administered lycopene is accumulated in the body, and provided protections against ischemia/reperfusion-induced brain injury by inducing an increase in SOD activity and inhibiting apoptosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan

    Kimikazu Fujita, Hideki Imada, Yutaka Nagata & Eiichi Miyachi

  2. Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Nagoya Bunri Junior College, 2-1 Sasaoka-cho, Kita-ku, Nagoya, 451-0017, Japan

    Nobuko Yoshimoto

  3. Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan

    Toshiaki Kato

  4. Research Institute Kagome Co. Ltd., 17 Nishitomiyama, Nasushiobara, Tochigi, 329-2762, Japan

    Gaku Matsumoto & Takahiro Inakuma

Authors
  1. Kimikazu Fujita
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  2. Nobuko Yoshimoto
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Correspondence to Kimikazu Fujita.

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Fujita, K., Yoshimoto, N., Kato, T. et al. Lycopene Inhibits Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Neuronal Apoptosis in Gerbil Hippocampal Tissue. Neurochem Res 38, 461–469 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-012-0952-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-012-0952-5

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