ACTA BIOLOGICA CRACOVIENSIA

INTERACTION OF CAROTENOIDS WITH REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES
5.3.
Cigarette smoking and lycopene isomerisation
Gordon M. Lowe, Khalid Rahman, Daniel L. Graham
School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John
Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool. UK,
G.M.Lowe@ljmu.ac.uk, K.Rahman@ljmu.ac.uk,
D.L.Graham@ljmu.ac.uk
It is often assumed that smokers have lower plasma carotenoids
such as β-carotene and lycopene than non-smokers. Cigarette
smoke is a very complex mixture and it has been demonstrated
that one of its constituents, peroxynitrite may cross the lung alveolae.
It has been postulated that it may interact with components
of the blood including plasma Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)
which comprises of a protein apolipoprotein B100 and lipids.
LDL particles are also largely responsible for transport of
lycopene and β-carotene in the blood. In this study we recruited
25 smokers and non-smokers from the Merseyside area, to
assess oxidation of LDL particles and its lycopene content. Blood
was taken from the volunteers and full lipid profiles, oxidation of
LDL and HPLC analysis of lycopene and its isomers along with -
carotene was undertaken. The first observation was that the
smokers had a pro-atherogenic profile (higher total cholesterol
and lower HDL cholesterol). It was also observed that smokers
had a greater concentration of oxidised LDL, indicating they were
under a greater oxidative stress. β-Carotene concentrations were
lower in the smokers (p15 cigarettes per day). This study indicates that -carotene
concentrations were lower in smokers and that cigarette smoke
may influence the lycopene isomerisation within human plasma.
5.4.
Enhancement of in vivo renal reducing ability
by dietary lycopene, the main carotenoid
in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum):
an estimation by a radiofrequency electron
paramagnetic resonance method
Gaku Matsumoto1 , Kazutaka Yoshida1 ,
Hidekatsu Yokoyama2 , Takaaki Oteki3 , Koichi Aizawa1 ,
Takahiro Inakuma1 1Research Institute, Kagome Co., Ltd., 17 Nishitomiyama,
Nasushiobara, Tochigi, 329-2762, Japa,
Gaku_Matsumoto@kagome.co.jp
2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, International University
of Health and Welfare, 2600-1 Kitakanemaru, Otawara, Tochigi,
324-8501, Japan
3Center for Clinical Medicine and Research, International
University of Health and Welfare, 537-3 Iguchi, Nasushiobara,
Tochigi, 329-2763, Japan
The kidney is the organ that excretes and reabsorbs various substances
in blood. If relatively greater amounts of oxidative substances
pass through the kidney, the increased oxidative stress,
such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, will cause
nephropathy. Thus, prevention of renal oxidative stress by antioxidants
is effective in suppressing nephrotoxicity. Lycopene is the
main carotenoid in tomato and tomato-based products and is
well known to be a potent antioxidant in various in vivo and in
vitro models. Although it has been reported that dietary lycopene,
Vol. 53, suppl. 1, 2011
17–22 July 2011, Krakow, Poland
improved drug-induced nephropathy, there are no reports on the
effect of orally administered lycopene on the in vivo renal reducing
ability. The radiofrequency electron paramagnetic resonance
(EPR) method is a unique technique by which the in vivo reducing
ability of an experimental animal can be studied. In this study, the
in vivo changes in the renal reducing ability of rats orally administered
lycopene were investigated using a 700 MHz EPR spectrometer
equipped with a surface-coil-type resonator. Rats were fed
either a control diet or a diet containing 0.25% lycopene. After 2
weeks, in vivo EPR measurements were conducted. The renal
reducing ability, which was estimated based on the half-life of the
EPR signal of nitroxide radical (TEMPOL), in rats administered
lycopene was significantly greater than that of the control. On the
other hand, direct chemical reaction between lycopene and TEM-
POL was not observed. This is the first verification of in vivo antioxidant
enhancement via dietary lycopene administration.
5.5.
Ferric reducing and peroxyl radical scavenging
activity of lycopene compounds
Lars Müller1 , Kati Fröhlich2 , Volker Böhm1 1Institute of Nutrition, Friedrich Schiller University Jena,
Dornburger Str. 25-29, 07743 Jena, Germany,
lars.mueller.2@uni-jena.de; volker.boehm@uni-jena.de
2Food GmbH Analytik-Consulting, Orlaweg 2, 07743 Jena,
Germany, k.froehlich@food-jena.de
Due to their chemical structure of a highly unsaturated hydrocarbon
chain, carotenoids provide potential antioxidant properties.
Of the >750 carotenoids, which were identified from natural
sources, only six represent >90% of the total content of
carotenoids in human blood of Western populations, with
lycopene as the most important one (Rao et al., 2006).
Carotenoids can react by certain mechanisms to inhibit oxidation
of a substrate (Krinsky and Johnson, 2005). Therefore, the activities
of the main dietary carotenoids (using (all-E)-isomers) in
hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)-reactions were evaluated by determining
the peroxyl radical scavenging capacity (PSC).
Furthermore, firstly the ferric reducing activities of the
carotenoids were analyzed, which illustrates the reactivities
against transition metals underlying single electron tranfer (SET)based
reactions.
Lycopene as (all-E)-isomer is abundant in raw fruits and vegetables.
No differences were observed in the ferric reducing activity
of (all-E)-lycopene compared to the (5Z)-, (9Z)-, and (13Z)-isomers,
which are (Z)-isomers of lycopene that account for more
than 50% of the total lycopene content in human tissues and are
found in substantial amounts in processed foods such as tomato
products (Rao et al., 2010). Furthermore, the antioxidant activity
of prolycopene, abundant in Tangerine tomatoes, was analyzed.
Moreover, the antioxidant activity of lycopene is possibly
associated with short-chain lycopene metabolites. Analyzing various
apo-lycopenoids, we observed a strong influence of length of
the polyene chain and type of terminal function on the ferric
reducing activity and on PSC.
Special thanks are given to Eric Reynaud of the research group of
Catherine Caris-Veyrat (INRA Avignon, France) for the synthesis of the
investigated apo-lycopenoids, and the EU-project LYCOCARD (IP:
2006-016213) for financial support.
REFERENCES
ERDMAN JW, JR., FORD NA, LINDSHIELD BL. 2009. Are the health attributes
of lycopene related to its antioxidant function? Archives of
Biochemistry and Biophysics 483: 229-235.
KRINSKY NI, JOHNSON EJ. 2005. Carotenoid actions and their relation to
health and disease. Molecular Aspects of Medicine 26: 459-516.
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