Antioxidant Effect of Lycopene in Peritoneal Asbestosis of the Rat

Bogdan Sevastre1, Adela Joanta2, Sanda Andrei3, Ioan B. Marcus1, and Alexandru I. Baba4

1 Department of Pathophysiology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2 Department of Physiology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3 Department of Biochemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
4 Department of Pathologic Anatomy, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Corresponding author: Bogdan Sevastre
    Department Pathophysiology
    Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
    University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine,
    3 Manastur Street 400372
    Cluj-Napoca, Romania
    Telephone: 0040 264 596384 ext. 123
    Fax number: 0040 264 593792
    E-mail: sevastre_b@mail.com , or  bosev@email.ro

CEJOEM 2006, Vol.12. No.1.: 49–53

Key words:
Lycopene, asbestos, oxidative stress, rats

Abstract:
Lycopene is a well-known antioxidant, widely occurring in various kinds of fruit and vegetables, particularly in tomato. Its beneficial effect was proved in a wide range of diseases including cancer. In this study, rats inoculated with asbestos were fed a lycopene-enriched diet. Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups of equal size, as follows: lycopene group (I), asbestos + lycopene group (II), asbestos group (III), and control group (IV). Asbestos was intraperitoneally injected once to Groups II and III. In Groups I and II, lycopene was added to food, two weeks before the administration of asbestos (Group II) and during the entire 8-month period of the experiment (Group I and II). Blood and tissue samples (from the heart and liver) were taken at the end of the experiments. Markers of oxidative damage (lipid peroxides, malonyldialdehyde, and protein carbonyl) from blood and tissue, and antioxidant capacity (plasma ceruloplasmin and hydrogen donor ability) were determined and evaluated. The findings confirmed increased oxidative stress in blood serum and liver as a consequence of chronic peritoneal asbestosis. Lycopene was proved to exert a protective effect mainly on the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, it was less effective in preventing the protein damage.

Received: 5 December 2005
Accepted: 18 October 2006
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