Comparison between the effects of lycopene and tomato products on the biological indicators for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in rats fed high-fat diets

Abstract EN

Compared was made between the effects of lycopene from tomato products (lyophilized tomato paste, lyophilized raw tomatoes) and pure lycopene on oxidative stress and the protective effects on atherosclerosis in a rat model with mild oxidative stress induced by high-fat diet.

Early atherosclerotic events and not advanced atherosclerosis was evaluated.

Thirty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 6).

Group C served as the negative control and fed a basal diet.

The other rats were fed the basal diet, 5 % tallow, 1 % cholesterol, and 0.02 % bile salt and were divided into four subgroups.

Group H (positive control) fed high-fat diet (HFD) only, group TC fed HFD plus 8 % tomato paste powder, group TW fed HFD plus 24 % raw tomato powder, and group L fed HFD plus 0.1 % lycopene.

The levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured after eight wk of experimental treatment.

In addition, plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDH) were measured in heart tissue homogenate after the experiment.

The pathologic changes of the heart and aorta were evaluated.

SPSS, one way ANOVA was used to analyze the results.

The results indicated that the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C and MDH were significantly increased in group H (P < 0.05) Compared to the control.

Administration of TS, TW and L counteracted the change in these parameters (P < 0.05) with no significant changes among them.

Morphologic changes of heart and aorta revealed that TW& TS had a similar preventive effect in the development of atherosclerosis in this experimental model.

In conclusion results showed that tomatoes products as well as pure lycopene had similar potential to attenuate and / or perverse oxidative stress and the atherosclerosis-related parameters in a mild oxidative stress induced by high-fat diet in rats.