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Lycopene Inhibits Smoke-Induced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Carcinogenesis by Modulating Reverse
Jelena Mustra Rakic1,2, Chun Liu1, Sudipta Veeramachaneni1
1Nutrition and Cancer Biology Lab, Jean Mayer USDA-Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Cancer Prevention Research (Philadelphia, Pa.)
|June 10, 2019
Summary
Dietary lycopene, a compound found in tomatoes, may protect smokers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. High doses of lycopene helped prevent lung damage and inflammation by restoring cholesterol transport in a ferret model.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Nutritional Science
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Cigarette smoking is a primary cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.
- Dietary lycopene consumption is linked to reduced risks of COPD and lung cancer in smokers.
- Ferrets serve as a relevant animal model for studying cigarette smoke-induced lung diseases in humans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the protective effects of dietary lycopene against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer induced by cigarette smoke (CS) and NNK in ferrets.
- To explore the association between lycopene's protective effects and the restoration of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) in the context of CS exposure.
Main Methods:
- Ferrets were divided into four groups and exposed to NNK and CS for 22 weeks, with two groups receiving varying doses of dietary lycopene.
- The study assessed chronic bronchitis, emphysema, preneoplastic lesions, and neoplastic lesions in the lungs.
- Gene expression analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of lycopene on key genes involved in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT).
Main Results:
- High-dose dietary lycopene significantly inhibited NNK/CS-induced chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and preneoplastic lesions.
- Lycopene feeding showed a trend towards decreasing lung neoplastic lesions.
- Lycopene significantly reduced cholesterol accumulation and upregulated RCT-related genes (PPARα, LXRα, ABCA1, ABCG1) in the lungs, which were downregulated by NNK/CS exposure.
Conclusions:
- Dietary lycopene, particularly at high doses, demonstrates a protective role against cigarette smoke-induced lung injury and preneoplastic changes.
- The protective mechanism of lycopene may involve the restoration of reverse cholesterol transport and the mitigation of cholesterol accumulation in the lungs.
- These findings provide the first evidence linking lycopene's benefits against COPD and preneoplastic lesions to RCT-mediated cholesterol regulation.
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