Lycopene's Role in Mitigating Obesity-Induced Cardiac Remodeling: Insights Into Inflammatory and MMP-2 Pathways

Obesity, characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation, promotes cardiac structural and functional abnormalities. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential of lycopene in attenuating obesity-induced cardiac remodeling, based on its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to inhibit matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activation, thereby preserving myocardial collagen integrity. Male Wistar rats were fed a high-sugar, high-fat (HSF) diet to induce obesity and cardiac remodeling. After the onset of cardiac dysfunction, animals received lycopene supplementation (10 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. The HSF diet caused metabolic disturbances, including hypertension, increased adiposity, and insulin resistance, accompanied by myocardial remodeling, inflammation, and elevated MMP-2 activity. Lycopene supplementation reversed insulin resistance, mitigated myocardial remodeling, and improved both systolic and diastolic cardiac function. It also reduced inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6, NF-κB, TLR-4), decreased MMP-2 activation, and enhanced TIMP-2 and type I collagen expression. Lycopene demonstrated cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in obesity-induced cardiac remodeling. By targeting inflammation and extracellular matrix degradation, lycopene may serve as an effective adjunctive therapeutic approach for preventing or treating obesity-related cardiac disorders.