Title:Lycopene: A Powerful Nutraceutical with Diversified Health Benefits
Volume: 10
Author(s): Disha Arora, Sahibpreet Singh and Jyoti Singh*
Affiliation:
- Chandigarh College of Pharmacy, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, Mohali, Punjab, India
Keywords:
Lycopene, Health benefits, carotenoid, chemistry, antioxidant, tomato, food colorant
Abstract: Lycopene, a tetraterpene of eight isoprene units belongs to the family of carotenoids,
abundantly found in tomatoes and its derivative products. It is non provitamin A carotenoid
which is associated with powerful antioxidant action that may trap reactive oxygen
species resulting in an increase in the overall antioxidant potential or a reduction in the
oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and DNA, thereby decreasing the oxidative stress. Due to
this, the addition of lycopene to the diet is considered to be important. It is used as a food
colorant owing to its strong color and non-toxic nature. Recent literature reports have
highlighted the significance of lycopene in health. It exhibits many health benefits in ameliorating cancer, inflammation, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular complications, Parkinson’s disease,
Alzheimer’s disease, and hepatic, skin, and bone diseases. In this review, we have summarized
the information regarding sources, chemistry, extraction techniques, and health benefits of
lycopene.
