Antioxidative Activity of Cherry Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) Extracts and Protective Effect for -induced Inhibition of Gap Junction Intercellular Communication

This study was performed to analyze various antioxidants, to evaluate the antioxidative activities, and to measure the protective effect for gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) to assess the functional potency of the cherry tomato. The ascorbic acid, lycopene, and ${\beta}-carotene$ were measured at $503.4{\pm}9.6$, $39.7{\pm}1.5$, and $7.4{\pm}0.3$ mg/100 g d.w., and ${\alpha}-$, ${\beta}+{\gamma}-$, ${\delta}-tocopherol$ contents were measured at $8.3{\pm}0.1$, $1.7{\pm}0.0$, and $0.1{\pm}0.0$ mg/100 g d.w., respectively. Cherry tomato extract using hexane/acetone/EtOH (2:1:1, CTE) exhibited a ABTS radical scavenging activity with an $IC_{50}$ value of $48.83{\pm}0.30\;{\mu}g/mL$. The cherry tomato protected against the inhibition of GJIC induced by $H_2O_2$ in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells, and the reduction in phosphorylated Cx43 was most clearly correlated with the concentration of CTE. These results demonstrated that the cherry tomato harbors a wealth of potent antioxidants and might be protect human body against the inhibition of the GJIC by toxic components.