• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.455-462
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• 2004

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in American men and evidences point to significant life style/diet components as risk factors for its development or prevention. Two large cohort studies have identified the consumption of tomatoes or high Plasma levels of Iycopene as associated with reduced risk. A number of other substances such as quercetin, phytoene, phytofluene, cyclolycopene, salicylates and tomatine in tomato besides lycopene could have anticancer activity and may be acting synergistically with lycopene. Lycopene at almost physiologically feasible concentrations, reduces cell viability by cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and modulates the cyclin pathways as well as increasing intercellular communication. However, it is not clear whether lycopene or its oxidation products are more bioactive. Tomato product supplementation results in plasma accumulation of phytoene, Phytofluene, the lycopene oxidation product, and cyclolycopene at significant concentrations and lycopene supplementation, either as a tomato product or as beadlets, results in maximal mean plasma lycopene concentrations of ∼ 1 $\mu$M which is at the lower limit of its activity in cell culture. Rats and mice are poor accumulators of lycopene and other carotenoids making them poor models for the study of cancer prevention and control. Of the 19 animal studies for various cancer sites, lycopene showed a positive effect in 10 studies but negative in 2 prostate cancer studies. In vivo prevention of leukocyte DNA damage in humans has been mostly studied using tomato product supplementation but lycopene supplementation appeared to reduce oxidative DNA damage as well as tomato product supplementation. Lycopene appears to be bioactive in intefering with carcinogenesis but the actions of phytoene, phytofluene or cyclolycopene cannot be ruled out since these compounds were present in most of the lycopene material used for these studies. Although lycopene remains as a promising agent, especially for cancer control, exploring interactions with other tomato phytochemicals and with current prostate cancer therapies should be encouraged.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.437-443
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• 2003

Epidemiological data suggest that lycopene has anticancer activities in humans. Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase that mediates the biological actions of IGFs and may play an active role in cancer progression. Because our previous in vitro studies have indicated lycopene inhibits HT-29 cell growth, the aim of this study was to determine whether lycopene induces apoptotic cell death and the inhibitory effect of lycopene on HT-29 cell growth is related to changes in IGF-IR levels and the receptor's intracellular signalling pathways. HT-29 cells were incubated for 4 days in serum-free medium in the presence of 0, 25, 50, or 100 $\mu$M lycopene, and the DNA fragmentation assay was performed. Cells treated with lycopene produced a distinct oligonucleosomal ladder with different sizes of DNA fragments, a typical characteristic of cells undergoing apoptosis. HT-29 cells were cultured for 4 days in serum-free medium in the presence of 0~100 $\mu$M lycopene and IGF-I (10nM) was added for 0~60 minutes immediately prior to lysate preparations. Western blot analysis of total lysates revealed that lycopene decreased the levels of IRS-1, Akt, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and IGF-IR $\beta$-subunit, and increased the levels of the IGF-IR precursor dose dependently. Lycopene also decreased IGF-I-induced phosphorylation of IGF-IR$\beta$, IRS-1 and Akt, which were, at least in part, due to decreased expression of these proteins. These results suggest that lycopene induces apoptosis of HT-29 cells by inhibiting IGF-IR signaling thereby interfering with an IGF-II-driven autocrine growth loop, which is known to exist in this cell line.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.526-530
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• 2010

Isopentenyl diphosphate(IPP) isomerization to dimethylallyl diphosphate(DMAPP) is an important step for the efficient production of isoprenoids such as lycopene, ${\beta}$-carotene, astaxanthin, etc. The type II isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase gene from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803(sll1556, Syidi2) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli $DH5{\alpha}$. When E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ harboring lycopene synthesis genes, crtE, crtB, and crtI and mevalonate pathway genes, MvK1, MvK2, and Mvd, was cultured on LB medium containing mevalonate, the strain grew very slowly be due to the toxicity of isopentenyl diphosphate derived from mevalonate. When Syidi2 was introduced to E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ harboring the lycopene synthesis genes and mevalonate pathway genes, growth on mevalonate medium was fully restored and the colony showed red color indicating lycopene formation. The growth rate of the mutant strain, E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$(idi::${\Delta}km$), was very slow because of IPP accumulation and DMAPP deprivation. Ultimately the idi mutant was complemented by introducing the Syidi2 gene.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.227-236
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary lycopene supplementation on meat quality in Longissimus Muscle of Korean native pigs. Meat samples were obtained from pigs which had been fed with finishing pig diets containing basal diets(C), 200 ppm lycopene (T1), 400 ppm lycopene (T2), and 800 ppm lycopene(T3). Longissimus muslce pH was not influenced by feeding lycopene. Total microbial counts of treatments were significantly lower than those of control at 0 day of storage (p<0.05). Counts of lactic acid bacteria and coliform of T2 and T3 were significantly lower than those of control and T1 at 0 day of storage(p<0.05). Regardless of packaging, microbial counts increased as the storage period increased(p<0.05). While water-holding capacity (WHC) values of the treatments were lower than those of control, cooking losses values of treatments were higher than those of control (p<0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that Korean native pigs fed lycopene supplemented diets affect the microbial counts and meat quality (volatile basic nitrogen, WHC and cooking loss) compared with conventional ones. These results may show a fundamental data on production of Korean native pork.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.90-95
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• 2006

Escherichia coli harboring pAC-LYCO4 and pDdxs was used for lycopene production. Three wild type strains of E. coli OW1, MG1655, and W3110 were compared with DH5${\alpha}$ used before for lycopene production. Lycopene productivity of E. coli MG1655 was similar to DH5${\alpha}$ and the highest among those wild type strain. Therefore, MG1655 strain was used for random transposon and NTG mutagenesis to increase lycopene productivity. Through transposon mutation, five transposon mutants with increased lycopene productivity were obtained. It was found that genes knocked out by transposon insertion were treB in Tn1 mutant, B2436 in Tn2 mutant, and rfaH in Tn3, 4, and 5 mutants. Lycopene productivity was the highest in Tn4 mutant among the Tn mutants, which was 6-fold and 8-fold higher in lycopene concentration and content, respectively, in comparison with those obtained with wild type strain. NTG4 mutant was acquired with NTG mutation. The highest lycopene productivity of 6 mg/L and 4 mg/g DCW was obtained from the NTG4 mutant when arabinose of 0.013 mM was added for induction of dxs, rate-limiting gene of MEP pathway. The lycopene productivity of NTG4 mutant was increased 18-fold and 12-fold in lycopene concentration and content, respectively when comparing with the wild type strain.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.650-656
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• 2013

Endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) plays a pivotal role in augmenting Protein C activation through the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. EPCR activity is markedly changed by ectodomain cleavage and released as the soluble protein (sEPCR). EPCR shedding is mediated by tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ converting enzyme (TACE). Lycopene found in tomatoes and tomato products has anti-oxidant, anti- cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. However, little is known about the effects of lycopene on EPCR shedding. We investigated this issue by monitoring the effects of lycopene on the phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ and on the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-mediated EPCR shedding. Data showed that lycopene potently inhibited the PMA, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and CLP-induced EPCR shedding by suppressing TACE expression. Furthermore, lycopene reduced PMA-stimulated phosphorylation of p38, extracellular regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Given these results, lycopene should be viewed as a candidate therapeutic agent for the treatment of various severe vascular inflammatory diseases via inhibition of the EPCR shedding.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.287-293
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• 2012

Lycopene, found in tomatoes and tomato products, has antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. High-mobility-group box 1 (HMGB1) mediates the pro-inflammatory responses in several inflammatory diseases. In this study, the potential roles of lycopene in the HMGB1-mediated pro-inflammatory gene expressions in the primary human-umbilical-vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were investigated. The data showed that HMGB1 upregulated the expressions of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2)-IIA, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Lycopene pre-incubation for 6 h decreased the HMGB1-mediated induction of MCP-1, IL-6, sPLA2-IIA, and PGE2. Further study revealed that the inhibitory effects of lycopene on the HMGB-1 induced expression of pro-inflammatory genes were mediated by the inhibition of two important inflammatory cytokines: tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ and nuclear factor (NF)-${\kappa}B$. These results suggest that HMGB1 upregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory genes and lycopene inhibited HMGB-1-induced pro-inflammatory genes by inhibiting TNF-${\alpha}$ and NF-${\kappa}B$. This finding will serve as an important evidence in the development of a new medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.115-127
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• 2014

This study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of the Lycopene cultivar of cherry tomatoes as a functional food and food material by measuring the total polyphenol and flavonoid content, anti-oxidative and anticancer activity. The contents of polyphenol and flavonoid were $12.28{\pm}1.78mg$ and $3.89{\pm}0.54mg$ per one g of dried cherry tomatoes respectively. The anti-oxidative activity of the cherry tomato was verified by measuring ${\alpha}$-${\alpha}$-diphenyl-${\beta}$-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (DSA), 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity (ASA) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). 50% of radical scavenging concentrations ($IC_{50}$) of DSA and ASA were $328.64{\pm}4.190{\mu}g/mL$ and $350.61{\pm}3.300{\mu}g/mL$ respectively. FRAP value was $26.92{\pm}0.68{\mu}mol$ $Fe^{2+}/g$. The effects of the cherry tomato extract on the growth of a normal lung cell (Hel299), lung cancer cell (A549), cervical cancer cell (HeLa) and a liver cancer cell (HepG2) were investigated using MTT assay. The cherry tomato extract showed a significantly strong growth inhibition effects against A549 cell and $IC_{50}$ was $375.46{\pm}33.670{\mu}g/mL$. The extract also inhibited growths of HeLa and HepG2 cells weakly. In this study we found that Lycopene cultivar of cherry tomato had anti-oxidative activity and strong inhibition effect against lung cancer cells. These results indicate that the Lycopene cultivar of cherry tomato would be a functional food and food material.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.231-238
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• 2015

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of lycopene on hepatic metabolic- and immune-related gene expression in laying hens. A total of 48 25-week-old White Leghorn hens were randomly allocated into four groups consisting of four replicates of three birds: control (basal diet), T1 (basal diet + 10 mg/kg of tomato powder-containing lycopene), T2 (basal diet + 10 mg/kg of micelles of tomato powder-containing lycopene), and T3 (basal diet + 10 mg/kg of purified lycopene). Chickens were fed ad libitum for 5 weeks, and then total RNA was extracted from the livers for quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ (PPAR${\gamma}$) expression was decreased in the liver of chickens after lycopene supplementation (P<0.05). Micellar lycopene supplementation decreased the expression of PPAR${\gamma}$ target genes including fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and fatty acids synthase (FASN) in the T2 group (P<0.05). Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) and C/EBP-${\alpha}$ were also downregulated in hens fed with micellar lycopene (P<0.05). Glucose transporter 8 (GLUT-8) was upregulated in the T2 and T3 groups (P<0.05). However, the expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT-1) was not changed by lycopene supplementation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were downregulated by lycopene supplementation (P<0.05). These data suggest that the type of lycopene supplementation is critical and that micelles of tomato powder-containing lycopene may play an important role in the modulation of lipid metabolism and immunity in chickens.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.152-155
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• 2009

The old-gold-crimson ($og^c$) fruit color mutation produces deep red tomato fruit with high lycopene content. age is a null mutation allele of lycopene-${\beta}$-cyclase (Crt-b) gene (B locus) that converts lycopene to ${\beta}$-carotene in the cartenoid biosynthesis pathway in tomato. Breeding of high lycopene tomato cultivars can be accelerated by marker-assisted selection (MAS) for introgression of $og^c$ allele by using a gene-based DNA marker. In order to develop a marker, single nucleotide deletion of adenine(A) with. in a poly-A repeat that has been known to be responsible for frame-shift mutation of $og^c$ was confirmed by resequencing mutant allele and wild-type allele at B locus of several tomato lines. For allele discrimination and detection of $og^c$, derived CAPS (dCAPS) approach was used by designing a primer that artificially introduced restriction enzyme recognition site of Hin fI in PCR products from $og^c$ allele. This dCAPS marker is co-dominant gene-based PCR marker that can be efficiently used for MAS breeding program aiming the development of high lycopene tomato.