Lycopene suppresses palmitic acid-induced brain oxidative stress, hyperactivity of some neuro-signalling enzymes, and inflammation in female Wistar rat

Abstract

Neuroinflammation can be triggered by certain high caloric nutrients such as palmitic acid (PA). The effect of lycopene against PA-induced neuroinflammation in female rats has not been as explored. In the present study, thirty rats (weighing 150–200) g were randomly allotted into six groups (n = 5) comprising normal control, PA control, PA + lycopene (0.24 mg/kg), PA + lycopene (0.48 mg/kg), lycopene (0.24 mg/kg), and lycopene (0.48 mg/kg), respectively. After seven weeks of PA challenge (5 mM) including two weeks of lycopene treatment, the brain was excised for analyses. Palmitic acid overload caused significant (p < 0.05) increases in adenosine deaminase, monoamine oxidase-A, nucleotides tri-phosphatase, 5′-nucleotidase, acetylcholine esterase, and myeloperoxidase activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels which were reduced significantly in the lycopene-treated groups. Conversely, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and reduced glutathione levels concentration decreased by 43%, 34%, and 12%, respectively in the PA control groups compared with the Control. Also, PA triggered a decrease in the brain phospholipids (11.43%) and cholesterol (11.11%), but increased triacylglycerol level (50%). Furthermore, upregulated expressions of Interleukin-1β, Interleukin-6, and NF-ĸB-p65 in the PA control were attenuated, while decreased Interleukine-10 expression was upregulated due to lycopene treatment. Severe brain vacuolation observed in the histology of the PA control rats was normalized by lycopene. This study concludes that lycopene ameliorated PA-induced neuroinflammation, probably via attenuation of oxidative stress, and downregulation of TLR4/ NF-κB -p65 axis.

Lycopene: a therapeutic strategy against coronavirus disease 19 (COVID- 19)

“…Interleukin-1, Interleukin-6, and NF-κB-p65 expression were downregulated in the PA control, but Interleukine-10 expression was elevated owing to lycopene therapy. Lycopene normalized severe brain vacuolation was seen in the histopathology of PA control rats (Ugbaja et al 2021). Lycopene possesses anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties in a variety of organs and tissues, including adipose tissue, liver, kidney, pancreas, brain, ovaries, stomach, and eyes.…”

“…In HFD-fed mice, lycopene (10 mg/kg) treatment had better anti-lipidemic and anti-antioxidant benefits than Moringa (400 mg/kg), most likely due to its ability to reduce oxidative stress (Greish et al 2021). Lycopene alleviated palmitic acid (PA)-induced neuroinflammation in female Wistar rats through lowering oxidative stress and downregulation of NF-ĸB-p65 expression (Ugbaja et al 2021).…”

Oral Lycopene Administration Attenuates Inflammation and Oxidative Stress by Regulating Plasma Lipids in Rats with Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Epididymitis

“… 27 LYC can inhibit the oxidative stress caused by excessive saturated fatty acids and increase the activities of antioxidant enzymes. 28 Furthermore, LYC may interfere with LPS proinflammatory signalling pathway by impacting the lipid metabolism pathway. Among several KEGG metabolic pathways enriched in this study, GPI-anchor synthesis was noted.…”

Punica granatum peel supplementation attenuates cognitive deficits and brain injury in rat by targeting the Nrf2‐HO‐1 pathway

“…After 10 min, the second absorbance was read and the change in absorbance was calculated. AchE activity was estimated by the following formula and expressed as nmol/min/tissue (g) (Hosseini et al, 2022; Ugbaja et al, 2021). where R = rate in moles substrate hydrolyzed per min per tissue (g); ΔA = change in absorbance per min; and C 0 = original concentration of tissue.…”

“…Data are presented as fold change relative to control. The formula of 2 −ΔΔCt measured the relative gene expression of the target genes (Ugbaja et al, 2021). …”