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Proposed Mechanism of Action
There are two possible mechanisms on how lycopene works in preventing
cancer. One or both may play a role.
The first is centered on lycopene's classification as a carotenoid in the
same class as vitamin A. Much has been published on the antioxidant
abilities of this class. In fact of all the carotenoids, lycopene is the
most potent antioxidant. Through the course of metabolic activity, oxygen
radicals accumulate and have the potential to cause cellular damage, including
damage to DNA. If this DNA damage occurs in areas of genes in charge of
preventing unregulated cell growth, cells are allowed to proliferate
uncontrolled and thus a cancerous cell line is born. Antioxidants are able
to bind these free radicals, preventing cellular damage. In a nutshell,
this is the basic theory behind the role of antioxidants in cancer prevention.
The second theory has been less publicized and posits that lycopene
interferes with the mitogenic pathway of IGF-I in cancer cells which basically
results in a slowdown of cancerous cell
growth.
The two most common forms of lycopene present in tomato products:
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