The Effects And Mechanisms Of Lycopene In A Rat Model Of Pulmonary Fibrosis

[Objective]Basing on the prophasic research jobs in our department, the topic would improve the method of lycopene assay and establish a easy and reliable method to measure the lycopene concentration in the lycopene oleoresin.We treated the experimental rats of pulmonary fibrosis with the lycopene we extracted from tomato; after getting the certain effects of the treatment, we researched the principle in the terms of immunology and oxidation/anti-oxidation; and we would prepare the knowledge of theory and experiment to promote the people healthy diet to prevent pulmonary fibrosis. [Methods]We used the method improved by our department to extract the lycopene from tomato, High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC) and colorimetric assay were used for qualitative and quantitative assay of lycopene oleoresin.60 SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: normal control group(C group) , model of pulmonary fibrosis group(M group) and lycopene-treating group(L group), 20 rats in each group. The model of pulmonary fibrosis was established through intratracheal injection of Bleomycin(BLM). The rats of L group were treated by lycopene every day since the first day of BLM injection. The pathologic transformations, expression of TGF-β1, TNF-α in thelung and the plasma TNF- a ? N0> MDA concentrations, SOD activity of the rats in each group were observed at 3, 7, 14 and 28 day after BLM injection respectively. [Results]We extracted about 165ml lycopene oleoresin, its concentration was 1.8mg/ml, i.e about 297mg lycopene. But we only improved the method of lycopene assay partly.We established the rat model of pulmonary fibrosis. The lung coefficient of L group decreased(14, 28d: P < 0.05), and the extent of alveolit is and pulmonary fibrosis reduced too(the former 3, 7, 14d, the latter 14> 28d: P < 0.05) as compared with M group.Compared with M group, the expression of TGF-J3 1, TNF-a in the lung of L group decreased at 3, 7 day; and the plasma TNF-a , NO concentrations of L group decreased (the former 7-. 14,28d: P< 0. 01, the latter 14d: P < 0.05); the plasma MDA concentration of L group decreased(3d: P < 0.05), but the plasma SOD activity of L group increased(28d: P < 0.05). [Conclusion]We extracted lycopene from tomato successfully, but the improvement of the method of lycopene assay was successful partly.Lycopene could reduce the extend of pulmonary fibrosis partly in the experimental rats of BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis.We considered that the principle of treatment had two pathways probablely:l)the principle of immunology, reduced the expression of TGF-0 1, TNF-a in the lung and decreased the plasma TNF-a , NO concentrations ; 2)the principle of oxidation/anti-oxidation, decreased the plasma MDA concentration and increased the plasma SOD activity. At the same time, we admitted that there would be other principles, it was worthy of more research.