Affiliations: Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, School
of Agricultural Biotechnology and Center for Agricultural Biomaterials, Seoul
National University, Seoul 151–742, Korea
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Eun-Sun Hwang or Tae Wha Moon,
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, School of Agricultural
Biotechnology and Center for Agricultural Biomaterials, Seoul National
University, San 56-1, Shillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742, Korea. Tel.: +82
2 880 4889/4854; Fax: +82 2 873 5095; E-mail: ehwang5@snu.ac.kr
Abstract: Lycopene, the predominant carotenoid in tomatoes and tomato-based
foods, is reported to protect against various cancers, especially prostate
cancer. We investigated the effect of lycopene on DNA damage and cell growth
inhibition in the Hep3B human hepatoma cell line. Lycopene was analyzed by
HPLC, and cell proliferation was determined by
3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. A
final lycopene concentration of 0.1–50 μM was added to
cells plated in 96-well plates. After a 24-hr incubation, cell viability was
measured as absorbance at 570 nm after the MTT assay. The effects of lycopene
on cell cycle progression were investigated with flow cytometry. Lycopene
induced G0/G1 arrest and S phase block. Oxidative DNA damage was determined by
the Comet (single-cell gel electrophoresis) assay. Lycopene inhibited cell
growth in a dose-dependent manner. Cell growth was inhibited 20% at 0.2 μM
lycopene and 40% at 50 μM lycopene after a 24-hr incubation. In the Comet
assay, lycopene-treated cells showed less DNA damage than did placebo-treated
cells. The inhibition of Hep3B cell growth in this study demonstrates the
antitumor properties of lycopene.
