Lycopene (Tomato Extract)とは？用途・使用量・代替品・規格

Lycopene, chemically known as all-trans-ψ,ψ-carotene, is a natural linear unsaturated carotenoid and one of the most important members of the carotenoid family. Its chemical formula is C40H56, molecular weight is 536.88, CAS number is 502–65–8, and EINECS number is 207–949–1. Lycopene consists of 8 isoprene units, forming a linear hydrocarbon chain containing 11 conjugated double bonds and 2 non-conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds, with no cyclic end groups. It appears as a dark red to purple-red crystalline powder and possesses unique lipophilic properties. Lycopene is widely found in nature, with the highest concentrations in red fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit, guava, and papaya. Ripe tomatoes contain approximately 4–15 mg/100g of lycopene. There are approximately 72 cis-trans isomers of lycopene in nature. In the natural state, the all-trans configuration is predominant, which exhibits the strongest antioxidant activity. High temperatures and light exposure can readily convert all-trans lycopene to cis-isomers, reducing its activity. Unlike β-carotene, the lycopene molecule lacks β-ionone rings and therefore does not possess provitamin A activity. However, its singlet oxygen quenching capacity is twice that of β-carotene and ten times that of α-tocopherol. Since humans cannot synthesize lycopene de novo, it must be adequately obtained through diet or supplements to benefit from its health-promoting effects. As one of the strongest known singlet oxygen radical scavengers in nature, lycopene has antioxidant activity approximately twice that of β-carotene and 100 times that of vitamin E. It is known as the "plant gold" and the "new darling of 21st-century health supplements," enjoying high application value and market reputation in global dietary supplements, functional foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical R&D.

Lycopene is known as the "plant gold" and the "new darling of 21st-century health supplements," occupying a steadily rising core position in global dietary supplements, functional foods, cosmetics, and feed. Its most prominent core advantages include: superior singlet oxygen radical scavenging capacity, unique anti-cancer efficacy, multiple cardiovascular protective functions, good safety, and continuously optimized and upgraded green production processes. 1 Superior singlet oxygen radical scavenging capacity Lycopene is one of the strongest known singlet oxygen radical scavengers in nature. It can react with reactive oxygen species through three different mechanisms: (I) via electron transfer, (II) via hydrogen atom transfer, or (III) via adduct formation, and it can mainly deactivate singlet oxygen through physical quenching. Its antioxidant activity is approximately twice that of β-carotene and 100 times that of vitamin E. It effectively protects DNA, proteins, and lipids from oxidative damage and delays cellular aging. Lycopene can accept energy from different electron excitations and possesses powerful and broad-spectrum antioxidant effects. 2 Unique anti-cancer efficacy One of the most important health effects of lycopene is its outstanding anti-cancer efficacy, which is also a core area of in-depth academic research globally. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown a significant negative correlation between blood lycopene concentration and the risk of various cancers, with the protective effects against prostate cancer, lung cancer, and gastric cancer being the most prominent. Consuming lycopene as the all-trans isomer can reduce alcohol-induced 2E1 cell apoptosis and lower the risk of prostate, lung, and digestive tract cancers. At a physiologically relevant concentration of 1.25 μM, lycopene significantly inhibits the growth of prostate and breast cancer cells and also reduces the inhibitor of κB phosphorylation in cells by 30%–40%. In 2003, TIME magazine listed lycopene as the top food contributing the most to human health. 3 Multiple cardiovascular health protective functions Lycopene exerts cardiovascular protective effects through mechanisms including inhibiting low-density lipoprotein oxidation, reducing atherosclerotic plaque formation, and improving vascular endothelial function. Lycopene or processed tomatoes may lead to a reduction in intima-media thickness of the vascular wall. Furthermore, lycopene can improve hepatotoxicity, acting as an antioxidant, reducing oxidized glutathione levels, modulating total glutathione and catalase levels, and reducing oxidative damage. Lycopene is the most predominant carotenoid in human plasma, with a half-life of approximately 2–3 days. Lycopene has a protective effect against ATZ-induced toxicity in the rat adrenal cortex, which may be attributed to its antioxidant properties and ability to activate the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. 4 Good safety and improving bioavailability Lycopene is a natural component found in many foods and exhibits excellent tolerability within the recommended dosage range, with no reports of serious adverse reactions. To address the bottleneck of low oral absorption due to its high lipophilicity, poor water solubility, and strong crystallinity, novel delivery technologies such as nano-microencapsulation, liposome encapsulation, and microemulsification are rapidly developing, significantly improving the oral bioavailability and product stability of lycopene. The optimization of supercritical CO2 extraction technology has further improved yield, purity, and cost-effectiveness. 5 Continuous iteration and upgrading of production processes Lycopene production processes have evolved from tomato extraction and chemical synthesis to microbial fermentation and synthetic biology-driven cell factory platforms. The use of Blakeslea trispora for submerged fermentation has become the mainstream route, with strategies such as adding NAD+ precursors and cyclase inhibitors significantly increasing yields. Bacillus subtilis, a safe, non-pathogenic industrial microorganism recognized as GRAS by the FDA, has been used for heterologous de novo synthesis of lycopene. Through metabolic engineering, the yield has been increased from 0.57 mg/L in the original strain to 77.4 mg/L, representing a 363-fold improvement over the starting strain. Synthetic biology-driven microbial cell factories are leading lycopene bio-manufacturing into a new era of green, efficient, and sustainable production.