Currently, an increase in the awareness of a healthy lifestyle has been observed in society. People are seeking added health benefits from their dietary intake. Thus, functional foods with supplemented components that promote wellness are becoming popular. Lycopene is a carotenoid that gives vegetables and fruits their red color. Due to its chemical structure, lycopene acts as an antioxidant, which is the basis for its health-promoting properties. Oxidative stress is recognized as an important agent of many chronic diseases; thus, lycopene appears to be a universal medicine. Lycopene has the greatest antioxidant potential among carotenoids. Nutraceutical effects of lycopene have been reported for patients with cancer, infertility, metabolic syndrome and liver damage. Therefore, its supplementation can function as a proper causative treatment of disease. In this review, we highlight primary research and clinical trials involving lycopene and its impact on human health.

Lycopene is an organic chemical compound (unsaturated hydrocarbon, alkene, C40H56) containing 13 double bonds where 11 are conjugated. It belongs to the family of natural pigments (carotenoids) synthesized by plants, fungi, bacteria and algae. Lycopene occurs in tomatoes and fruit guava, pink grapefruit, watermelon and papaya. It is one of the most potent antioxidants scavangers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which modify proteins, lipids, sugars, and DNA. These damages can lead to chronic diseases, cancer and aging. Lycopene is relatively heat-stable substance, which subjected to thermal processes increases its bioavailability in the body. The function of the lycopene in tumor cells is to prevent damage to DNA, modulation of apoptosis and inhibition of induction of migration and invasiveness. Lycopene shows beneficial effects in cancers of the stomach, colon and lung. In the case of primary liver cancer, it causes a delay of malignant cell proliferation and reduces the risk of infection of the original tumor carcinogenic hepatitis C. Lycopene supplementation improves the response to standard therapy of brain tumors (glioblastoma multiforme), and increases the median survival time of tumor recurrence. Lycopene can be used in the prevention and treatment of not only cancer, but also cardiovascular diseases and lipid disorders. In summary lycopene act differentially on the various stages of the cell cycle and antioxidant properties. It has a high therapeutic potential and health enhancing role in human nutrition.

Natural products from plants, fungi and higher animals are valuable sources of attractive alternatives for therapeutics. One of them, lycopene is a bright red carotene found in several fruits and vegetables. Tomato, tomato-based sauces and juices are the most abundant sources of this compound for human. There is a positive correlation between lycopene intake and health. It plays an important role in preventing several diseases, inclusing cancers. Lycopene is the most efficient oxygen and free radicals scavenger. Moreover it controls cell cycle and activates phase II detoxification enzymes. Epidemiological studies confirm its significant role in preventing diseases. Constant progress on this field makes lycopene an interesting object of researches.