Chinese researchers have revealed that Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant present in abundance in tomatoes, could have antidepressive properties.
- Lycopene is a natural plant extract found in tomatoes, which is known for its powerful antioxidant and neuroprotective effects.
- In mice with depressive behavior, this pigment reduces their symptoms.
- In detail, the treatment in Lycopene improves synaptic plasticity through the BDNF-TRKB signaling pathway, which contributes to regulating learning, memory and communication between neurons.
Red pigment, Lycopene gives its bright color to fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, grapefruit or papaya. However, he is present in greater quantity in the tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum), from where he takes his name. This compound, with antioxidant and neuroprotective properties, could constitute a promising treatment against depression. “Compared to commonly used clinical antidepressants, Lycopene offers greater security. However, its underlying mechanisms are not very clear”, have indicated scientists from the Chongqing medical university (China).
In depressive mice, deficiencies at the hippocampus have been observed
Thus, in a recent study, the latter explored the mechanisms by which Lycopene has its antidepressant effects. For this, they used a model of “chronic stress of social defeat (CSDS)” to induce depressive type behaviors in mice. Then the rodents benefited from 20 mg of lycopene. “Based on previous research, we focused on synaptic plasticity by examining the expression of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus to discover the potential mechanisms”, said the authors. The results, published in the journal Food Science & Nutritionrevealed that depressive behavior induced alterations of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.
Depression: Lycopene improves synaptic plasticity
However, treatment in Lycopene attenuated these deficiencies and reversed the depressive features of animals. According to the team, he stimulated the expression of the neurotrophic factor derived from the brain (BDNF), a protein that plays a role in many aspects of brain function. Experiments have shown that a signaling pathway involving BDNF (called BDNF-TRKB route helping to regulate learning, memory and communication between neurons) is inhibited in mice suffering from depression and that the treatment in lycopene mitigates This inhibition.
Since the study “offers an effective path for the development of new antidepressive therapies, we plan to carry out other checks in future research and include several regions of the brain in our work”, concluded the researchers.
