The anticarcinogenic effect of tomato juice, a natural source of antioxidants and other chemopreventive /antimutagenic agents, was studied in a skin carcinogenesis model in mice. The possible mode of action was alsoinvestigated. Oral administration of tomato juice afforded protection from development of skin tumour and increasedlife expectancy which may be attributed to the combined action of a number of chemical compounds with cancerchemopreventive properties present in tomato. The protective role may be associated with a decreased level of lipidperoxides noted in the tomato treated group and modulation of host detoxification enzymes. Exposure to the carcinogenresulted in a depression of the liver enzymes- glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) andsuperoxide dismutase (SOD). Oral administration of tomato juice resulted in significant activation of all these enzymes(p<0.001). These results suggest a preventive role of tomato juice during carcinogenesis which is mediated possiblyby their modulatory effects on biotransformation enzymes and the detoxification system of the host.
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