ABSTRACT
Lycopene is an antioxidant primarily from tomatoes, which are known to decrease the risk of age-related chronic diseases. Oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with the risk of such chronic diseases, including osteoporosis. Antioxidants, both endogenous and exogenous, can combat the destructive effects of oxidative stress. Exogenous antioxidants can be derived from fruit and vegetables, and lycopene is one example. We have studied the role of lycopene in the prevention of the risk for osteoporosis by carrying out clinical studies on postmenopausal women and delineated the mechanisms involved by studying its effects on the bone forming cells, the osteoblasts, and the bone-resorbing cells, the osteoclasts. This chapter will include an overview on osteoporosis; the role of oxidative stress and antioxidants in osteoclasts and osteoblasts in the development of osteoporosis, and a review of the studies on the use of antioxidants, in particular lycopene, in counteracting oxidative stress in the prevention of risk for osteoporosis. Finally, we will review our pioneering studies on the effects of the lipid-soluble antioxidant lycopene carried out using in vitro cultures of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, as well as our clinical studies on the prevention of risk for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. These topics should lend perspective and rationale to our research approaches.
