Intake of Tomato-Enriched Diet Protects from 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Degeneration of Rat Nigral Dopaminergic Neurons

There is extensive evidence that oxidative damage of dopamine (DA)-containing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) may contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). We evaluated the potential neuroprotective effect of diets enriched with wild-type Red Setter (RS) tomato or transgenic High Carotene (HC) tomato, rich in β-carotene, obtained by the activation of lycopene β-cyclase (tlcy-b), in an animal model of PD. Male Fischer 344 rats were fed for 14 days with standard AltrominMT diet, 5% RS- or 5% HC-enriched diet. Seven days after the beginning of this diet regimen, the rats were lesioned by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injected into the left SNc. After further …