Effects of tomato extract on oxidative stress induced toxicity in different organs of rats.

Tomato products containing lycopene are believed to be associated with decreased risk of chronic diseases including cancer, and its effects are suggested to be due to antioxidant effect of lycopene. The aim of this research was to study the effects of tomato extract on acetaminophen (APAP), amiodarone (ADN) and cyclosporine A (CsA)-induced liver, lung and kidney toxicity, respectively. Previous studies have shown that free radical reactions may play important roles in toxicity of these drugs. Rats received a single dose of APAP (750mg/kg, i.p.) before treatment with tomato extract (5mg/kg, oral) for seven consecutive days, ADN (100mg/kg, i.p.) plus tomato extract (5mg/kg, oral) for 10 consecutive days, or CsA (250mg/kg, i.p.) plus tomato extract (5mg/kg, oral) for 14 consecutive days. At the end of each treatment, the animals were sacrificed and the related organ tissues were collected for biochemical and histopathological examinations. Simultaneous treatment of tomato extract ameliorated tissue damage, biochemical indices, and oxidative stress parameters against APAP-induced acute hepatotoxicity, but had less beneficial effects on ADN-induced lung toxicity and little effect against CsA-induced nephrotoxicity. Therefore, tomato products may be beneficial for the prevention and therapy of toxicity induced by ADN and APAP.