Lycopene-derived bioactive retinoic acid receptors/retinoid-X receptors-activating metabolites may be relevant for lycopene's anti-cancer potential.

Dietary consumption of tomato products and especially the red tomato pigment lycopene has been associated with lower risk of cancer. New evidence is emerging toward metabolic pathways mediating the anti-cancer activities of lycopene. In this review, we explore associations between tomatoes and lycopene intake and cancer and relate this to the metabolic activation pathways of lycopene via carotene oxygenases and further carotenoid/retinoid-metabolizing enzymes to apo-lycopenoids. Several of these apo-lycopenoids have already been identified but up to date no direct connection between lycopene metabolism and apo-lycopenoids mediated receptor activation pathways has been established. Retinoic acid receptors/retinoid-X receptors activation pathways in particular, may be mediated via lycopene metabolites that are related to retinoic acids. Various studies have shown an association between lower concentration of insulin-like growth factor-1 upon lycopene treatment, cancer incidences, and retinoid-mediated signaling. In this review, we interrelate tomato/lycopene ingestion and cancer incidence, with metabolic activation of lycopene and retinoid-mediated signaling. The aim is to discuss a potential mechanism to explain lycopene related anti-cancer activities by modulation of insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations via lycopene metabolite activation of retinoid-mediated signaling.