Lycopene in Cancer Prevention: Mechanisms of Action and Nutritional Implications - Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2026v8n3p829-849Keywords:
Lycopene; Neoplasms; Antioxidants; Nutrition; Disease Prevention.Abstract
Introduction: Cancer represents one of the major challenges to global public health, being responsible for high rates of morbidity and mortality. In this context, preventive strategies related to diet and lifestyle have received increasing attention from the scientific community. Among the bioactive compounds investigated, lycopene stands out as a liposoluble carotenoid with high antioxidant capacity, mainly found in red-colored foods such as tomatoes, watermelon, and guava. Objective: To analyze the available scientific evidence regarding the role of lycopene in cancer prevention, addressing its mechanisms of action, bioavailability, and nutritional implications. Methodology: A qualitative literature review was conducted. The searches were carried out in the PubMed, SciELO, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and CAPES Journal Portal databases using descriptors in Portuguese and English related to lycopene, oncological nutrition, and cancer prevention, combined using Boolean operators. Articles published between 2005 and 2025 in Portuguese, English, or Spanish were included. Results and Conclusion: A total of 17 articles met the established inclusion criteria. The results indicate that lycopene acts through multiple biological mechanisms, including antioxidant activity, modulation of the cell cycle, induction of apoptosis, and reduction of oxidative stress, factors directly associated with carcinogenesis. It is concluded that lycopene presents promising potential as a chemopreventive agent, especially when incorporated into dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods. However, additional clinical studies are still necessary to establish more precise recommendations regarding dosage and nutritional intervention protocols.
Downloads
References
BOHN, Torsten et al. Carotenoid metabolites, their tissue and blood concentrations in humans and further bioactivity via retinoid receptor-mediated signalling. Nutrition Research Reviews, v. 36, n. 2, p. 498-511, 2023.
BRASIL. Ministério da Saúde. Como surge o câncer? 14 dez. 2022. Disponível em: https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/assuntos/saude-brasil/prevencao-ao-cancer/como-surge-o-cancer. Acesso em: 15 set. 2025.
BRASIL. Ministério da Saúde. Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva (INCA). Estimativa 2023: incidência de câncer no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: INCA, 2020. Disponível em: https://www.inca.gov.br/sites/ufu.sti.inca.local/files/media/document/estimativa-2023.pdf. Acesso em: 25 set. 2025.
BRASIL. Ministério do Meio Ambiente. Tabela brasileira de composição de carotenoides em alimentos. Brasília: MMA, 2008. Disponível em: https://www.b4fn.org/fileadmin/templates/b4fn.org/upload/documents/Fontes_Brasileiras_de_Caroten%C3%B3ides.pdf. Acesso em: 20 out. 2025.
EFSA – EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY. Safety of the extension of use of lycopene (E 160d) as a food additive. EFSA Journal, Parma, v. 15, n. 3, p. e04707, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4707.
FERLAY, J. et al. Cancer statistics for the year 2020: an overview. International Journal of Cancer, v. 149, n. 4, p. 778–789, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33588. Acesso em: 05 ago. 2025.
FERRARI, Carlos Kusano Bucalen; TORRES, Elizabeth Aparecida Ferraz da Silva. Novos compostos dietéticos com propriedades anticarcinogênicas. Revista Brasileira de Cancerologia, v. 48, n. 3, p. 375-382, 2002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32635/2176-9745.RBC.2002v48n3.2212. Disponível em: https://rbc.inca.gov.br/index.php/revista/article/view/2212. Acesso em: 15 ago. 2025.
IMRAN, Muhammad et al. Lycopene as a natural antioxidant used to prevent human health disorders. Antioxidants, v. 9, n. 8, p. 706, 2020.
INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE CÂNCER (INCA). Introdução. Estimativa – números de câncer. Brasília: INCA, 2022. Disponível em: https://www.gov.br/inca/pt-br/assuntos/cancer/numeros/estimativa/introducao. Acesso em: 01 ago. 2025.
KAPALA, A.; SZLENDAK, M.; MOTACKA, E. The anti-cancer activity of lycopene: a systematic review of human and animal studies. Nutrients, v. 14, n. 23, p. 5152, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235152. Disponível em: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9741066/. Acesso em: 20 out. 2025.
KIM, Min-Jung et al. Anticancer effect of lycopene in gastric carcinogenesis. Journal of Cancer Prevention, v. 20, n. 2, p. 92-97, 2015.
KOUL, A.; ARORA, N.; TANWAR, L. Lycopene mediated modulation of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced hepatic clastogenicity in male Balb/c mice. Nutrición Hospitalaria, v. 25, n. 2, p. 304–310, 2010. Disponível em: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20449542/. Acesso em: 10 ago. 2025.
LEMOS JÚNIOR, H. P.; LEMOS, A. L. A.; LEMOS, L. B. Licopeno. Diagnóstico & Tratamento, São Paulo, v. 16, n. 2, p. 71-74, 2011. Disponível em: https://docs.bvsalud.org/upload/S/1413-9979/2011/v16n2/a2052.pdf. Acesso em: 23 set. 2025.
MARZOCCO, S.; SINGLA, R. K.; CAPASSO, A. Multifaceted effects of lycopene: a boulevard to the multitarget-based treatment for cancer. Molecules, v. 26, n. 17, p. 5333, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26175333.
MONTEIRO, Cristiane Schüler et al. Qualidade nutricional e antioxidante do tomate “tipo italiano”. Alimentos e Nutrição Araraquara, v. 19, n. 1, p. 25-31, 2008.
MORITZ, Bettina; TRAMONTE, Vera Lúcia Cardoso. Biodisponibilidade do licopeno. Revista de Nutrição, v. 19, n. 2, p. 265-273, 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-52732006000200013. Acesso em: 02 mar. 2025.
ORGANIZAÇÃO MUNDIAL DA SAÚDE (OMS). Cancer: key facts. 2025. Disponível em: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer. Acesso em: 01 out. 2025.
ÖZKAN, Gülşah et al. A mechanistic updated overview on lycopene as potential anticancer agent. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, v. 167, 2023.
PALOZZA, Paola et al. Lycopene induces cell growth inhibition by altering mevalonate pathway and Ras signaling in cancer cell lines. Carcinogenesis, v. 31, n. 10, p. 1813-1821, 2010.
PUAH, Boon-Peng et al. New insights into molecular mechanism behind anti-cancer activities of lycopene. Molecules, v. 26, n. 13, p. 3888, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26133888.
RIBEIRO, A. A.; NARDOCCI, A. C. Desigualdades socioeconômicas na incidência e mortalidade por câncer: revisão de estudos ecológicos, 1998–2008. Saúde e Sociedade, v. 22, n. 3, p. 878–891, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902013000300020. Acesso em: 21 out. 2025.
RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA, D. B. Fontes brasileiras de carotenoides: tabela brasileira de composição de carotenoides em alimentos. Campinas: UNICAMP/NEPA, 2008. Disponível em: https://www.nepa.unicamp.br/tabela/. Acesso em: 19 ago. 2025.
SOARES, Nathalia da Costa Pereira; OLIVEIRA, Felipe Leite; BELLUCI, Ingrid Eliana Ferreira. Licopeno induz parada de ciclo celular e apoptose em linhagem humana de câncer de cólon. 2010. Disponível em: https://repositorio.ufba.br/ri/bitstream/ri/23065/1/1_v.12_2.pdf. Acesso em: 22 ago. 2025.
SOUZA, Marcela Tavares de; SILVA, Michelly Dias da; CARVALHO, Rachel de. Revisão integrativa: o que é e como fazer. Einstein, v. 8, n. 1, p. 102–106, 2010.
TEODORO, A. J. et al. Effect of lycopene on cell viability and cell cycle progression in human cancer cell lines. Cancer Cell International, v. 12, n. 36, p. 1-13, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2867-12-36. Acesso em: 13 set. 2025.
UENOJO, M.; MARÓSTICA JÚNIOR, M. R.; PASTORE, G. M. Carotenoides: propriedades, aplicações e biotransformação para formação de compostos de aroma. Química Nova, v. 30, n. 3, p. 616-622, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-40422007000300022. Acesso em: 15 set. 2025.
WEINBERG, R. A. A biologia do câncer. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 2008.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Patricia Louise Basta Kouwen, Nathália Reis Machado de Azevedo, Bruna Garcia Cappiluppi, Eliane da Silva de Jesus, Janaina Rodrigues Leite, Paula Alice Ventura Bortoloti, Meiriane de Almeida Lopes Capistrano, Fernanda Geny Calheiros Silva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors are copyright holders under a CCBY 4.0 license.
