"Lycopene: A Promising Antioxidant"

Abstract

Lycopene is a red colored fat soluble carotenoid, which gives tomatoes and several other fruits their deep red colour. It has shown potential role in prevention and cure of various systemic and oral diseases including malignancies due to its antioxidant and other cancer preventing properties. Lycopene with its 11 conjugated and 2 non conjugated double bonds is the most efficient singIet oxygen quencher and is considered most potent antioxidant among carotenoids. It has shown to be efficient in the management of oral cancer and precancer like leukoplakia and has shown the potential in the management of other oral mucosal lesions thought to arise due to free radical onslaught such as oral lichen planes.

Keywords

• Lycopene; Antioxidants; Free radicals; oral Cancer; oral lichen planus; Oral Ieukoplakia