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新的研究揭示了番茄红素如何恢复大脑健康和对抗抑郁症
诸平
据威利公司（WILEY）2025年2月4日提供的消息,新的研究揭示了番茄红素(Lycopene)如何恢复大脑健康和对抗抑郁症（New Research Reveals How Lycopene Revitalizes Brain Health and Fights Depression）。
番茄红素是一种在番茄和其他红色水果中发现的植物源化合物，有望成为一种天然抗抑郁药。（Lycopene, a plant-derived compound found in tomatoes and other red fruits, is showing promise as a natural antidepressant.）
研究人员发现，番茄红素可以提高脑源性神经营养因子（brain-derived neurotrophic factor简称BDNF）的表达，这是一种与大脑健康有关的关键蛋白质，在抑郁症中似乎被抑制。
番茄红素作为抗抑郁药的潜力（Lycopene’s Potential as an Antidepressant）
最新研究表明，植物中的天然化合物番茄红素可能具有抗抑郁作用。2025年1月22日发表在《食品科学与营养》(Food Science & Nutrition)杂志上的一项新研究）——Heyan Xu, Yuna Wang, Dandan Geng, Fengming Chen, Yujia Chen, Lisa Cynthia Niwenahisemo, Lei Shi, Ning Du, Ziqiang He, Xiaoming Xu, Li Kuang. Lycopene Alleviates Depression-Like Behavior in Chronic Social Defeat Stress-Induced Mice by Promoting Synaptic Plasticity via the BDNF–TrkB Pathway. Food Science & Nutrition, 2025, 13(1): e70003. DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.70003. Epub. 22 January 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11751711/. 此文探索番茄红素如何影响大脑功能，从而抵消抑郁症状。
参与此项研究的有来自中国重庆医科大学第一附属医院(Psychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University Chongqing China; Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China)、中国重庆医科大学大学城医院（Medical Sciences Research Center, University-Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China）、中国十堰的湖北中医药大学附属十堰医院（Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Shiyan Hospital Shiyan China）、中国重庆邮电大学(School of Communications and Information Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications Chongqing China)的研究人员。
在表现出类似抑郁行为的老鼠身上，研究人员观察到海马体（hippocampus）受损，海马体是大脑中对记忆和情绪调节至关重要的区域。用番茄红素治疗减少了这些损伤，并改善了小鼠的行为。
用BDNF促进大脑功能（Boosting Brain Function with BDNF）
进一步的分析表明，番茄红素增加了脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的水平，这是一种对大脑功能、学习和记忆至关重要的蛋白质。研究发现，在患有抑郁症的小鼠中，涉及BDNF的关键信号通路（称为BDNF- TrkB通路）被抑制。番茄红素治疗有助于恢复这一途径，潜在地改善神经交流和大脑健康。
作者写道，“这项研究为开发新的抗抑郁疗法提供了一条有效的途径。我们计划在未来的研究中进行进一步的验证，并将多个脑区纳入我们的研究之列。”
本研究得到了中国重庆市卫生局（Chongqing Municipal Public Health Bureau, Chongqing, China）和中国重庆市人民政府重庆人才计划｛Chongqing Talent Program (CQYC202110203105), Chongqing People's Municipal Government, Chongqing, China}的资助。
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Lycopene is a natural plant extract widely studied for its powerful antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. Emerging evidence suggests that it also possesses potential antidepressant properties. Compared to commonly used clinical antidepressants, lycopene offers higher safety; however, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the mechanisms through which lycopene exerts its antidepressant effects. We employed the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) model to induce depressive-like behaviors in mice, followed by lycopene treatment (20 mg/kg). Based on previous research, we focused on synaptic plasticity by examining the expression of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus to uncover potential mechanisms. The results showed that CSDS induced synaptic plasticity impairments in the hippocampus but lycopene treatment significantly improved these synaptic deficits and reversed the depressive-like behaviors induced by CSDS. Moreover, lycopene treatment upregulated the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and reduced the activity of BDNF-TrkB/pTrkB pathway in the hippocampus. These molecular changes were consistent with changes in synaptic-related proteins, suggesting that lycopene may enhance synaptic plasticity via the BDNF-TrkB/pTrkB signaling pathway. This study explored the mechanisms underlying depressive-like behaviors induced by CSDS in mice and provided preclinical evidence that lycopene may serve as a potential antidepressant. It offers an effective avenue for the development of novel antidepressant therapies.
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