英国研究人员在一项新研究中用实验证实了番茄红素的抗癌效果。由于人体摄入的番茄红素容易聚集在前列腺部位，研究人员认为多吃番茄有助于预防前列腺癌。
朴茨茅斯大学的研究人员在《英国营养学期刊》上报告说，他们在试管中培育了一些癌细胞组织，并测试了番茄红素对这些组织的影响。结果显示，多种癌细胞获取血液供应的方式都较相似，而番茄红素能够干扰这个过程，限制癌细胞的血液供应，这说明番茄红素能够起到较广泛的抗癌效果。
不过，番茄对癌症最有效的也许还是预防前列腺癌，因为研究人员发现，人们在食用番茄后，番茄红素聚集最多的地方就是前列腺组织。
研究人员马里杜拉·乔普拉说，番茄红素虽然能抗癌，但要在它容易抵达的部位才能发挥效果。本次研究显示，在试管中限制癌细胞生长所需的番茄红素浓度，通过食用番茄，可以轻易地在前列腺部位达到。
番茄红素是植物中含有的一种天然色素，它存在于许多水果和蔬菜中，如西瓜、葡萄、胡萝卜等，但还是以番茄中的含量最高，番茄之所以呈现出红色就是因为含有这种物质。
Lycopene inhibits angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and rat aortic rings
Elgass S, Cooper A, Chopra M.
Angiogenesis is important for tumour vascularisation and growth, and is therefore a promising target for cancer therapy. The present study reports inhibition of in vitro angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) as well as in rat aortic rings at physiological concentrations of lycopene, that is, 1-2 μmol/l. At a final concentration of 1·15 μmol/l, a significant reduction (P < 0·05) in network branching, that is, junction numbers, the number of tubules and tubule length, was observed in both HUVEC as well as in the rat aortic rings. The inhibitory effect of lycopene was independent of the presence of the pro-angiogenic agents, vascular endothelial growth factor and TNF-α. The anti-angiogenic effects of lycopene in the present study were shown at a concentration that should be achievable by dietary means. These results extend our knowledge of one of the putative anti-cancer actions of lycopene.
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