Licopeno e prevenção do câncer de próstata: Uma revisão integrativa

Currently, prostate cancer is an important public health problem, constituting one of the main types of cancer diagnosed in male patients, which is becoming the primary cause of morbidity and mortality. Studies have shown that habits and lifestyle, along with the installation of a framework of oxidative stress, are presented as important factors involved in the process of carcinogenesis. On the other hand, food habits has been considered an ally in cancer prevention through food groups with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties capable of acting as anticarcinogenic compounds, with lycopene being considered as a chemopreventive antioxidant. The present review summarizes some of the results relevant to the role of lycopene in the prevention of prostate cancer in the last 7 years. We have selected articles from the following databases: Scielo, Lilacs, BVS, PubMed, and MEDLINE. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 international articles were selected. In clinical reviews, clinical trials (in vivo and in vitro) have shown the influence of the supplementation and of the consumption of lycopene from different sources of tomato-based products and other food sources in the decrease in the cell viability of prostatic cells after treatment, in addition to an increase in apoptosis and in the regulation of transcriptional levels, indicating lycopene as an important phytochemical. However, future clinical trials with the use of lycopene should be carried out to enable accurate recommendations and to provide information on the adequate consumption and amount of this compound, so that it can be used for the prevention of prostate cancer