It has been suggested that lycopene, the major carotenoid
found in tomato, exhibits health-beneficial effects
by virtue of its antioxidant activity. However, recent literature
suggests that lycopene can actually \u201cperform\u201d
roles independent of such capacity and involving a direct
modulation of redox signalling. Reactive oxygen
species are known to act as second messengers in the
modulation of cellular signalling leading to gene expression
changes and pharmacological responses. Lycopene
may control redox-sensitive molecular targets, affecting
enzyme activities and expressions and modulating the
activation of MAPKs and transcription factors, such as
NF-\u3baB and AP-1, Nrf2
