Is there any effect of lycopene’s preventing peritoneal adhesion formation in rats: an experimental study

Objective: Effects of lycopene in prevention of intra-abdominal adhesion formation in a rat model. Methods: Twenty-eight rats were divided into four groups consisting of 7 rats each. Group 1 (only adhesion), Group 2 (adhesion + corn oil), Group 3 (adhesion + 5 mg/kg lycopene), Group 4 (adhesion + 20 mg/kg lycopene). Adhesion score, histopathology, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) H-score, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity, and VEGF values were measured. Results: There were significantly higher extent, severity, degree, and total adhesion scores in the control and corn-oil group than in the low lycopene and high lycopene group. VEGF H-scores were significantly lower in lycopene-given groups, regardless of dose. When the low lycopene and high lycopene groups were compared in terms of anti-VEGF H-score, no significant difference was observed. Malondialdehyde levels were statistically significantly lower in the control and high lycopene group. Conclusions: Biochemical parameters, histopathological examination, and adhesion scoring revealed that lycopene significantly reduced adhesion formation.