Lycopene inhibits ER stress and apoptosis while modulating PI3K/AKT and enhancing antioxidant and anti-apoptotic proteins.

ABSTRACT: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical clinical syndrome with limited therapeutic options. This study investigated the renoprotective effects of lycopene, a potent antioxidant, in both in vivo and in vitro AKI models. In a murine cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis-AKI model, pretreatment with lycopene (10, 20, 40 mg/kg) dose-dependently ameliorated renal histopathological damage (HE staining) and restored serum biomarkers (AST, ALT, BUN, CREA). Mechanistically, lycopene suppressed oxidative stress and apoptosis by downregulating the PI3K/Akt axis: it significantly reversed the CLP-induced upregulating of p-PI3K and p-Akt, and the pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, Cleaved Caspase-3), while increasing Nrf 2 and SOD1. Consistent results were observed in LPS- and H₂O₂-induced cellula

SUBMITTER: Zheng L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12725552 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature