Lycopene and memory in aged mice
What it found
In aged mice, lycopene supplements improved memory and learning in behavioural tests and reduced signs of brain damage, oxidative stress and inflammation.
The study was in animals, not people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Memory and learning
In behavioural tests, aged mice given lycopene for a long time showed less age-related memory loss and fewer cognitive problems than untreated mice.
Brain cell damage
Brain tissue from the treated mice showed less age-related damage to neurons and fewer problems with synapses, the connections between brain cells.
Oxidative stress
Lycopene lowered malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, and raised glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity, along with the mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes heme oxygenase 1 and NAD-(P)-H-quinone oxidoreductase-1.
Brain inflammation
Lycopene reduced age-related neuroinflammation by inhibiting microgliosis (Iba-1) and lowering related inflammatory mediators.
Amyloid beta build-up
Lycopene lowered the build-up of Aβ 1-42 in the brains of the aged mice.
What the authors conclude
“LYC has the potential for use in the treatment of several age-associated chronic diseases.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that lycopene has the potential for use in the treatment of several age-associated chronic diseases.
How it was done
The authors note that lycopene has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, and wanted to see whether it could help with age-related cognitive decline.
They gave aged CD-1 mice lycopene as a dietary supplement over a long period, then ran behavioural tests and examined their brain tissue.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are animal studies. They can't show what happens in people.
- The study did not test whether lycopene prevents or treats memory problems in people.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Northwest A&F University, China
The paper
- Title
- Lycopene Supplementation Attenuates Oxidative Stress, Neuroinflammation, and Cognitive Impairment in Aged CD-1 Mice
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Zhao B, Liu H, Wang J, et al (2018). Lycopene Supplementation Attenuates Oxidative Stress, Neuroinflammation, and Cognitive Impairment in Aged CD-1 Mice. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05770PubMed 29509007DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error