Isolation, characterization and docking analysis of lycopene from Solanum lycopersicum and Daucus carota

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a berry type fruits and red carrot (Daucus carota) is a root vegetable which have essential micronutrient for the human diet. Carotenoids, polyphenols and vitamins present in tomato and red carrot act as antioxidants, anticarcinogens, and well known to promote human health and is considered as a vital functional food. Lycopene is a main carotenoid in tomatoes and red carrot, accountable for the red color of tomatoes and carrot. Lycopene can trap singlet oxygen and reduce mutagenesis. Lycopene reveals important role in a number of chronic diseases such as cancer. The present study was aimed to characterize, compare and evaluate the lycopene content in tomatoes and carrots and determine, red carrots can be an alternative source of lycopene because fresh tomatoes have a shorter shelf life than carrot. The molecular docking is presented between lycopene and Human homooxygenase enzyme-1 (HO-1) that potentiate it as a suitable antioxidant molecule.