In the present study, MPTP treatment decreased the expression of bcl-2 and increased cyto-c release with increased expressions of bax, caspases-3, 8 and 9 [19], thereby favoring apoptosis. Fujita et al. [8] reported that the administration of lycopene inhibits ischemia/reperfusion-induced neuronal apoptosis in ger- bil hippocampal tissue by enhancing bcl-2 and diminishing caspase 3 levels. The dosage of 10mg/kg of the lycopene, which markedly exceeds the estimated daily intake of humans (0.5–27 mg/person/day), even no toxic effects were observed in rats that were orally administered with 2000 mg/kg/day [12].