The anticarcinogenic effect of tomato juice, a natural source of antioxidants and other chemopreventive /
antimutagenic agents, was studied in a skin carcinogenesis model in mice. The possible mode of action was also
investigated. Oral administration of tomato juice afforded protection from development of skin tumour and increased
life expectancy which may be attributed to the combined action of a number of chemical compounds with cancer
chemopreventive properties present in tomato. The protective role may be associated with a decreased level of lipid
peroxides noted in the tomato treated group and modulation of host detoxification enzymes. Exposure to the carcinogen
resulted in a depression of the liver enzymes- glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and
superoxide dismutase (SOD). Oral administration of tomato juice resulted in significant activation of all these enzymes
(p