Tomato Consumption Mitigates Diet-induced Obesity in Zebrafish

With the prevalence of obesity increasing worldwide, it is crucial to develop dietary interventions to treat and prevent this disease. Obesity, a condition of excess body fat, is associated with hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. The molecular mechanisms of these complications remain incompletely understood. In alignment with findings from other research groups, we previously demonstrated that administering dietary estrogen (β-estradiol) supplements prevents obesity onset in both male and female zebrafish. These findings are due in part to alterations in hepatic cholesterol metabolism. Recognizing that estrogen supplements are not an appropriate preventative for obesity, our current study aims to identify dietary interventions that alter hepatic cholesterol synthesis via a similar mechanism as dietary estrogen supplementation. It has been previously published that consuming tomatoes can alter expression levels of genes mediated by β-estradiol. From a mixed-sex study, we report that zebrafish consuming a high fat diet supplemented with a cherry tomato extract are more effectively protected from weight gain than zebrafish consuming a high fat diet supplemented with β-estradiol. We hypothesize that this protective mechanism may be due in part to the anti-inflammatory properties of lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid that is highly abundant in tomatoes. Male zebrafish fed a high fat diet supplemented with both β-estradiol and lycopene exhibit statistically significantly reduced blood glucose levels relative to fish consuming a control diet. These results suggest that lycopene consumption may be improving hepatic lipid metabolism. Over the coming months, liver samples will be collected for expression analysis of genes involved in hepatic cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory response. This research is supported by internal funds through Roanoke College and Northern State University. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.