Summary

Tamatar is a commonly available vegetable(fruit) which belongs to the family Solanaceae. Its fruits are a rich source of carotenoids (Lycopene), flavonoids (Kaempferol, Quercetin) and phenolics (Chlorogenic acid). The consumption of tomatoes enhances innate immunity by promoting the activity of natural killer cells and lymphocytes,which releases anti-proliferative cytokines like TNF-α, IL-8, IL-2. Mode of Consumption : Fried, cooked, and roasted (bharta), raw as salad

Plant Details/ Agro-climatic Zone/ Vernacular Name

Plant Details	Agro-climatic Zone	Vernacular Names	Pictures
Scientific Name: Solanum lycopersicum L. Family: Solanaceae Juss. Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Genus: Solanum L. Fruiting Season: All round the year Parts: Fruit	The Eastern Coastal Region The North-Eastern Hill Region The Middle Ganga Plain Region North-Western Mountain Region The Deccan Interior Region & The Western Coastal Region The Western Coastal Region The South-Eastern Plateau Region & The Eastern Coastal Region The Deccan Interior Region & The Eastern Coastal Region The Upper Ganga Plain Region & The Middle Ganga Plain Region The Upper Ganga Plain Region	Andhra Pradesh : Tamota Arunachal Pradesh : Bor bilahi, Bilahi Assam : Bilahi Bihar : Tamatar Himachal Pradesh : Tamatar Karnataka : Takkaali, Tometo Kerala : Takkali Manipur : Khamen asinba Mizoram : Sapbawkbawn Nagaland : Bengeno, Bengenuo, Bienyieno Punjab : Tamatar Tamil Nadu : Thakkali Uttar Pradesh : Tamatar Uttarakhand : Tamatar	Fruit Fruit

Immunomodulatory Activity

Compound/Extract	Activity	Mode of Action	Marker/References
Lycopene	Immunomodulatory	Lycopene significantly inhibited CD69 expression (by up to 12%) as well as IL-2 secretion (by up to 29%) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.	CD69 and IL-2^[1]
Lycopene	Anti-inflammatory	Lycopene inhibited LPS-induced production of NO and IL-6 with decreased mRNAs of iNOS and IL-6 in macrophages.	NO, IL-6, iNOS, and IL-6^[2]
Lycopene	Anti-inflammatory	Lycopene inhibited the inflammatory response of RAW 264.7 cells to LPS through inhibiting ERK/p38 MAP kinase and NF-κB pathway.	ERK/p38 MAPK, and NF-κB ^[2]
Seed oil	Anti-inflammatory	Tomato seed oil enhanced β-oxidation by increasing the expression of CPT1A, ACADL and PPAR-α, subsequently reducing plasma lipid levels.	CPT1A, ACADL and PPAR-α^[5]
	Antioxidant	Reduced spontaneous and H2O2- induced oxidative stress in THP-1 human macrophages by downregulating phosphorylation of the MAPK ERK1/2, JNK, and p-38, activation of the redox-sensitive NF-κB, and expression of the heat shock proteins 70 and 90 and downregulated ROS production.	H2O2-, MAPK ERK1/2, JNK,, p-38, NF-κB, and ROS^[5]
Fruit	Anti-inflammatory	Tomato consumption showed reduction in IL-6.	IL-6^[6]
Juice	Anti-inflammatory	Tomato juice significantly decreased serum concentrations of IL-8 and TNF-α compared with baseline and with control group (humans age between 20 and 40 years).	IL-8 and TNF-α^[7]
Juice	Immunomodulatory	Tomato juice consumption for 2 weeks increased IL-4 secretion capacity of PBMC.	IL-4^[8]
Lycopene	Immunomodulatory	Lycopene significantly inhibited the expression of an early marker of activation, CD69, as well as IL-2 secretion.	CD69 and IL-2^[9]
Drink	Anti-inflammatory	Tomato Juice helps enhancing lytic activity in NK cells, proliferation of lymphocytes which later releases TNF-α, IL-8, IL-2 and β-Carotene which gets converted to Retinol(Vit-A) which further helps to scavenge free radicals.	NK cells, TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-2^[10]
Lycopene	Anticancer	Lycopene selectively inhibited MCF-7 breast cancer cells but not MCF-10 normal mammary epithelial cells.	^[11]
Lycopene	Immunomodulatory	The cardioprotective effect of lycopene on induced oxidative stress and heart lysosomal damage in rats was accompanied by up-regulation of IL-12 and IFN-γ.	IL-12 and IFN-γ^[11]
Tomatidine	Anti-inflammatory	Tomatidine decreased iNOS and COX-2 expression through suppression of I-kBα phosphorylation, NF-κB nuclear translocation, and JNK activation in LPS-stimulated macrophages.	iNOS, COX-2, I-kBα, NF-κB, and JNK^[11]
Carotenoid	Anticancer	An analysis of prospective cohort studies on the relationship between carotenoids and breast cancer (3055 case subjects and 3956 matched controls) suggested that women with higher circulating levels of carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein + zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids) possibly experience reduced risk of breast cancer.	^[11]
Polysaccharide	Anti-inflammatory	Polysaccharide inhibited NF-κB activation and iNOS gene expression by preventing the reactive species production in LPS-Stimulated J774 Macrophages.	NF-κB and iNOS^[12]
Oleoresin	Anti-inflammatory	Oleoresin inhibited NF-κB in transfected EA.hy926 cells.	NF-κB^[14]
Fruit powder	Immunoboosting	Tomato powder enhanced cell‐mediated and humoral immune responses through a significant increase in phagocytosis, chemotaxis, and levels of immunoglobulins (TIg, IgG, IgM and IgA) in rabbits.	TIg, IgG, IgM and IgA^[15]
Tomato juice	Immunomodulatory	Tomato Juice increases secretion of IL-2 in PBMC and also increases proliferation of Lymphocytes.	IL-2 and Lymphocytes^[16]
Lycopene, a-tocopherol, ascorbic acid	Anti-inflammatory	Lycopene, a-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and the mixture of these three bioactives reduced the release of TNF-α and IL-8, and stimulated the release of IL-10.	TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-10^[17]
Aqueous extract	Anti-inflammatory	Aqueous extract and ferulic acid presented inhibitory activity on the expression of TNF-α and IL-1β cytokine by inhibiting the NF-κB activation.	TNF-α, IL-1β, and NF-κB^[18]
	Antioxidant	Antioxidant activity (AA) in fresh tomatoes was decreased by boiling. A number of studies indicate that the content of carotenoids and vitamin C may be negatively affected by various cooking methods such as boiling, frying, drying, and microwaving.	^[20]

Metabolites

Major Class	Metabolites (Content of bioactives: mg/100g Fresh Weight)
Carboxylic Acid	Chlorogenic acid: 17.9 mg/100g^[4]
Carotenoid	Lycopene: 9.25 mg/100g^[4]
Flavonoid	Kaempferol: 6.67 mg/100g, Naringenin: 0.7, Quercetin: 4.76 mg/100g^[4]
Glycosides	Tomatidine: ^[11]

Prebiotic Activity

Effect	Observation	DOI
Human clinical studies	Significant modification in quality and quantity of gut microbiota (Decreased count in Bacteroides, Ruminococccus, and Hungatella related OTUs, as well as increased count of Alistipes)	DOI: 10.1039/C7FO00393E
Human clinical studies	Decreased counts of Bacteroides, Ruminococccus, and Hungatella and increased Alistipes counts	DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2022.11.009

Traditional Knowledge Digital Library(TKDL)

Disease	Formulation	Reference	Author	TKDL
Gonorrhoea, Urethral Ulcer, Vesical Irritability, Anuria / Suppression of urine, Renal ulcers, and Ulcer/Ulcers, of Urinary bladder	Banadiq -ul-buzoor	Quaraabaadeen Najm-al-Ghani	Mohammad Najmul Ghani Khan	Unani
Burning micturition(Hurqat-al-Baul), Gonorrhoea (Suzaak), Urethral Ulcer(Qurooh-e- Majraa-e- Qazeeb), Vesical Irritability(Jarab-e-Masaanah), Anuria / Suppression of urine(Ihtibaas-e-Baul), Renal ulcers(Qurooh-e-Kulyah)	Banadiq-ul-buzoor	Quaraabaadeen Najm-al-Ghani	Mohammad Najmul Ghani Khan, Munshi Nawal Kishore, Lucknow, (Second Edition) 1929	Unani
Treatment of Headache, due to Coryza and catarrh, and Headache, with Vertigo	Qurs-e-musallas	Quaraabaadeen Najm-al-Ghani	Mohammad Najmul Ghani Khan	Unani
Headache (Suda'), Coryza and catarrh(Nazla Zukaam), Headache (Suda'), Vertigo(Sadar)	Qurs-e-musallas	Quaraabaadeen Najm-al-Ghani	Mohammad Najmul Ghani Khan, Munshi Nawal Kishore, Lucknow, (Second Edition) 1928	Unani

Information compiled from Wealth of India

Information from Wealth of India	Reference
Fresh ripe fruits are refreshing and appetizing and are consumed raw in salads or after cooking while unripe fruits are cooked and eaten. Tomatoes are eaten also in the form of juice, puree, paste, ketchup, sauce, soup and powder. The principal organic acid present in tomato fruit is citric acid whereas, malic acid also occurs in appreciable ammounts.	CSIR(1962).The Wealth of India, Raw materials,Vol.-VI ,P.187-196, New Delhi, India

FSSAI Category

4.2, 04.2.1, 04.2.1.1, 04.2.1.3, 04.2.2, 04.2.2.3, 04.2.2.5, 04.2.2.6, 04.2.2.8, 12, 14.1.2, 14.1.2.2

Forbidden Combination

Combination of tomato with fruits like cucumber, melon, and dairy products are not compatible.

References