Genetically Engineered Tomatoes Decrease Plaque Build-Up in Mice

According to Science Daily, researchers have genetically engineered tomatoes so they decrease plaque build up in mice. The mice that ate the engineered tomatoes had less inflammation and reduced atherosclerosis. The plants produced a peptide that mimics the action of good cholesterol when it is consumed.The peptide used was 6F. 6F is a small peptide that acts the same as the protein ApoA-1, the chief protein in high density lipoprotein. The tomatoes were not given to just any mice. They were given to mice that can't remove the low density lipoprotein and are unable to produce inflammation.

The mice showed lower blood levels of inflammation, higher paraoxonase activity, an anti-oxidant enzyme associated with good cholesterol and related to a lower risk of heart disease, higher levels of good cholesterol, decreased lysophosphatidic acid, a tumor promoter that accelerates plaque build-up in arteries in animal models and less plaque. This is the first time that a plant was engineered to produce such effects without total isolation. The mice were not hurt during this study.