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Betalains are natural coloring pigments with betalamic acid as the core structure of all subclasses. Besides their coloring properties, betalains exhibit various biological activities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which are highly imperative. Further in-vivo studies reported that betalains protect various body organs, leading to health enhancement. Body organs, including the heart, liver, kidney, lung, etc., are important for a healthy life. However, these organs can be affected or damaged by various stress factors, toxicants, and harmful substances. Recent studies have claimed that betalains could protect all vital organs of the body through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. This review article described the in-vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of betalains in various cell-line or animal models. A comprehensive discussion has been provided on the mechanism of action of betalains in protecting various body organs, including cardio-protective effect, hepato-protective ability, renal protection capacity, repro-protective ability, neuro-protective effect, lung protection, and gut protection ability. Finally, future research directions and conclusions have been outlined.


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Betalains protect various body organs through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways

Show Author's information Nilesh Prakash Nirmala,( )Seema MedheaMerina DahalbPankaj KoiralaaSiriwan NirmalcFahad Al-AsmaridBaojun Xue( )
Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Central Campus of Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 46000, Nepal
Department of Adult Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Burapha University, Chonburi 20131, Thailand
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Food Science and Technology Program, Department of Life Sciences, BNU-HKBU United International College, Zhuhai 519088, China

Peer review under responsibility of Tsinghua University Press.

Abstract

Betalains are natural coloring pigments with betalamic acid as the core structure of all subclasses. Besides their coloring properties, betalains exhibit various biological activities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which are highly imperative. Further in-vivo studies reported that betalains protect various body organs, leading to health enhancement. Body organs, including the heart, liver, kidney, lung, etc., are important for a healthy life. However, these organs can be affected or damaged by various stress factors, toxicants, and harmful substances. Recent studies have claimed that betalains could protect all vital organs of the body through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. This review article described the in-vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of betalains in various cell-line or animal models. A comprehensive discussion has been provided on the mechanism of action of betalains in protecting various body organs, including cardio-protective effect, hepato-protective ability, renal protection capacity, repro-protective ability, neuro-protective effect, lung protection, and gut protection ability. Finally, future research directions and conclusions have been outlined.

Keywords: Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, Bioactivities, Betalains, Ogans-protection

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Publication history

Received: 28 November 2022
Revised: 23 December 2022
Accepted: 10 January 2023
Published: 08 February 2024
Issue date: May 2024

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© 2024 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Publishing services by Tsinghua University Press.

Acknowledgements

This research is supported by Mahidol University, Thailand.

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This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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