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Review
. 2024 Feb 8;17(2):228.
doi: 10.3390/ph17020228.

Biological Effects and Biomedical Applications of Areca Nut and Its Extract

Ting Tong  1 , Aiqing Xu  1 , Shuhua Tan  1 , Hengzhi Jiang  1 , Lixin Liu  1 , Senwen Deng  1 , Haihua Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Biological Effects and Biomedical Applications of Areca Nut and Its Extract

Ting Tong et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

The dried, mature fruit of the palm tree species Areca catechu L. is known as the areca nut (AN) or betel nut. It is widely cultivated in the tropical regions. In many nations, AN is utilized for traditional herbal treatments or social activities. AN has historically been used to address various health issues, such as diarrhea, arthritis, dyspepsia, malaria, and so on. In this review, we have conducted a comprehensive summary of the biological effects and biomedical applications of AN and its extracts. Initially, we provided an overview of the constituents in AN extract. Subsequently, we summarized the biological effects of AN and its extracts on the digestive system, nervous system, and circulatory system. And we elucidated the contributions of AN and its extracts in antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial applications. Finally, we have discussed the challenges and future perspectives regarding the utilization of AN and its extracts as emerging pharmaceuticals or valuable adjuncts within the pharmaceutical field.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory activity; antibacterial activity; antidepressant activity; antioxidant activity; areca nut; betel nut; toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 7
Figure 7
Schematic illustration of antimicrobial activity of ANE.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Areca nuts and their use in traditional Chinese medicines. (a) Fresh betel nuts. (b) Transverse and longitudinal section views of fresh betel nut [2], Copyright 2021 Wiley-VCH. (c) Sliced kernels of dried betel nut (semen arecae); longitudinal cut image of fresh betel nut fruit that has lost a certain amount of moisture. (d) Dry, peeled areca pericarp.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The main bioactive phytoconstituents of areca nut.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic illustration of antidepressant activity of ANE.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic illustration of anti-inflammatory activity of ANE.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Areca nut seed polyphenol (ACP) induce the proliferation, differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts in vitro. (a) (i) Effect of areca nut seed polyphenol (ACP) on proliferation, (ii) alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, (iii) collagen type I (COL-I) content, (iv) osteocalcin (OCN) content of pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1. (b) (i) Effect of ACP on mineralized nodules of pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1, Image of MC3T3-E1 stained with 1% Alizarin Red S solution. (ii) Graph showing semi-quantitative experimental results. [84]. Copyright 2021 American Chemical Society. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic illustration of antioxidant activity of ANE. (a) The process of normal cells oxidized by a high level of ROS. (b) The process of normal cells oxidized with a low level of ROS scavenged by ANE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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