Betanin: a promising molecule for biomedical applications

Plants with medicinal properties possess beneficial influences on health and disease. Different plant parts and extracts carry valuable active ingredients with pharmacological properties that lead to developing new drugs. Terminalia bellirica is among those plants that have been formulated as pharmaceutical products. This is attributed to its biologically active phenolics and tannins exhibiting analgesic, anti-hypertensive, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, as well as, other pharmacological properties. Beetroot has been shown to be rich in nitrates with a positive impact on the cardiovascular system. Beetroot contains a number of useful ingredients as the free-radical scavenger ascorbic acid, the anti-inflammatory flavonoids and the anti-oxidant carotenoids. Moreover, beetroot is rich in the natural colorant betalains that are further classified into betacyanins and betaxanthins. Betanin, is one of the major constituents of beetroots that have been postulated to possess significant beneficial therapeutic effects in a number of conditions and diseases. However, several studies have demonstrated the relatively poor bioavailability of betanin upon oral administration. In the current review we aim to highlight some of the latest researches dealing with the therapeutic properties of betanin in different disease conditions, the possible mechanistic pathways beyond such beneficial effects and plausible strategies capable of enhancing its stability and bioavailability.