Research progress in pharmacological effects of polyphenols in Areca catechu L / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

ABSTRACT

Betel nut is the dry and mature seed of Areca catechu L., which is originated in Malaysia and cultivated in Yunnan, Hainan and Taiwan and other tropical areas of China. It is also known as big belly, binmen, olive seed, green seed and so on. Betel nut is a dual-use resource for medicine and food, which was first contained in LI Dang's Pharma?ceutical Record. Betel nut tastes bitter, pungent, warm in nature, and belongs to the stomach and large intestine meridian. It contains a variety of chemical components such as alkaloids, phenolic compounds, polysaccharides, fatty acids, amino acids, flavonoids, minerals, terpenoids, and steroids. It has the advantages of promoting digestion, lowering blood pres?sure, anti-depression, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, and anti-parasites, antibacterial and other activities. The content of total phenols in fresh fruits of areca nut was 31.1％, mainly including catechin, isorhamnetin, chrysopanthoxanthin, luteolin, tannin and other polyphenols. The commonly used methods for determination of polyphenols in areca are vanil?lin titration potassium permanganate titration and potassium ferricyanide spectrophotometry. The main activities and mechanisms of areca polyphenols include: ① Antidepressant effect: polyphenols bind to monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) receptors that inhibit the production of neurotransmitters, thereby increasing the content of amine transmitters in the brain and playing a therapeutic effect on depression. ② Antioxidant effect: polyphenols contain multiple adjacent hydroxyl groups, which are easily oxidized and can effectively remove superoxide anion free radical, hydroxyl free radi?cal, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, showing good antioxidant activity.③Bacteriostatic effect:polyphenols can spe?cifically bind to the surface of bacteria, thus achieving bacteriostatic effect. Studies have found that betel nut polyphenols have varying degrees of inhibitory effects on a variety of bacteria. ④ Inducing apoptosis of lymphocytes: polyphenols deplete the mercaptan in lymphocytes and make them unable to survive, thus inducing apoptosis of lymphocytes.⑤Anti-aging effect: polyphenols have the effect of anti-hyaluronidase and anti-elastase, so as to protect elastin fiber and pro?mote collagen synthesis.⑥Anti-allergic effect:studies have found that polyphenols can reduce ovalbumin induced aller?gic reactions.⑦Other functions:betel nut can freshen breath, eliminate bad breath, and resist the activity of cobra venom. At present, domestic and foreign scholars' research on betel nut mainly focuses on arecoline and its carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, effects on reproductive function, addiction and toxicity to the nervous system, and there are few studies on the positive effects of betel nut, especially on it. There is less research on phenolic ingredients. Therefore, this article reviews the polyphenolic chemical constituents of betel nut, and fully excavates its pharmacological activity to provide a reasonable basis for the scientific use of betel nut.