Arumugam Madan Kumar, Paal Matthew C, Donohue Terrence M, Ganesan Murali, Osna Natalia A, Kharbanda Kusum K
Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
Biology (Basel). 2021 May 22;10(6):456. doi: 10.3390/biology10060456.
Medicinal herbs and many food ingredients possess favorable biological properties that contribute to their therapeutic activities. One such natural product is betaine, a stable, nontoxic natural substance that is present in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Betaine is also endogenously synthesized through the metabolism of choline or exogenously consumed through dietary intake. Betaine mainly functions as (i) an osmolyte and (ii) a methyl-group donor. This review describes the major physiological effects of betaine in whole-body health and its ability to protect against both liver- as well as non-liver-related diseases and conditions. Betaine's role in preventing/attenuating both alcohol-induced and metabolic-associated liver diseases has been well studied and is extensively reviewed here. Several studies show that betaine protects against the development of alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, apoptosis, and accumulation of damaged proteins. Additionally, it can significantly prevent/attenuate progressive liver injury by preserving gut integrity and adipose function. The protective effects are primarily associated with the regulation of methionine metabolism through removing homocysteine and maintaining cellular SAM:SAH ratios. Similarly, betaine prevents metabolic-associated fatty liver disease and its progression. In addition, betaine has a neuroprotective role, preserves myocardial function, and prevents pancreatic steatosis. Betaine also attenuates oxidant stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammation, and cancer development. To conclude, betaine exerts significant therapeutic and biological effects that are potentially beneficial for alleviating a diverse number of human diseases and conditions.
草药和许多食物成分具有良好的生物学特性，这有助于它们发挥治疗作用。其中一种天然产物是甜菜碱，它是一种稳定、无毒的天然物质，存在于动物、植物和微生物中。甜菜碱也可通过胆碱代谢在内源性合成，或通过饮食摄入外源性获取。甜菜碱主要发挥以下两种功能：（i）作为一种渗透溶质；（ii）作为甲基供体。本综述描述了甜菜碱对全身健康的主要生理作用，以及它预防肝脏相关和非肝脏相关疾病及状况的能力。甜菜碱在预防/减轻酒精性肝病和代谢相关肝病方面的作用已得到充分研究，本文对此进行了广泛综述。多项研究表明，甜菜碱可预防酒精性肝脂肪变性、细胞凋亡和受损蛋白质的积累。此外，它可通过维持肠道完整性和脂肪功能，显著预防/减轻进行性肝损伤。这些保护作用主要与通过去除同型半胱氨酸和维持细胞内S-腺苷甲硫氨酸：S-腺苷高半胱氨酸比值来调节蛋氨酸代谢有关。同样，甜菜碱可预防代谢相关脂肪性肝病及其进展。此外，甜菜碱具有神经保护作用，可维持心肌功能，并预防胰腺脂肪变性。甜菜碱还可减轻氧化应激、内质网应激、炎症和癌症发展。总之，甜菜碱具有显著的治疗和生物学作用，可能有助于缓解多种人类疾病和状况。
