Zhang Ying, Ke Zhaojuan, Luo Jie, Chen Qibin, Jiang Xin, Xiong Jialin, Deng Linya
Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Curr Neuropharmacol. 2025 Aug 8. doi: 10.2174/011570159X375540250718094903.
Neurological and psychiatric diseases pose a considerable global burden. Exploring additional potential prevention strategies and therapies is ongoing. As a prevalent natural product and nutraceutical from food, betaine's pharmaceutical applications suggest benefits for both health and disease in multiple organs. Recently, its efficacy on neurological and psychiatric health has been proposed and has drawn considerable attention. This review aims to provide an updated, critical, and comprehensive profile of the promising medicinal roles of betaine in these diseases. In addition to its well-known osmotic protection, due to methyl donation, it regulates metabolism, alleviates oxidative stress, and reduces inflammation. To manifest neurological and psychiatric health benefits, betaine acts by affecting gamma-aminobutyric acid associated with its transporters, related neurotransmitters, downstream and neurological pathways, and other specific mechanisms in the nervous system. Betaine demonstrates therapeutic potential against various neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as epilepsy, neurocognitive disorders (including Alzheimer's disease), Parkinson's disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, sleep disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome, syringomyelia, neonatal brain injury, neuropathic pain, and motor dysfunction. Despite the promising role of betaine in the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of neuropsychiatric disorders, much of the present evidence appears to be fragmentary. Further studies elucidating the underlying mechanisms and direct clinical applications are required to obtain a deeper understanding of betaine and its underutilized potential. Overall, this review highlights the potential of betaine as a promising agent with benefits for neurological and psychiatric diseases, aiming to offer clues to advance this field.
神经和精神疾病给全球带来了相当大的负担。对更多潜在预防策略和治疗方法的探索正在进行中。作为一种常见的天然产物和食品营养剂，甜菜碱的药物应用表明其对多个器官的健康和疾病都有益处。最近，其对神经和精神健康的功效已被提出并引起了广泛关注。本综述旨在提供关于甜菜碱在这些疾病中具有前景的药用作用的最新、批判性和全面概述。除了其众所周知的渗透保护作用外，由于其提供甲基，它还能调节新陈代谢、减轻氧化应激并减少炎症。为了展现对神经和精神健康的益处，甜菜碱通过影响与其转运体相关的γ-氨基丁酸、相关神经递质、下游神经通路以及神经系统中的其他特定机制来发挥作用。甜菜碱对多种神经和精神疾病具有治疗潜力，如癫痫、神经认知障碍（包括阿尔茨海默病）、帕金森病、中风、多发性硬化症、创伤性脑损伤、抑郁症、焦虑症、精神分裂症、自闭症谱系障碍、睡眠障碍、胎儿酒精综合征、脊髓空洞症、新生儿脑损伤、神经性疼痛和运动功能障碍。尽管甜菜碱在神经精神疾病的治疗、诊断和预防方面具有前景，但目前的许多证据似乎是零散的。需要进一步的研究来阐明其潜在机制并进行直接的临床应用，以便更深入地了解甜菜碱及其未被充分利用的潜力。总体而言，本综述强调了甜菜碱作为一种对神经和精神疾病有益的有前景药物的潜力，旨在为推动该领域发展提供线索。
