The effect of betanin on a rat paraquat-induced acute lung injury (ALI) model was investigated. Paraquat was injected intraperitoneally at a single dose of 20 mg/kg body weight, and betanin (25 and 100 mg/kg/d) was orally administered 3 days before and 2 days after paraquat administration. Rats were sacrificed 24 hours after the last betanin dosage, and lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fl...

The present study aimed to investigate betanin ameliorates isoproterenol-induced AMI through iNOS, inflammation, oxidative stress-myeloperoxidase (MPO)/low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in rat. Cardiovascular diseases CVD is considered as the first killer of human beings. The major pathogenesis of malignant cardiovascular events is chronic heart failure caused by acute myocardial infarction (AMI). ...

Production of nitrogen dioxide by the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the presence of nitrite is now considered a key step in the pathophysiology of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. This study shows that betanin, a phytochemical of the betalain class, inhibits the production of lipid hydroperoxides in human LDL submitted to a MPO/nitrite-induced oxidation. Kinetic measurements incl...

Betanin is the best known natural dye belonging to the betacyanin family. In this work, efficient singlet oxygen quenching by betanin in deuterated water with the rate constant 1.20 ± 0.15 × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) is reported, deduced from the (1)O2 phosphorescence decays measured as a function of betanin concentration. The quenching occurs by a chemical mechanism, as confirmed by the analysis of th...

In the present study, the pH-dependent free radical-scavenging activity of betanin in the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay was determined. It was found that at a pH > 4 betanin is about 1.5-2.0-fold more active than some anthocyanins considered very good free radical scavengers as determined in the TEAC assay. The increase in the TEAC values of betanin with increasing pH is d...

PURPOSE To evaluate the plasma bioavailability of betanin and nitric oxide (NOx) after consuming beetroot juice (BTJ) and whole beetroot (BF). BTJ and BF were also analysed for antioxidant capacity, polyphenol content (TPC) and betalain content. METHODS Ten healthy males consumed either 250 ml of BTJ, 300 g of BF or a placebo drink, in a randomised, crossover design. Venous plasma samples wer...

The photophysical properties of betanin in aqueous and alcoholic solutions were determined at room temperature using ultrafast UV-vis-NIR transient absorption spectroscopy (λexc = 535 nm). Its S1 → Sn (n > 1) absorption bands appear with maxima at about λ ∼ 450 and 1220 nm. The short betanin S1 state lifetime (6.4 ps in water) is mainly determined by the efficient S1 → S0 radiationless relaxati...

The aim of this study was to establish the most efficient extraction conditions of betanin and to evaluate the termal stability of this red pigment in aqueous solution. The extraction of betanin from red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) was carried out under different conditions, varying the extraction parameters such as time and solid to solvent ratio, in acidic aqueous medium. The yields of the extrac...

Betacyanin (betanin), total phenolics, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity (by Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays) were investigated in two differently colored cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) genotypes, one with purple fruit and the other with orange fruit, from the Salento area, in Apulia (South Italy). In order to qu...

BACKGROUND Betalains were recently identified as natural antioxidants. However, little is known about their bioavailability from dietary sources. OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate the bioavailability of betalains from dietary sources. DESIGN The plasma kinetics and urinary excretion of betalains were studied in healthy volunteers (n = 8) after a single ingestion of 500 g cactus pear f...