The pharmacology, toxicology and potential applications of arecoline: a review

Context: Arecoline is an effective constituent of Areca catechu L. (Arecaceae) with various pharmacological effects. However, investigations also revealed that long use of arecoline could arouse some oral diseases.

Objective: The present review gathers the fragmented information available in the literature (before 1 October 2015) regarding pharmacology and toxicology of arecoline. We also discussed the potential developments and applications of arecoline in the future.

Methods: All the available information regarding the arecoline is compiled from scientific databases, including Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, etc.

Results: Previous research demonstrated that arecoline is one of the major effective constituents in A. catechu. Additionally, arecoline has a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities including effects on nervous, cardiovascular, digestive and endocrine systems and Anti-parasitic effects. What's more, arecoline is reported to be the primary toxic constituent of A. catechu, and the main toxic effects include oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and genotoxicity.

Conclusion: Arecoline has great potential to be a therapeutic drug for various ailments. However, further investigations are needed in the future to reduce or eliminate its toxicities before developing into new drug.