Open Access

MINI REVIEW

Effects of areca nut consumption on cell differentiation of osteoblasts, myoblasts, and fibroblasts

by YUNG-FU CHANG^1,2,3,*

1 Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan
2 Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan
3 Translational Research Center of Neuromuscular Diseases, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan

* Corresponding Author: YUNG-FU CHANG. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Cellular and Molecular Toxicology in Reproductive and Developmental Biology)

BIOCELL 2023, 47(2), 283-287. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2023.025743

Received 28 July 2022; Accepted 28 August 2022; Issue published 18 November 2022

Abstract

Areca nut is used worldwide as a hallucinogenic addicting drug along the tropical belt. Arecoline, a toxic compound, is the most important alkaloid in areca nuts. The adverse effects of oral uptake and chewing of areca nut are well known. For example, the possibility of cancer caused by chewing areca nuts is widely discussed. Chewing areca nut has other adverse effects on other organs, including abnormal cell differentiation, oral cancer, and several other diseases. The use of areca nut is also associated with low birthweight. Skeletal musculature is the largest organ in the body and is attached to the bones. During embryo development, the differentiation of bone and muscle cells is critical. In this article, we reviewed the effects of areca nut and arecoline on embryonic cell differentiation, particularly osteoblasts, myoblasts, and fibroblasts.

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Keywords

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