Pentacyclic Triterpene Bioavailability: An Overview of In Vitro and In Vivo Studies
Niege A. J. C. Furtado,
Laetitia Pirson,
Hélène Edelberg,
Lisa M. Miranda,
Cristina Loira-Pastoriza,
Véronique Preat,
Yvan Larondelle,
Christelle M. André
Affiliations
Niege A. J. C. Furtado
Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. do Café, s/n, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040903, Brazil
Laetitia Pirson
Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Hélène Edelberg
Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Lisa M. Miranda
Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Cristina Loira-Pastoriza
Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
Véronique Preat
Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium
Yvan Larondelle
Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Université Catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Christelle M. André
Department of Environmental Research and Innovation, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
Pentacyclic triterpenes are naturally found in a great variety of fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants and are therefore part of the human diet. The beneficial health effects of edible and medicinal plants have partly been associated with their triterpene content, but the in vivo efficacy in humans depends on many factors, including absorption and metabolism. This review presents an overview of in vitro and in vivo studies that were carried out to determine the bioavailability of pentacyclic triterpenes and highlights the efforts that have been performed to improve the dissolution properties and absorption of these compounds. As plant matrices play a critical role in triterpene bioaccessibility, this review covers literature data on the bioavailability of pentacyclic triterpenes ingested either from foods and medicinal plants or in their free form.
