Pharmacological Potential of Betulin as a Multitarget Compound

Betulin is a natural triterpene, usually from birch bark, known for its potential woundhealing properties. Despite having a wide range of pharmacological targets, no studies have proposed betulin as a multitarget compound. Betulin has protective effects against cardiovascular and liver diseases, cancer, diabetes, oxidative stress, and inflammation. It reduces postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting ff-amylase and ff-glucosidase activity, combats tumor cells by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting metastatic proteins, and modulates chronic inflammation by blocking the expression of proinflammatory cytokines via modulation of the NF kappa B and MAPKs pathways. Given its potential to influence diverse biological networks with high target specificity, it can be hypothesized that betulin may eventually become a new lead for drug development because it can modify a variety of pharmacological targets. The summarized research revealed that the diverse beneficial effects of betulin in various diseases can be attributed, at least in part, to its multitarget anti-inflammatory activity. This review focuses on the natural sources, pharmacokinetics, pharmacological activity of betulin, and the multi-target effects of betulin on signaling pathways such as MAPK, NF-kappa B, and Nrf2, which are important regulators of the response to oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.