Biological Importance, Pharmacological Activities, and Nutraceutical
Potential of Capsanthin: A Review of Capsicum Plant Capsaicinoids
Authors: Patel Kanika , Patel Dinesh Kumar 
Published: March 2023

Background:

Carotenoids are natural hydrocarbons that play an important role in photomorphogenesis,
photosynthesis, photoprotection, development, and defense mechanism of
plants. Carotenoids have good anti-oxidants and provitamin A contents with their additional colorant
nature, which are indispensable to plants and human diets. Capsicum species are well
known for their culinary uses worldwide; they are not only cultivated as vegetables but used in
numerous medicinal preparations as well due to their medicinal aspects. This article aims to collect
data on the beneficial aspects of capsaicinoids with a major emphasis on capsanthin.

Methods:

In order to investigate the biological potential and therapeutic benefit of capsanthin in
medicine, in the present work, scientific research data on capsanthin were collected from different
literature sources and analyzed. The biological potential of Capsicum annuum in medicine was
also investigated through literature data analysis of different scientific research work. Scientific
data on capsanthin were collected from Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and
Scopus using the term capsanthin and capsicum in the present work. Detailed pharmacological
activities of capsanthin were presented and discussed in the present work through scientific data
analysis of research work. Analytical techniques for the separation, isolation, and identification of
capsanthin were taken into consideration in this work.

Results:

Scientific data analysis revealed the biological importance and therapeutic benefit of
capsanthin and capsicum in medicine. Capsicum annuum is a member of the Solanaceae family,
which is one of the most cultivated spices worldwide. Capsaicinoids are one of the main classes
of phytochemicals found in chili peppers, i.e., Capsicum annuum, and are mainly responsible for
the pungent and spicy flavor of chili peppers. Capsanthin is a crystalline red color pigment found
as the main component of Capsicum annuum fruits during ripening. Capsanthin is also found in
Lilium, Aesculus, Berberis, and Asparagus officinalis. Chemically, capsanthin contains a cyclopentane
ring, 11 conjugated double bonds, and a conjugated keto group. Capsanthin is a powerful
antioxidant, exhibits anti-tumor activities, attenuates obesity-induced inflammation, and raises
plasma HDL cholesterol levels. Scientific studies have proven the pharmacological benefits of
capsanthin in medicine as it is helpful in pain relief, cardioprotection, weight loss, and body temperature
regulation. Moreover, it also has anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial
activities. In the literature database, numerous extraction and isolation techniques have
been documented for capsanthin. In addition, the analytical techniques and other bioanalytical
tools for the isolation and identification of capsanthin were also discussed in the present article.

Conclusion:

Medicinal importance and pharmacological activities of capsanthin were reviewed
and discussed in this paper. This review aimed to highlight the literature on capsanthin in drug
discoveries with their analytical development.