## 3 Purple Carrot and Prevention of MetS and Cancers
### Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer Potential of Purple Carrot
Purple carrot extracts also downregulated proinflammatory factors, such as interleukin II-1\(\beta\) (decrease by 91%) and II-6 (decrease by 69%), as well as inflammatory mediators, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNos) [57], in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW264.7 cells. The important point is that anthocyanins, even in an acylated form, were able to cross the intestinal barrier and may potentially contribute to health effects in other tissues in the human body [57]. Research suggests that purple carrot compounds could be useful for the treatment of liver injury caused by alcohol. Purple carrot extract recovered the cell viability of in vitro ethanol-treated hepatocytes. The butanol fraction of purple carrot extract was able to scavenge reactive oxygen species induced by ethanol. Moreover, this fraction also regulated the activities of three alcoholic metabolism-related enzymes: cytochrome P450 2E1 activity was suppressed and alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities were increased. The butanol fraction of purple carrot extract could also increase cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate concentration by suppressing the expression of phosphodiesterase 4b mRNA. The authors suggested that polyphenols and anthocyanin pigments extracted from purple carrots in considerable amounts were responsible for this effect [80]. Data also indicated that certain phytochemicals (carotenoids, polyacetylenes, phenolics, sesquiterpenenes, iso-coumarins, and anthocyanins) exhibited potential against inflammation, reducing nitric oxide production by up to 65% without causing any cytotoxicity, and also played an important role in the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-\(\alpha\), IL-1\(\beta\), IL-6, and iNOS (in macrophage cells) [81]. In another study, it was proposed that the bioactive components of carrots (polyacetylenes) were effective in the treatment of leukemia despite beta-carotenes or lutein [82]. The anticancer effect of purple carrot extracts was determined against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolzolium bromide, a tetrazole) assay. The results showed that acetone and ethanol extracts of purple carrot (50 \(\upmu\)g/mL) demonstrated 8.13% and 30.6% inhibition of breast cancer cell lines, respectively. These findings demonstrated that purple carrot extracts contain bioactive compounds that are effective against breast cancer [37]. Likewise, the effect of purple carrot extract anthocyanins on encapsulation with halloysite nanotubes (HNT) indicated that the percentage of anthocyanins loaded into the nanotubes was 4% by weight. Compared to pure anthocyanins, anthocyanin-containing HNTs displayed strong anti-proliferative potential against cancer cells, such as HT-29 and MCF-7 [83]. Another study was designed in which the cytotoxic potential of purple carrot anthocyanin extract was assessed against bone osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, breast adenocarcinoma, and alveolar adenocarcinoma. In most cell lines, cytotoxic activity was remarkable, with IC\({}_{50}\) values \(<\) 5.5 mg/mL [84]. Another recent in vivo study was conducted on male rats, proposing that carrot juice attenuates circulatory free fatty acids and inflammatory markers, while MCP1 and hsCRP levels induced by a high fructose diet did not have an effect on the adiposity of the abdomen or the cell size of organ fat deposits [61]. In a study of black carrot crude extract (BCCE), it was also found that phenolic contents positively correlated with antioxidant activity and anti-angiogenic cytoprotective properties. Purple carrots are recognized as a functional food owing to their high content of phenolic acid, flavonoids, flavanol, and flavanones, all of which make a significant contribution to biological activities. Moreover, the employment of nutraceutical-like (BCCE) avoids the onset of diseases linked to oxidative stress [42].