Beta Carotene

Summary

Beta Carotene (CHEMBL1293) is an approved small-molecule ferroptosis inhibitor (ATC D02BB01); indicated across 6 conditions including crohn disease and macular degeneration.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• ATC class: D02BB01 (+1 more)
• Indications: 6 conditions
• Clinical trials: 22
• Chemistry: 536.9 Da · C40H56

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL1293
Name	Beta Carotene
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	4
FDA approved	no
PubChem CID	5280489
ChEBI	CHEBI:17579
ATC	D02BB01, A11CA02
Molecular formula	C40H56
Molecular weight	536.9
InChIKey	OENHQHLEOONYIE-JLTXGRSLSA-N

SMILES: CC1=C(C(CCC1)(C)C)/C=C/C(=C/C=C/C(=C/C=C/C=C(/C=C/C=C(/C=C/C2=C(CCCC2(C)C)C)\C)\C)/C)/C

IUPAC name: 1,3,3-trimethyl-2-[(1E,3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E,17E)-3,7,12,16-tetramethyl-18-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)octadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-nonaenyl]cyclohexene

ChEBI definition: A cyclic carotene obtained by dimerisation of all-trans-retinol. A strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruit and the most active and important provitamin A carotenoid.

Pharmacological roles (ChEBI): antioxidant, biological pigment, provitamin A, cofactor, ferroptosis inhibitor.

Other ChEBI roles (chemical / environmental): plant metabolite, human metabolite, mouse metabolite.

Also known as: .beta.-carotene, All-trans-.beta.-carotene, Beta carotene, Beta, beta-carotene, Beta-carotene, Betacarotene, Betacaroteno, Betavit, C.I.-40800, Caroten base 35468, Carotene

Patent coverage: 51,324 distinct patent families (94,544 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 1 matched compound structure(s). Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 6 (assay-derived). Sample: Prelamin-A/C, Solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B1, Solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B3, Prostaglandin G/H synthase 1, D(3) dopamine receptor, Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 6 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 9 total. Top 100 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
SLCO1B1	6.47	Ki	340	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13800662
SLCO1B1	6.21	IC50	616.6	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13800597
SLCO1B3	5.65	Ki	2260	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13798663
SLCO1B3	5.53	IC50	2951	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13798598
PTGS1	5.28	AC50	5222	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_25206484
PTGS1	5.09	AC50	8097	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_25205554

Target pathways

No target-pathway data for this drug (no mapped target genes).

Indications & clinical

Indications

6 diseases in clinical trials (phase 1–3, investigational — not approved indications). Highest ChEMBL trial phase per disease; a non-cancer approved use is occasionally logged at phase 3 here.

Disease (in trials)	Phase	MONDO	EFO
Crohn disease	3	MONDO:0005011	EFO:0000384
macular degeneration	3	MONDO:0003004	EFO:0009606
cataract	3	MONDO:0005129	MONDO:0005129
myocardial infarction	2	MONDO:0005068	EFO:0000612
myocardial ischemia	2	MONDO:0024644	EFO:1001375
heart disorder	2	MONDO:0005267	EFO:0003777

Clinical trials

Total trials: 22.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
Not specified	9
PHASE3	6
PHASE4	4
PHASE2/PHASE3	1
PHASE2	1
PHASE1	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT06100432	PHASE4	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	Effect of Eurycoma Longifolia (DLBS5055) and Multivitamins (Vitamin C+Vitamin E+ β-carotene) for Infertile Males
NCT00712647	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial
NCT03005496	PHASE4	COMPLETED	The Effect of Zinc, β-carotene, and Vitamin D3 in Preterm Delivery Through Placental MyD88, TRIF, NFkB, and IL-1β
NCT03366584	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	The Effect of β-Carotene, Vitamin D3 and Zinc on Hyaline Membrane Disease and Feeding Intolerance in Premature Neonates
NCT00000152	PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Randomized Trial of Beta-Carotene and Macular Degeneration
NCT00000161	PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Randomized Trials of Vitamin Supplements and Eye Disease
NCT00000539	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Arterial Disease Multifactorial Intervention Trial (ADMIT)
NCT00169845	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Beta-carotene and Alpha-tocopherol Chemoprevention of Second Primary Malignancies in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
NCT00197743	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Trial of Vitamins in HIV Progression and Transmission
NCT00272428	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Primary Prevention Trial of the Health Effects of Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals.
NCT03344068	PHASE2/PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Early and Whole Course Nutritional Support by Nutren® Optimum During IMRT for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
NCT00000541	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Women’s Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study (WAFACS)
NCT00636038	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Bioavailability of Yellow Maize Carotenoids in Humans
NCT00270647	Not specified	COMPLETED	Physicians’ Health Study II
NCT01321268	Not specified	TERMINATED	Safety and Efficacy of a Dietary Supplement in Females With Cellulite
NCT01477112	Not specified	COMPLETED	Low Dose β-carotene Supplementation Diminishes Oxidative Stress in Type 2 Diabetics and Healthy Individuals
NCT02276014	Not specified	COMPLETED	Effect of SNPs in the BCMO1 Enzyme
NCT03492593	Not specified	COMPLETED	Lycopene and Beta-carotene Metabolism in the Digestive Tract of Healthy Men
NCT04306770	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Optimizing Care of Patients Via Telehealth In Monitoring and Augmenting Their Control of Diabetes Mellitus
NCT04697355	Not specified	COMPLETED	Effect of Naringenin and Beta Carotene on Energy Expenditure
NCT05994196	Not specified	COMPLETED	Evaluation of a Software for the Secondary Prioritization of Patients in the Pediatric Emergency Department
NCT06128798	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Effect of Preoperative Immunonutrition Versus Standard Oral Nutrition in Patient Undergoing Colorectal Surgery.

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No CPIC/DPWG dosing guideline or drug-level clinical/variant annotations in PharmGKB for this molecule.

Related molecules

Related molecules

No competitor molecules sharing a primary target (ChEMBL phase ≥2 or PubChem drug-class).