Ethnopharmacology of Fruit Plants: A Literature Review on the Toxicological, Phytochemical, Cultural Aspects, and a Mechanistic Approach to the Pharmacological Effects of Four Widely Used Species.

Aline T De Carvalho,Vanessa C Rescia,Marina M Paes,Gustavo C Brandão,Silvia A Oesterreich,Mila S Cunha,Ana M Mapeli,Gustavo R Villas-Boas

doi:10.3390/molecules25173879

Aline T De Carvalho, Vanessa C Rescia + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25173879

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Abstract

Fruit plants have been widely used by the population as a source of food, income and in the treatment of various diseases due to their nutritional and pharmacological properties. The aim of this study was to review information from the most current research about the phytochemical composition, biological and toxicological properties of four fruit species widely used by the world population in order to support the safe medicinal use of these species and encourage further studies on their therapeutic properties. The reviewed species are: Talisia esculenta, Brosimum gaudichaudii, Genipa americana, and Bromelia antiacantha. The review presents the botanical description of these species, their geographical distribution, forms of use in popular medicine, phytochemical studies and molecules isolated from different plant organs. The description of the pharmacological mechanism of action of secondary metabolites isolated from these species was detailed and toxicity studies related to them were reviewed. The present study demonstrates the significant concentration of phenolic compounds in these species and their anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, photosensitizing properties, among others. Such species provide important molecules with pharmacological activity that serve as raw materials for the development of new drugs, making further studies necessary to elucidate mechanisms of action not yet understood and prove the safety for use in humans.

Highlights

The Cerrado is one of the most important and extensive Brazilian biomes, with a great richness of plant species that are used as food and therapeutic agents, highlighting their medicinal, sociocultural and nutritional importance, which make them attractive for research and commercialization [1].The Brazilian population has great range of cultural knowledge about native plants, which are used in the treatment of diseases
T. esculenta has high concentration of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and terpenes, justifying its antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial action reported by several studies, lacking studies that investigate toxicity associated with the ingestion of its seeds
Future studies should perform quantitative analyses and isolation of substances from B. gaudichaudii, G. americana and B. antiacantha, favoring the understanding of the antiproliferative, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and photosensitizing effects associated with their extracts

Summary

Introduction

The Brazilian population has great range of cultural knowledge about native plants, which are used in the treatment of diseases. These medicinal plants present molecules with pharmacological properties which expand the possibilities for the development of drugs and/or nutraceuticals. Despite the great Brazilian biodiversity in species considered medicinal, research is still incipient, requiring active investigations on the phytochemical constituents present in these plants, as well as their pharmacological or nutritional properties [2]. Some species adapt to reduced water availability in soil and increased temperature, being called sclerophyll plants. These plants make up the Cerrado vegetation, which is characterized by the presence of shrubs, grasses and trees with deep roots to facilitate water absorption; in the dry season, some species lose their leaves in an attempt to save water [3]

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