Antiproliferative and Chemopreventive effect of Annona muricata Linn. on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and Benzo[a]pyrene induced lung carcinoma

A Review on Annona muricata and Its Anticancer Activity

Simple Summary

Cancer is becoming more prevalent, raising concerns regarding how well current treatments work. Cancer patients frequently seek alternative treatments to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The use of medicinal plants in both preventative and curative healthcare is widely acknowledged. The compounds of graviola have shown promise as possible cancer-fighting agents and could be used to treat cancer. This review discusses bioactive metabolites present in graviola and their role in affecting the growth and death of different cancer cell types and the molecular mechanism of how it works to downregulate anti-apoptotic genes and the genes involved in pro-cancer metabolic pathways. Also, it reviews how simultaneously increasing the expression of genes promotes apoptosis and causes cancer cells to die so that the active phytochemicals found in graviola could be used as a promising anti-cancer agent.

Abstract

The ongoing rise in the number of cancer cases raises concerns regarding the efficacy of the various treatment methods that are currently available. Consequently, patients are looking for alternatives to traditional cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy as a replacement. Medicinal plants are universally acknowledged as the cornerstone of preventative medicine and therapeutic practices. Annona muricata is a member of the family Annonaceae and is familiar for its medicinal properties. A. muricata has been identified to have promising compounds that could potentially be utilized for the treatment of cancer. The most prevalent phytochemical components identified and isolated from this plant are alkaloids, phenols, and acetogenins. This review focuses on the role of A. muricata extract against various types of cancer, modulation of cellular proliferation and necrosis, and bioactive metabolites responsible for various pharmacological activities along with their ethnomedicinal uses. Additionally, this review highlights the molecular mechanism of the role of A. muricata extract in downregulating anti-apoptotic and several genes involved in the pro-cancer metabolic pathways and decreasing the expression of proteins involved in cell invasion and metastasis while upregulating proapoptotic genes and genes involved in the destruction of cancer cells. Therefore, the active phytochemicals identified in A. muricata have the potential to be employed as a promising anti-cancer agent.

The safety and tolerability of Annona muricata leaf extract: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Annona muricata, also known as graviola, soursop and guanabana, has been widely utilised for the treatment of a range of cancers. The mechanism of action and the efficacy of A. muricata and its constituents in the treatment of cancer have been comprehensively reviewed. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise the available literature that reports on factors related to the safety and tolerability of A. muricata leaf extract and its acetogenins.

METHODS

In-vitro, preclinical animal studies and human studies of any design written in any language were included. Studies that evaluated A. muricata leaf extract and its constituents were searched through the databases Pubmed, Medline and Embase from inception to April 2019. The elaborated item 4 of Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement and Animals in Research: Reporting In vivo Experiments guidelines were used to evaluate the quality of the studies.

KEY FINDINGS

The results suggest that A. muricata and its constituents have hepatoprotective, neurotoxic, antinociceptive, anti-ulcerative and chemopreventive effects. The dose and duration used in animal studies demonstrating toxicity may not directly translate into the effects in humans. Studies included in this review were judged to be of medium to high quality.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall outcome of the current review suggests that A. muricata has a favourable safety and tolerability profile. Future studies investigating its use in people diagnosed with a range of cancers are warranted.

Emerging therapeutic potential of graviola and its constituents in cancers

Cancer remains a leading cause of death in the USA and around the world. Although the current synthetic inhibitors used in targeted therapies have improved patient prognosis, toxicity and development of resistance to these agents remain a challenge. Plant-derived natural products and their derivatives have historically been used to treat various diseases, including cancer. Several leading chemotherapeutic agents are directly or indirectly based on botanical natural products. Beyond these important drugs, however, a number of crude herbal or botanical preparations have also shown promising utility for cancer and other disorders. One such natural resource is derived from certain plants of the family Annonaceae, which are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Among the best known of these is Annona muricata, also known as soursop, graviola or guanabana. Extracts from the fruit, bark, seeds, roots and leaves of graviola, along with several other Annonaceous species, have been extensively investigated for anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Phytochemical studies have identified the acetogenins, a class of bioactive polyketide-derived constituents, from the extracts of Annonaceous species, and dozens of these compounds are present in different parts of graviola. This review summarizes current literature on the therapeutic potential and molecular mechanism of these constituents from A.muricata against cancer and many non-malignant diseases. Based on available data, there is good evidence that these long-used plants could have both chemopreventive and therapeutic potential. Appropriate attention to safety studies will be important to assess their effectiveness on various diseases caused or promoted by inflammation.