Overview and Applications
Soursop or Graviola is native to the Amazon rainforest; a small tree growing
up to 15 feet (5 meters) tall, it is much sought after for its delicious fruit.
However, Graviola bark,
leaves, root, and fruits have been used as traditional remedies in South America for centuries.
There is ongoing cancer-research on this plant concerning the specific phytochemicals (Annonaceous acetogenins)
that are demonstrating the strongest anticancer and antiviral properties.
Extracts have been shown to have antiviral, antiparasitic, antirheumatic, astringent,
emetic, antileishmanial and cytotoxic effects. Graviola has also been shown to be effective against multi-drug resistant
cancer cells line.
Graviola seems to effectively target and kills malignant cells in more than 10 different
types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung, and pancreatic cancer.
It is believed to be far stronger in
killing colon cancer cells than Adriamycin® (Doxorubicin hydrochloride), a chemotherapy given as treatment for certain
types of cancer. It may be a natural alternative as such for cancer treatment.
Graviola hunts down selectively - and kills cancer cells without harming healthy cells; unlike
chemotherapy that indiscriminately seeks and destroys all actively reproducing cells - (even normal, healthy
ones).
Research on this plant has focused on its anti-cancerous effect but the plant has been used for a
long time in traditional medicine in Surinam to treat a number of ailments, such as:
hypertension, ringworm,
influenza, scurvy, rashes, malaria, neuralgia, dysentery, arthritis, palpitations, rheumatism, nervousness,
high blood pressure, insomnia, diarrhea, fever, nausea, boils, dyspepsia, and muscle spasm.
General uses: cancer treatment, herpes, infections, parasitic infections, sedation.
Phytochemicals
Acetogenins, quinolines, isoquinolines, annopentocins and annomuricins, Coreximine,
reticuline subfractions.
Acetaldehyde, Amyl-caproate, Amyloid, Annonain, Anomuricine, Anomuricinine, Anomurine,
Anonol, Atherosperminine, Beta-sitosterol, Campesterol, Cellobiose, Citric-acid, Citrulline, Coclaurine, Coreximine,
Dextrose, Ethanol, Folacin, Fructose, Gaba, Galactomannan,
Geranyl-caproate Glucose, HCN, Isocitric-acid, Lignoceric-acid,
Malic-acid, Manganese, Mericyl-alcohol, Methanol, Methyl-hex-2-enoate, Methyl-hexanoate, Muricine, Muricinine,
Muricapentocin, Muricoreacin, Myristic-acid, P-coumaric-acid, Paraffin, Potassium-chloride,
Procyanidin, Reticuline,
Scyllitol, Stearic-acid, Stepharine, Stigmasterol, Sucrose, Tannin, Xylosyl-cellulose
Pharmacology
Methanolic extract of Annona muricata (Annonaceae) seeds was tested for antiparasitic
activity against E. histolytica, N. brasiliensis, M. dessetae and A. salina.
The acetogenins (natural chemicals)
are found to be responsible for the important activity.
In a plant screening program by the National Cancer
Institute, the leaves and stem of Graviola showed active cytotoxicity against cancer cells.
Focus of the research was on a novel set of phytochemicals (annonaceous acetogenins).
Fractionation of the leaves resulted in the isolation of two new Annonaceous acetogenins, muricoreacin and murihexocin C.
These compounds showed significant cytotoxicities among six human tumor cell lines with selectivities to the prostate
adenocarinoma (PC-3) and pancreatic carcinoma (PACA-2) cell lines.
The antitumor, properties of these annonaceous acetogenins have been reported.
Researchers reported that the
Annonaceous acetogenin, bullatacin, preferentially killed multi-drug resistant cancer cells because it blocked
production of adenosine triphosphate, ATP (the chief energy-carrying compound).
Some of the Annonaceous acetogenins
are not only effective in killing tumors that have proven resistant to anti-cancer agents, but also seem to have
a special affinity for such resistant cells.
Surviving cancer cells from chemotherapy may develop resistance to the agent originally used against them as
well as to other, even unrelated, drugs (multi-drug resistance or MDR).
The fruit and the leaves of Annona
muricata are used in traditional medicine for their tranquillizing and sedative properties.
Extracts of the plant have been shown results that imply that the fruit possesses anti-depressive effects,
possibly induced by three alkaloids, annonaine (1), nomuciferine (2) and asimilobine (3), isolated from the fruit.
Fractionation of the leaves resulted in the isolation of annopentocins A B and C and cis- and trans-annomuricin-D-ones.
Compound 1 was selectively cytotoxic to pancreatic carcinoma cells (PACA-2), and 2 and 3 were selectively cytotoxic
to lung carcinoma cells (A-549); the mixture of 4 and 5 was selectively cytotoxic for the lung (A-549), colon (HT-29),
and pancreatic (PACA-2) cell lines with potencies equal to or exceeding those of Adriamycin.
For more information on Graviola, go to the "MAROWINA FACTS® DATABASE".
Dosage
The leaves are used for the herbal dietary supplement.
Tincture: 1 - 4 ml. daily (1 - 4 full droppers)
Infusion: 1 - 3 cups daily
Precaution & contra-indications
Not to be used during pregnancy due to possible uterine stimulant activity.
Contraindicated for people with low blood pressure (it may posses' hypotensive, vasodilator, and cardio depressant
activities).
It may also potentiate antidepressant drugs and interfere with MAO-inhibitor drugs.
References
Titre du document / Document title
Isoquinoline derivatives isolated from the fruit of Annona muricata
as 5-HTergic 5-HT[1A] receptor agonists in rats : Unexploited antidepressive (lead) products.
Auteur(s) / Author(s)
HASRAT J. A.(¹); DE BRUYNE T.(¹); DE BACKER J.-P.(²); VAUQUELIN G.(²);
VLIETINCK A.(¹)
Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(¹) Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, BELGIQUE.
(²) Department of Protein Chemistry, Free University of Brussels, Paardenstraat 65, 1640, St Genesius Rode, BELGIQUE.
Two New Mono-Tetrahydrofuran Ring Acetogenins, Annomuricin E and Muricapentocin, from the Leaves of Annona muricata.
Geum-soog Kim, +§Lu Zeng, +Feras Alali, +Lingling L. Rogers, +Feng-E. Wu, +Jerry L. McLaughlin,*+ and Soelaksono Sastrodihardjo±
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette,
Indiana 47907, and Department of Education and Culture, Center of Interuniversities, Biology Division, Bandung Institute of Technology, 10 Yanesba St.,
Bandung 40132, Indonesia Received November 26, 1997.
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907,
and Department of Education and Culture, Center of Interuniversities, Biology Division, Bandung Institute of Technology, 10 Yanesba St., Bandung 40132, Indonesia Received November 26, 1997.
Annona muricata L. USDA, NRCS. 2008. The PLANTS Database http://plants.usda.gov/ , Nov, 2008).
National Plant Data Center , Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Wu FE, Zeng L, Gu ZM, et al. Muricatocins A and B, two new bioactive monotetrahydrofuran Annonaceous acetogenins
from the leaves of Annona muricata . J Nat Prod . 1995;58(6):902-908
The above presentation is for informational and educational purposes only.
It is
based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage.
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