Search Results (18)

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Revodiol Calming Cream^® (RCC) is a novel dermocosmetic product containing cannabidiol (CBD) and Annona cherimola fruit extract, designed for the management of atopic-prone and sensitive skin. Objective: Clinically assess the efficacy and safety of RCC in the management of atopic-prone and/or sensitive skin. Materials and methods: A prospective study included 20 adults and 22 children with mild-to-moderate atopic-prone skin. RCC was applied daily, for 56 days. Clinical evaluation included the SCORAD index, pruritus and dryness scales; and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Biometric assessments (Mexameter^®, Tewameter^®, Visioscan^®, Corneofix^®) were performed. Subjective satisfaction and quality of life (DLQI) were also recorded. Results: RCC was well tolerated, with no significant adverse events. After 56 days, SCORAD scores decreased by 55% in adults and 60% in children. Pruritus and dryness were significantly reduced, and VAS scores indicated a 65% decrease in discomfort. Biometric assessments demonstrated improvements in erythema, skin barrier function, topography, and desquamation. Subjective satisfaction reached 75% in both populations, and DLQI improved by 23%. Conclusions: The synergistic combination of CBD, Annona cherimola extract, and natural humectants offers a safe and effective daily dermocosmetic care for both adults and children. Full article

Background: Annona cherimola Miller (A. cherimola) is traditionally used in Mexico to treat diabetes. Objectives: this study aimed to evaluate the antihyperglycemic activity of the aqueous leaf extracts (AEAcL) and stem (AEAcS) of A. cherimola alone and combined with oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs), as well as to determine their effect on % HbA1c, lipid parameters and toxicity. As well, the study aimed to isolate and identify some of its compounds to propose findings about its mode of action. Methods: Antihyperglycemic activity was evaluated using in vivo models with streptozotocin-induced experimental diabetes in Balb/c mice. Computer tools were used to obtain the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of the identified flavonoids; to obtain findings on their potential as α-glucosidase and SGLT1 inhibitors, in vivo and in silico studies were carried out using oral sucrose tolerance (OSTT) and glucose (OGTT) tests and molecular coupling studies. Results: ÇAEs and aSAAcS administered alone at 200 mg/kg showed a significant reduction in hyperglycemia. The best combination was AEAcL + Met (100/500 mg/kg), which significantly reduced hyperglycemic values and the % of HbA1c, TG, and LDL. The flavonoids isolated from AEAcL were identified as rutin, nicotiflorin, and narcissin. The molecular coupling assay and OSTT and OGTT tests showed that the flavonoids could inhibit α-glucosidase and SGLT1. Conclusions: AEAcL shows significant antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activity in murine models of diabetes, both alone (100 mg/kg) and in combination with metformin (100/500 mg/kg). Isolated flavonoids (rutin, nicotiflorin, and narcissine) appear to be partly responsible for these effects, although they have pharmacokinetic limitations. In silico and in vivo studies suggest a possible mechanism of action by inhibition of α-glucosidase and SGLT1. Full article

The historical use of plants as sources of natural compounds has persisted over time. Increasing the intake of bioactive substances shows significant potential for promoting overall well-being and health. This study delves into the pigments, phenolic composition, and profile, along with antioxidant properties, of leaf extracts rich in bioactives from plants in the Azores region, contributing to sustainable primary food production. Analyses encompassed chlorophylls, carotenoids, total phenols, ortho-diphenols, and flavonoids, as well as antioxidant capacity assessment, polyphenolic profiling, and quantification. Psidium guajava L. and Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp.) H.Rob. exhibited elevated chlorophyll content, while Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott displayed the highest carotenoid levels. Annona cherimola Mill., Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl, and Psidium guajava L. demonstrated pronounced total phenols, ortho-diphenols, and flavonoids. These findings align with heightened antioxidant capacity. HPLC–DAD (high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection) characterization unveiled elevated hydroxycinnamic acids in E. japonica and Ipomea batatas (L.) Lam. compared to A. cherimola Mill., while C. esculenta exhibited increased flavone content. Among the quantified compounds, flavonols were the ones that predominantly demonstrated contribution to the antioxidant capacity of these leaves. This research highlights Azorean leaf plants’ antioxidant potential, fostering natural product development for better health. Full article

Fruit peels might be a valuable source of active ingredients for cosmetics, leading to more sustainable usage of plant by-products. The aim of the study was to evaluate the phytochemical content and selected biological properties of hydroglycolic extracts from peels and pulps of Annona cherimola, Diospyros kaki, Cydonia oblonga, and Fortunella margarita as potential cosmetic ingredients. Peel and pulp extracts were compared for their antiradical activity (using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays), skin-lightening potential (tyrosinase inhibitory assay), sun protection factor (SPF), and cytotoxicity toward human fibroblast, keratinocyte, and melanoma cell lines. The total content of polyphenols and/or flavonoids was significantly higher in peel than in pulp extracts, and the composition of particular active compounds was also markedly different. The HPLC-MS fingerprinting revealed the presence of catechin, epicatechin and rutoside in the peel of D. kaki, whereas kaempferol glucoside and procyanidin A were present only in the pulp. In A. cherimola, catechin, epicatechin and rutoside were identified only in the peel of the fruit, whereas procyanidins were traced only in the pulp extracts. Quercetin and luteolinidin were found to be characteristic compounds of F. margarita peel extract. Naringenin and hesperidin were found only in the pulp of F. margarita. The most significant compositional variety between the peel and pulp extracts was observed for C. oblonga: Peel extracts contained a higher number of active components (e.g., vicenin-2, kaempferol rutinoside, or kaempferol galactoside) than pulp extract. The radical scavenging potential of peel extracts was higher than of the pulp extracts. D. kaki and F. margarita peel and pulp extracts inhibited mushroom and murine tyrosinases at comparable levels. The C. oblonga pulp extract was a more potent mushroom tyrosinase inhibitor than the peel extract. Peel extract of A. cherimola inhibited mushroom tyrosinase but activated the murine enzyme. F. margarita pulp and peel extracts showed the highest in vitro SPF. A. cherimola, D. kaki, and F. margarita extracts were not cytotoxic for fibroblasts and keratinocytes up to a concentration of 2% (v/v) and the peel extracts were cytotoxic for A375 melanoma cells. To summarize, peel extracts from all analyzed fruit showed comparable or better cosmetic-related properties than pulp extracts and might be considered multifunctional active ingredients of skin lightening, anti-aging, and protective cosmetics. Full article

The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the antiproliferative, apoptotic and diminishing effects of the anchored growth-independent capacity of an ethanol macerate extract from the Annona cherimola seed (EMCHS) in the human gastric cancer cell line SNU-1. The cells treated with EMCHS (20 μg/mL) significantly reduced the capacity to form clones of the tumor cell. Moreover, 50 μg/mL of EMCHS extract induced apoptosis, as was shown by the Annexin-V assay. UHPLC-MS/MS analysis detected two acetogenins (Annonacinone and Annonacin) in the EMCHS, which could be largely responsible for its selective antiproliferative effect. The identification of fatty acids by GC-FID showed the presence of eight fatty acids, among which was, oleic acid, which has recognized activity as an adjuvant in antitumor treatments. Taken together, our results indicate that the EMCHS seems promising for use as a natural therapy against gastric cancer disease. Full article

The antihyperglycemic activity of ethanolic extract from Annona cherimola Miller (EEAch) and its products were evaluated using in vivo and in silico assays. An α-glucosidase inhibition was evaluated with oral sucrose tolerance tests (OSTT) and molecular docking studies using acarbose as the control. SGLT1 inhibition was evaluated with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and molecular docking studies using canagliflozin as the control. Among all products tested, EEAc, the aqueous residual fraction (AcRFr), rutin, and myricetin reduced the hyperglycemia in DM2 mice. During the carbohydrate tolerance tests, all the treatments reduced the postprandial peak such as the control drugs. In the molecular docking studies, rutin showed more affinity in inhibiting α-glucosidase enzymes and myricetin in inhibiting the SGLT1 cotransporter, showing ∆G values of −6.03 and −3.32 kcal/mol⁻¹, respectively, in α-glucosidase enzymes. In the case of the SGLT1 cotransporter, molecular docking showed ∆G values of 22.82 and −7.89 in rutin and myricetin, respectively. This research sorts in vivo and in silico pharmacological studies regarding the use of A. cherimola leaves as a source for the development of new potential antidiabetic agents for T2D control, such as flavonoids rutin and myricetin. Full article

Ethanolic extract obtained from Annona cherimola Miller (EEAc) and the flavonoid rutin (Rut) were evaluated in this study to determine their antihyperglycemic content, % HbA1c reduction, and antihyperlipidemic activities. Both treatments were evaluated separately and in combination with the oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) acarbose (Aca), metformin (Met), glibenclamide (Gli), and canagliflozin (Cana) in acute and subchronic assays. The evaluation of the acute assay showed that EEAc and Rut administered separately significantly reduce hyperglycemia in a manner similar to OADs and help to reduce % HbA1c and hyperlipidemia in the subchronic assay. The combination of EEAc + Met showed the best activity by reducing the hyperglycemia content, % HbA1c, Chol, HDL-c, and LDL-c. Rutin in combination with OADs used in all treatments significantly reduced the hyperglycemia content that is reflected in the reduction in % HbA1c. In relation to the lipid profiles, all combinate treatments helped to avoid an increase in the measured parameters. The results show the importance of evaluating the activity of herbal remedies in combination with drugs to determine their activities and possible side effects. Moreover, the combination of rutin with antidiabetic drugs presented considerable activity, and this is the first step for the development of novel DM treatments. Full article

Annona cherimola Miller (Ac) is a plant used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes. In this work, the tea infusion extracts obtained from 1.5 g of leaf powder from Ac collected in May (AcMa), June (AcJun), July (AcJul), and August (AcAu) were evaluated on streptozocin-induced diabetic (STID) mice and for subchronic toxicity in STID and non-diabetic (ND) mice. In addition, extracts were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Results showed that the tea infusion extract of the sample collected in August (AcAu) exhibited the most significant antihyperglycemic activity during all acute assays. The analysis of the extracts (AcMa, AcJu, AcJul, and AcAu) by HPLC-DAD revealed that flavonoid glycosides, rutin, narcissin, and nicotiflorin were the major components. In addition, the sample AcAu contained the best concentration of flavonoids. In the case of subchronic oral toxicity, the AcAu sample did not cause mortality in STID mice, and histopathological analysis revealed significant improvement in the changes associated with diabetes in the liver and kidneys. These findings suggest that the Ac leaves collected in August may be a source of flavonoids such as rutin, with antidiabetic potential. In addition, these findings support the use of Ac to treat diabetes in traditional medicine. Full article

Annona atemoya is a commercially important fruiting plant belonging to the Annonaceae family. It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical continents. It is also known as the custard apple which is a hybrid between two Annonaceae species, those being Annona cherimola and Annona squamosa. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activity of various parts of A. atemoya including leaves and fruit’s pulp. The leaves and fruits of A. atemoya were collected in July 2020 from a local farm in Queensland, air dried at room temperature (3 days–1 week) and then ground to a powder. The leaves and pulp were separately extracted with hexane, ethyl acetate and finally ethanol for three days each. The preliminary results of Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments indicated the presence of annonaceous acetogenins for the first time in the leaves and pulp as pink bands after reacting with Kedde reagent. For the leaves, ten compounds were identified, two of them were isolated and the other confirmed via NMR and MS analysis. The ethyl acetate extract of leaf was the richest in an abundance of acetogenins in comparison to the hexane extract. With regards to the fruit’s pulp, the concentration of acetogenins was very low compared to the leaves. Future studies will focus on testing either isolated compounds or crude extracts using various cancer cell lines. Full article

Annona cherimola fruit, known as cherimoya or custard apple, is an exotic fruit from South America but is strongly produced in Andalusia, Spain. Its by-products (seeds and peel) are recognised as important sources of antioxidants, including phenolic acids, flavonoids and procyanidins. Therefore, the aim of this study was to carry out the characterization of its phenolic composition and to in vitro evaluate the bioactivity of custard apple seed and peel. Therefore, high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS) was performed in order to tentatively identify their phenolic composition. In the end, 19 compounds were identified and quantified, some of them for the first time in the custard apple matrix. Then, seed and peel total phenolic content, as well as antioxidant properties, radical scavenging capacity (O₂, NO, HOCl) and inhibition of enzymes involved in different pathologies (hyaluronidase, elastase, collagenase, tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase and xanthine oxidase), were evaluated. Although both extracts showed almost similar antioxidant capacities, custard apple seed stood out slightly more than peel (171 ± 2 vs. 130.0 ± 0.4 μmol TE/g DE, resp.), especially as ·NO scavenger (IC₅₀ 1.5 ± 0.2 vs. 11.8 ± 0.3 mg/L, resp.) and hyaluronidase inhibitor (IC₅₀ 170 ± 10 vs. 460 ± 20mg/L, resp.). Finally, the application of extracts on a real human model of platelet aggregation was performed, reporting antiaggregatory effects in agonist-promoted platelet thrombus formation. All these results show that custard apple by-products are stated as interesting sources of bioactive compounds with multiple industrial applications for the development of high-added-value products, such as functional foods, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals, promoting the circular bioeconomy of these by-products. Full article

Cancer represents one of the major causes of mortality worldwide; indeed, 19.3 million new cases and almost 10.0 million deaths were estimated last year. Among the different type of cancers, malignant melanoma represents the most aggressive and deadly skin cancer. Unfortunately, the long-term efficacy of melanoma treatments is limited by the lack of clinical efficacy, onset of side effects and resistance. The latter is a major obstacle for the success of the melanoma therapy; thus, the exploration of new potent and safer anticancer agents is of great importance. Recently, numerous plant species, used for therapeutic purposes and containing various non-toxic nutraceuticals have been widely studied. Herein, we investigated the antioxidant and anticancer properties on melanoma cells of the ethanolic, methanolic and aqueous Annona cherimola leaf extracts (ACE, ACM and ACW, respectively). The ethanolic extract showed higher anticancer activity, mostly against the malignant A2058 melanoma cell line (IC₅₀ = 5.6 ± 0.8 ng/mL), together with a very low activity on the normal cells. It blocks the melanoma cells migration process, and induces a clear disorganization of cytoskeleton, triggering cell apoptosis. Finally, some bioactive compounds were identified in the studied extracts. Full article

The leaves of Annona cherimola Mill (cherimoya) are a potential source of phenolic compounds that have been shown to have beneficial properties. Therefore, this study focuses on establishing an ultrasonic-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds in cherimoya leaves using a sonotrode. For that purpose, a Box-Behnken design based on a response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize factors, such as amplitude, extraction time and solvent composition to obtain the maximum content of phenolic compounds by HPLC-MS and the maximum in-vitro antioxidant activity by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays in ‘Fino de Jete’ cherimoya leaves. The optimal conditions were 70% amplitude, 10 min and 40:60 ethanol/water (EtOH/H₂O) (v/v). The results obtained under these optimum conditions by using a sonotrode were compared with those from an ultrasonic bath; briefly, recovery of phenolic compounds by sonotrode was 2.3 times higher than a bath. Therefore, these optimal conditions were applied to different varieties ‘Campas’, ‘Fino de Jete’ and ‘Negrito Joven’ harvested in the Tropical Coast of Granada (Spain). A total of 39 phenolic compounds were determined in these cherimoya leaf extracts, 24 phenolic compounds by HPLC-MS and 15 proanthocianidins by HPLC-FLD. 5-p-coumaroylquinic acid, lathyroside-7-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside and quercetin hexose acetate were first identified in cherimoya leaves. The most concentrated phenolic compounds were the flavonoids, such as rutin and quercetin hexoside and proanthocyanidins including monomers. Almost no significant differences in the phenolic content in these cultivars were found (11–13 mg/g d.w. for phenolic compounds and 11–20 mg/g d.w. for proanthocyanidins). In addition, sonotrode ultrasonic-assisted extraction has been shown to be an efficient extraction technique in the phenolic recovery from cherimoya leaves that could be implemented on an industrial scale. Full article

The antihyperglycemic and antilipidemic effects of the tea infusion extracts of leaves from Annona cherimola Miller (IELAc-0.5, IELAc-1.5, and IELAc-3.0) were evaluated on normoglycemic (NG) and streptozocin-induced diabetic (STID) mice. In the acute test, IELAc-1.5 at 300 mg/kg bodyweight (bw) exhibited antihyperglycemic activity on STID mice since the first hour of treatment. Then, its antidiabetic potential was analyzed in a subchronic evaluation. IELAc-1.5 was able to reduce the blood glucose level, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), cholesterol (CHO), and triglycerides (TG); high-density lipoprotein (HDL) showed an increase at the end of treatment. IELAc-1.5 did not modify the urine profile at the end of the evaluation, and neither toxicity nor macroscopic organ damage were observed in acute and subchronic assays. In addition, a major flavonol glycoside present in the tea infusion extracts was identified using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The analysis of the tea infusion extracts by HPLC revealed that rutin was the major component. This study supports the use of tea infusions from Annona cherimola for the treatment of diabetes and suggests that rutin could be responsible, at least in part, for their antidiabetic properties. Full article

Annona atemoya also known as the custard apple is a hybrid between two Annonaceae species: Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) and the sugar apple (Annona squamosa). It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical continents including north and south America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Despite becoming an increasingly important commercial fruit plant due to its’ creamy succulent flesh, compared to other Annonaceae species relatively few studies have investigated the phytochemistry and bioactivities of A. atemoya. Studies that evaluated A. atemoya extracts and its constituents were searched through the databases Scopus, Pubmed and Embase from inception to June 2020. Constituents of A. atemoya include alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes and acetogenins. The results indicate that the constituents of A. atemoya possess cytotoxic, anti-angiogenic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. However, many of these studies are currently limited in quality and further phytochemical and pharmacological studies are required. Full article

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease with a strong social impact worldwide. Under chronic hyperglycemia, protein glycation strongly contributes to diabetes-related complications onset. Anti-glycation agents and inhibitors of α-glucosidase are often therapeutically used to control postprandial glycemia in order to prevent development of long-term diabetic complications. Given drug resistance and adverse effects of conventional antidiabetic therapies, the discovery of new effective and non-toxic naturally occurring compounds is needed to prevent and/or to manage life-threatening diabetic complications. Annona cherimola Miller fruit has been used in Mexican traditional medicine as natural remedy against diabetes. In this work, the in vitro anti-glycation and anti-α-glucosidase roles of Annona cherimola Miller pulp extract (CE) were investigated. Moreover, healthy and diabetic subjects were enrolled in a cross-over design intervention study aimed at investigating the effects of pulp intake on postprandial glycemia. This work shows that CE was able to inhibit albumin glycation in vitro and to inhibit α-glucosidase enzyme. Furthermore, the pulp intake did not contribute to an increase in postprandial glycemia, making it a suitable source of health-promoting phytonutrients and a potential functional food in diabetics and pre-diabetics diet. Full article