Diverse Phytochemicals and Bioactivities in the Ancient Fruit and Modern Functional Food Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

Abstract

Having served as a symbolic fruit since ancient times, pomegranate (Punica granatum) has also gained considerable recognition as a functional food in the modern era. A large body of literature has linked pomegranate polyphenols, particularly anthocyanins (ATs) and hydrolyzable tannins (HTs), to the health-promoting activities of pomegranate juice and fruit extracts. However, it remains unclear as to how, and to what extent, the numerous phytochemicals in pomegranate may interact and exert cooperative activities in humans. In this review, we examine the structural and analytical information of the diverse phytochemicals that have been identified in different pomegranate tissues, to establish a knowledge base for characterization of metabolite profiles, discovery of novel phytochemicals, and investigation of phytochemical interactions in pomegranate. We also assess recent findings on the function and molecular mechanism of ATs as well as urolithins, the intestinal microbial derivatives of pomegranate HTs, on human nutrition and health. A better understanding of the structural diversity of pomegranate phytochemicals as well as their bioconversions and bioactivities in humans will facilitate the interrogation of their synergistic/antagonistic interactions and accelerate their applications in dietary-based cancer chemoprevention and treatment in the future.

Gut Bacterial Metabolite Urolithin A Decreases Actin Polymerization and Migration in Cancer Cells

“…Urolithins are metabolites derived from ellagic acid and ellagitannins by gut microbiota after consumption of foods such as berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries), pomegranates, tropical fruits, nuts (walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pistachios), oak barrel aged wines and spirits, and tea . In the intestinal lumen, ellagic acid is extensively metabolized by gut microbes producing a series of metabolites called urolithins.…”

“…In the intestinal lumen, ellagic acid is extensively metabolized by gut microbes producing a series of metabolites called urolithins. Among the Urolithin metabolites, Urolithin A is the major metabolite observed in humans . The health effects attributed to urolithins are numerous and diverse, ranging from antimalarial properties, free radical scavenger activity, and anti‐proliferative effects in various types of cancer in vivo and in vitro …”

Antidiarrheal effect of bioactivity‐guided fractions and bioactive components of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peels

“…Pomegranates ( Punica granatum L.) belong to the Punicaceae family and are deciduous shrubs or small trees that can reach up to 7 m in height. Pomegranates originated from the Balkans, passing into Iran and its neighboring areas, and are now mostly cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide . The fruit is a spherical, thick‐skinned red‐brown or yellow berry with many seeds.…”

“…Pomegranates originated from the Balkans, passing into Iran and its neighboring areas, and are now mostly cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. 4 The fruit is a spherical, thick-skinned red-brown or yellow berry with many seeds.…”

Characterization of genetic diversity of wild pomegranate collected from Himachal Pradesh, India.

“…Dried arils of wild pomegranate or Daru are used in preparation of anardana, a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin B5. The edible part of pomegranate is rich in anthocyanins and hydrolysable tannins (Wu and Tian, 2017). Most of the wild cultivars being grown locally are farmers' selection and are being maintained by vegetative propagation Because of these medicinal properties the wild pomegranate germplasm in Himalayan region is eroding fast due to human incursion (Rana et al, 2012;Khan et al, 2014).…”