Effects of Mulberry Fruit (Morus alba L.) Consumption on Health Outcomes: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) belongs to the Moraceae family and is widely planted in Asia. Mulberry fruits are generally consumed as fresh fruits, jams and juices. They contain considerable amounts of biologically active ingredients that might be associated with some potential pharmacological activities that are beneficial for health. Therefore, they have been traditionally used in traditional medicine. Studies have reported that the presence of bioactive components in mulberry fruits, including alkaloids and flavonoid, are associated with bioactivities such as antioxidant. One of the most important compounds in mulberry fruits is anthocyanins which are water-soluble bioactive ingredients of the polyphenol class. Studies have shown that mulberry fruits possess several potential pharmacological health benefits including anti-cholesterol, anti-obesity and hepatoprotective effects which might be associated with the presence of some of these bioactive compounds. However, human intervention studies on the pharmacological activities of mulberry fruits are limited. Therefore, future studies should explore the effect of mulberry fruit consumption on human health and elucidate the detailed compounds. This paper provides an overview of the pharmacological activities of mulberry fruits.

Mulberry Fruit Extract Ameliorates AdipogenesisviaIncreasing AMPK Activity and Downregulating MicroRNA-21/143 in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

“…3 Mulberry fruits have been commonly eaten as jams, juices, and fresh fruits, and contains biologically active components that are beneficial for health. 4,5 Mulberry fruit has also been reported to have various pharmacological effects such as hypolipidemia, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. [6][7][8] These pharmacological effects can be due to polyphenolic compounds, such as flavonoids and anthocyanins.…”

Investigation of drying kinetics and physicochemical properties of mulberry leather (pestil) dried with different methods

“…Mulberry is rich in bioactive components as well as the palatable and low‐calorie features. It has also anti‐cholesterol, antidiabetic, and antioxidative health benefical effects (Zhang, Ma, Luo, & Li, ).…”

Nutraceutical and Medicinal Property of Mulberry Fruits: A Review on Its Pharmacological Potential

“…In conventional Chinese folk medicine, mulberry fruits have been used in to treat diabetes, hypertension, anemia, and arthritis (8). Natural products are always enriched with bioactive compounds (9)(10)(11). These bioactive ingredients of mulberry fruits have drawn the attention of many researchers due to their nutritional and therapeutic properties that reduce the risk of developing some chronic diseases (12,13).…”

“…These bioactive ingredients of mulberry fruits have drawn the attention of many researchers due to their nutritional and therapeutic properties that reduce the risk of developing some chronic diseases (12,13). About 50% of the approved drugs present in the market are made up of natural products (10). At present, about 80% of the world population uses the plant-derived drug, and this phytomedicine industry is expected to attain approximately $35 billion market value up to 2020 (14).…”