Phytochemistry and anticancer potential of graviola (Annona muricata)

Abstract

Cancer is an invasive proliferative disease that is ranked among death leaders worldwide. There is a need in prospecting for novel therapeutic molecules, as well as the formulation of more effective chemotherapeutics. Since more than 40% of antineoplastics are derivative from natural products, the latter and their synthetic analogues have been widely used in this process, starting from simple to complex molecules, promoting specific target molecule targeting. The use of folk medicine helped in the discovery of a class with anticancer potential: acetogenin (AG). AG belong to the class of polyketides, present in the family Annonaceae. Thus, the objective of the present study was to carry out a review of prospective literature on the use of graviola (Annona muricata) with antitumor activity and future perspectives as chemotherapeutic. The review was conducted through the Medline/PubMed and Science Direct databases, selecting scientific articles on the subject, characterizing the literature review. The graviola has a quantity greater than 70 acetogenins (AG) that are distributed in the stem, leaves and seeds. AG has been shown to participate in the process of inducing death in tumor cells resistant to other chemotherapeutic agents. Many AG derivatives have shown toxicity against cancer cells, including multiple drug resistant (MDR) strains. Bullatacin, another type of AG, also showed marked antitumor activity against mammary cells with multiple drug resistance (MDR) phenotype. Another significant work demonstrated the participation of graviola AG in tumor cytotoxicity through inhibition of the mitochondrial complex, which is involved in oxidative phosphorylation and ATP synthesis. Furthermore, AG promotes apoptosis of breast tumor cells. Thus, the pharmaceutical technology in the formulation of AG as a chemotherapeutic reveals a promising future in cancer treatment, especially the types that present the MDR phenotype, the biggest obstacle in cancer treatment.