Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Anticancer acumens of three Annona species: a proportional review

  • Review
  • Published:
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Cumulative pattern of cancer could be seen in day-to-day life with each passing year and, it is becoming a great matter of concern especially to the scientific community worldwide. Alternative treatment methods for various types of cancer are in place and, being continuously worked out. Plant-derived natural substances have shown great results in combating cancer in comparison to chemo and radiotherapies which are toxic besides having serious side effects. In continuation, Annona species, native to America, Africa, Asia and Australia have been used in folk medicines and, are reported to have many anti-carcinogenic substances.

Methods

For a prudent understanding of Annona species against various cancers, comparative investigation and analysis of three species viz., A. cherimola, A. muricata, and A. squamosa was undertaken through a detailed review of the in-attendance subject. The major scientific biomedical literature databases were consulted and the information available from 2011 until January 2021 was taken into account.

Results

Studies on anti-cancer activities along with the thorough analysis of the findings and the pieces of evidence supporting their anti-proliferative, apoptosis, G1 cell cycle arrest and cytotoxic effects are described. A. muricata displayed maximum number of anti-cancer activities being revealed by most of its parts with the lowest IC50 values against various cancer cell lines compared to A. cherimola and A. squamosa. On account of the findings, it is advocated that, further detailed studies on anti-cancer explorations of Annona species could be proved fruitful in paving new and innovative methodologies for novel anti-cancer drug discovery and development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Source: Patanjali Botanical Paintings Section

Fig. 2

Source: Patanjali Botanical Paintings Section

Fig. 3

Source: Rady et al. (2018)

Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Please contact author for data requests.

References

  • Abd Hadi N, Mohamad M, Rohin AK, Yusof RM (2016) Effects of Red pitaya fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) consumption on blood glucose level and lipid profile in type 2 diabetic subjects. Borneo Sci 31:143–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Albuquerque TG, Santos F, Sanches-Silva A, Oliveira MB, Bento AC, Costa HS (2016) Nutritional and phytochemical composition of Annona cherimola Mill. fruits and by-products: potential health benefits. Food Chem 193:187–195

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Ghazzawi AM (2019) Anti-cancer activity of new benzyl isoquinoline alkaloid from Saudi plant Annona squamosal. BMC Chem 13:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Alonso-Castro AJ, Villarreal ML, Salazar-Olivo LA, Gomez-Sanchez M, Dominguez F, Garcia-Carranca A (2011) Mexican medicinal plants used for cancer treatment: pharmacological, phytochemical and ethnobotanical studies. J Ethnopharmacol 133:945–972

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ammoury C, Younes M, ElKhoury M, Hodroj MH, Haykal T, Nasr PSM, Taleb RI, Sarkis R, Khalife R, Rizk S (2019) The pro-apoptotic effect of a Terpene-rich Annona cherimola leaf extract on leukemic cell lines. BMC Complement Altern Med 19:1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Capes-Davis A, Theodosopoulos G, Atkin I, Drexler HG, Kohara A, MacLeod RA, Masters JR, Nakamura Y, Reid YA, Reddel RR, Freshney RI (2010) Check your cultures! A list of cross-contaminated or misidentified cell lines. Int J Cancer 127(1):1–8

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Xu SS, Chen JW, Wang Y, Xu HQ, Fan NB, Li X (2012) Anti-tumor activity of Annona squamosa seeds extract containing annonaceous acetogenin compounds. J Ethnopharmacol 142:462–466

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Chen Y, Shi Y, Ma C, Wang X, Li Y, Li X (2016) Antitumor activity of Annona squamosa seed oil. J Ethnopharmacol 193:362–367

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chua LK, Lim CL, Ling APK, Chye SM, Koh RY (2019) Anticancer potential of Syzygium species: a review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 74:18–27

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Damasceno DC, Volpato GT, Sartori TCF, Rodrigues PF, Perin EA, Calderon IDMP, Rudge MVC (2002) Effects of Annona squamosa extract on early pregnancy in rats. Phytomedicine 9:667–672

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dang QL, Kim WK, Nguyen CM, Choi YH, Choi GJ, Jang KS, Kim JC (2011) Nematicidal and antifungal activities of annonaceous acetogenins from Annona squamosa against various plant pathogens. J Agric Food Chem 59:11160–11167

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Sousa OV, Vieira GDV, de Pinho JJRGP, Yamamoto CH, Alves MS (2010) Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanol extract of Annona muricata L. leaves in animal models. Int J Mol Sci 11:2067–2078

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Drishya G, Nambiar J, Shaji SK, Vanuopadath M, Achuthan A, Kumar A, Alias A, Sherif A, Joseph C, Divya P, Kumar DS, Bose C, Nair SV, Sudarslal S, Kumar GB, Lakshmi S, Nair BG (2020) RECK and TIMP-2 mediate inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 by Annona muricata. J Biosci 45:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Efloras: Annona (2021) http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=620&taxon_id=101891

  • Eisemann N, Waldmann A, Geller AC, Weinstock MA, Volkmer B, Greinert R, Katalinic A (2014) Non-melanoma skin cancer incidence and impact of skin cancer screening on incidence. J Invest Dermatol 134:43–50

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • El Zawawy NA (2015) Antioxidant, antitumor, antimicrobial studies and quantitative phytochemical estimation of ethanolic extracts of selected fruit peels. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci 4:98–309

    Google Scholar 

  • Elhawary SS, El Tantawy ME, Rabeh MA, Fawaz NE (2013) DNA fingerprinting, chemical composition, antitumor and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils and extractives of four Annona species from Egypt. J Na Sc Res 3:59–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Evangelista-Lozano S, Cruz-Castillo JG, Pérez-González S, Mercado-Silva E, Dávila-Ortiz G (2003) Producción Y Calidad Frutícola De GuanábanOS (Annona muricata L.) Provenientes De Semilla De Jiutepec, Morelos, México, Revista Chapingo Serie Horticultura, Vol. IX, no. 1, pp 69–79

  • Fahradyan A, Howell AC, Wolfswinkel EM, Tsuha M, Sheth P, Wong AK (2017) Updates on the management of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Healthcare 5:1–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster K, Oyenihi O, Rademan S, Erhabor J, Matsabisa M, Barker J, Delgoda R (2020) Selective cytotoxic and anti-metastatic activity in DU-145 prostate cancer cells induced by Annona muricata L. bark extract and phytochemical, annonacin. BMC Complement Med Ther 20:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Gajalakshmi S, Vijayalakshmi S, Devi RV (2012) Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Annona muricata: a review. Int J Pharm Sci 4:3–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Gavamukulya Y, Wamunyokoli F, El-Shemy HA (2017) Annona muricata: Is the natural therapy to most disease conditions including cancer growing in our backyard? A systematic review of its research history and future prospects. Asian Pac J Trop Med 10:835–848

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • George VC, Kumar DR, Rajkumar V, Suresh PK, Kumar RA (2012) Quantitative assessment of the relative antineoplastic potential of the n-butanolic leaf extract of Annona muricata Linn. in normal and immortalized human cell lines. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 13(2):699–704

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gorla US, Shankar KR (2016) In Vitro Anti-obesity and anti-cancer activities of different extracts of Annona squamosa L. and Ficus racemosa L. leaves. World J Pharm Res 5:1184–1191

    Google Scholar 

  • Hemalatha G, Sivakumari K, Rajesh S, Shyamala DK (2020) Phytochemical profiling, anticancer and apoptotic activity of Graviola (Annona muricata) fruit extract against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2) cells. Int J Zool Appl Biosci 5:32–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Jemal A, Bray F, Center MM, Ferlay J, Ward E, Forman D (2011) Global cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin 61:69–90

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kadali VN, Pola SR, Sandeep BV (2010) Anti-cancer properties of plants present in west Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India—a mini review. Indian J Tradit Knowl 3:211–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Kew Science-Plants of the World Online: Annona (2021) http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1966-1

  • Khan AQ, Uddin S (2021) Anticancer activity of natural compounds. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 21:1–2

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar M, Changan S, Tomar M, Prajapati U, Saurabh V, Hasan M, Sasi M, Maheshwari C, Singh S, Dhumal S, Radha, Thakur M, Punia S, Satankar V, Amarowicz R, Mekhemar M (2021) Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) leaves: nutritional composition, phytochemical profile, and health-promoting biological activities. Biomolecules 11(5):614

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Macuer-Guzmán J, Bernal G, Jamett-Díaz F, Ramírez-Rivera S, Ibáñez C (2019) Selective and apoptotic action of ethanol extract of Annona cherimola seeds against human stomach gastric adenocarcinoma cell line AGS. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 74:322–327

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magadi VP, Ravi V, Arpitha A, Kumaraswamy K, Manjunath K (2015) Evaluation of cytotoxicity of aqueous extract of Graviola leaves on squamous cell carcinoma cell-25 cell lines by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and determination of percentage of cell inhibition at G2M phase of cell cycle by flow cytometry: an in vitro study. Contemp Clin Dent 6(4):529–533

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mannino G, Gentile C, Porcu A, Agliassa C, Caradonna F, Bertea CM (2020) Chemical profile and biological activity of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) and atemoya (Annona atemoya) leaves. Molecules 25:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Marzuka AG, Book SE (2015) Basal cell carcinoma: pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, histopathology, and management. Yale J Biol Med 88:167–179

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra S, Ahmad S, Kumar N, Sharma BK (2013) Annona muricata (the cancer killer): a review. Glob J Pharma Res 2:1613–1618

    Google Scholar 

  • Moghadamtousi SZ, Karimian H, Rouhollahi E, Paydar M, Fadaeinasab M, Kadir HA (2014a) Annona muricata leaves induce G1cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through mitochondria-mediated pathway in human HCT-116 and HT-29 colon cancer cells. J Ethnopharmacol 156:277–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Moghadamtousi SZ, Kadir HA, Paydar M, Rouhollahi E, Karimian H (2014b) Annona muricata leaves induced apoptosis in A549 cells through mitochondrial-mediated pathway and involvement of NF-κB. BMC Complement Altern Med 14:1–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Moghadamtousi SZ, Fadaeinasab M, Nikzad S, Mohan G, Ali HM, Kadir HA (2015) Annona muricata (Annonaceae): a review of its traditional uses, isolated acetogenins and biological activities. Int J Mol Sci 16:15625–15658. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160715625

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Monigatti M, Bussmann RW, Weckerle CS (2013) Medicinal plant use in two Andean communities located at different altitudes in the Bolívar Province. Peru J Ethnopharmacol 145:450–464

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Najmuddin SUFS, Romli MF, Hamid M, Alitheen NB, Abd Rahman NMAN (2016) Anti-cancer effect of Annona Muricata Linn Leaves Crude Extract (AMCE) on breast cancer cell line. BMC Complement Altern Med 16:1–20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1290-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nugraha AS, Haritakun R, Lambert JM, Dillon CT, Keller PA (2021) Alkaloids from the root of Indonesian Annona muricata L. Nat Prod Res 35:481–489

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey N, Barve D (2011) Phytochemical and pharmacological review on Annona squamosa Linn. Int J Res Pharmaceut Biomed Sci 2:1404–1412

    Google Scholar 

  • Pieme CA, Guru SK, Ambassa P, Kumar S, Ngameni B, Ngogang JY, Saxena AK (2013) Induction of mitochondrial dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells by an extract from Dorstenia psilurus: a spice from Cameroon. BMC Complement Altern Med 13:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Pieme CA, Kumar SG, Dongmo MS, Moukette BM, Boyoum FF, Ngogang JY, Saxena AK (2014a) Antiproliferative activity and induction of apoptosis by Annona muricata (Annonaceae) extract on human cancer cells. BMC Complement Altern Med 14:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pieme CA, Kumar SG, Dongmo MS, Moukette BM, Boyoum FF, Ngogang JY, Saxena AK (2014b) Antiproliferative activity and induction of apoptosis by Annona muricata (Annonaceae) extract on human cancer cells. BMC Complement Altern Med 14:516

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Quílez AM, Fernández-Arche MA, García-Giménez MD, De la Puerta R (2018) Potential therapeutic applications of the genus Annona: local and traditional uses and pharmacology. J Ethnopharmacol 225:244–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.06.014

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rady I, Bloch MB, Chamcheu RC, Banang Mbeumi S, Anwar MR, Mohamed H, Babatunde AS, Kuiate JR, Noubissi FK, El Sayed KA, Whitfield GK, Chamcheu JC (2018) Anticancer properties of graviola (Annona muricata): a comprehensive mechanistic review. Oxidative Med Cell Longevity 2018:1–39. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1826170

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosdi MNM, Daud NNNNM, Zulkifli RM, Yaakob H (2015) Cytotoxic effect of Annona muricata Linn leaves extract on Capan-1 cells. J Appl Pharm Sci 5:45–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruhlmann CH, Iversen TZ, Okera M, Muhic A, Kristensen G, Feyer P, Herrstedt J (2015) Multinational study exploring patients’ perceptions of side-effects induced by chemo-radiotherapy. Radiother Oncol 117:333–337

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sabapati M, Palei NN, Ashok Kumar CK, Molakpogu RB (2019) Solid lipid nanoparticles of Annona muricata fruit extract: formulation, optimization and in vitro cytotoxicity studies. Drug Dev Ind Pharm 45:577–586

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saha R (2011) Pharmacognosy and pharmacology of Annona squamosa: a review. Int J Pharm Life Sci 2(10):1183–1189

  • Sharma A, del Carmen F-V, Cardoso-Taketa A, Villarreal ML (2017) Antibacterial activities of medicinal plants used in Mexican traditional medicine. J Ethnopharmacol 208:264–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2016.04.045

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siregar GA, Buulolo BA (2018) Factors associated with tumor size of hepatocellular carcinoma. IOP Conf Ser Earth Environ Sci 125:1–5

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun S, Liu J, Kadouh H, Sun X, Zhou K (2014) Three new anti-proliferative Annonaceous acetogenins with mono-tetrahydrofuran ring from graviola fruit (Annona muricata). Bioorg Med Chem Lett 24:2773–2776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2014.03.099

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tavakoli J, Miar S, Zadehzare MM, Akbari H (2012) Evaluation of effectiveness of herbal medication in cancer care: a review study. Iran J Cancer Prev 5:144–156

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Torres MP, Rachagani S, Purohit V, Pandey P, Joshi S, Moore ED, Batra SK (2012) Graviola: a novel promising natural-derived drug that inhibits tumorigenicity and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo through altering cell metabolism. Cancer Lett 323:29–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2012.03.031

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Torres CDS, Santos FDS, Guiguer EL, Araújo ACD, Barbalho SM, Bueno PCDS, Souza M, Alves DA, Lancellot M, Moreira HM (2019) Effect of Morinda citrifolia and Annona muricata on erhlich tumor cells in swiss albino mice and in vitro fibroblast cells. J Med Food 22(1):46–51

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vikas B, Anil S, Remani P (2019) Cytotoxicity profiling of Annona squamosa in cancer cell lines. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 20:2831–2840

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vila-Nova NS, Morais SMD, Falcão MJC, Machado LKA, Beviláqua CML, Costa IRS, Andrade Júnior HFD (2011) Leishmanicidal activity and cytotoxicity of compounds from two Annonaceae species cultivated in Northeastern Brazil. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 44:567–571. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822011000500007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2021) https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1

  • Younes A (2016) Handbook of lymphoma. Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08467-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors all like to convey their sincere appreciation to Revered Swami Ramdev for his unflagging support and direction. We also appreciate the prompt administrative help from Mr. Lalit Mohan and Mr. Gagan Kumar, as well as the graphic support from Mr. Sunil Kumar.

Funding

This study has been conducted using internal research funds from Patanjali Research Foundation Trust, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. This work received no other specific external funding or grant from any funding agency.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

AB: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Resources. Dr. NRD: Visualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing- Original draft, Validation, Editing. Dr. AS: Reviewing original draft and incorporation of pharmacological database. Dr. VA: Project administration, Supervision, Guidance, Suggestive measures and Final correction.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neelam R. Dabhade.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Authors declare no conflict of interests with regards to the submitted work.

Ethics approval

NA.

Consent to participate

NA.

Consent to publish

NA.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Balkrishna, A., Dabhade, N.R., Singh, A. et al. Anticancer acumens of three Annona species: a proportional review. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 149, 6693–6702 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-022-04306-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-022-04306-5

Keywords

Navigation