Sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) is a popular tropical fruit and its peel is a municipal waste. An ultrasound-assisted extraction method was developed for the recovery of natural antioxidants from sugar apple peel. Central composite design was used to optimize solvent concentration (13.2%-46.8%), ultrasonic time (33.2-66.8 min), and temperature (43.2-76.8 °C) for the recovery of natural antioxi...

The aim of this work was to screen extracts from Annona muricata and Annona reticulata in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum. Crude ethanolic extracts, methylene chloride fractions, aqueous fractions, subfractions and isolated compounds (stigmasterol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside, lichexanthone, gallic acid and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside) were tested for cytotoxicity on erythrocytes and Hu...

The analysis of volatile compounds in Funchal, Madeira, Mateus and Perry Vidal cultivars of Annona cherimola Mill. (cherimoya) was carried out by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry detection (GC-qMSD). HS-SPME technique was optimized in terms of fibre selection, extraction time, extraction temperature and sample amount t...

BACKGROUND This study represents the first in-depth ethnobotanical study in the province of Uíge in northern Angola and documents the traditional knowledge of the Bakongo people living in the area. Due to deforestation and frequent fires, degraded savannahs dominate the landscape in the study region. Here we provide a list of useful plants from these savannahs including quantitative data about ...

Annona squamosa, Datura metel, and Mentha piperita are extensively used in traditional medicine. These were reported to have several medicinal properties. However, these plants are also reported to be toxic to some cell types. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were treated with various concentrations of aqueous leaf extracts of all three plants to assess the toxic effects on the cells. Toxicit...

BACKGROUND Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight induces overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in skin photoaging and hyperpigmentation disorders. Novel whitening and anti-wrinkle compounds from natural products have recently become of increasing interest. The purpose of this study was to find products that reduce ROS in 14 Thai plant extracts. METHODS To determine total phe...

Ellagic acid is a phenolic compound naturally present in nuts and berries. Several studies have demonstrated that this bioactive compound has antioxidant, chemopreventive and antiviral activity. Annona muricata is a type of fruit tree with a long history of traditional use. A number of properties have been attributed to different parts of the plant, including anticancer and antioxidant activiti...

The importance of traditional medicine as a source of primary health care was first officially recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the primary Health Care Declaration of Alma Ata (1978) and has been globally addressed since 1976 by the Traditional Medicine Programme of the WHO. In Africa, traditional healers and remedies made from plants play an important role in the health of ...