AlbertScent5G
Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2020
- Messages
- 11
Good day to all,
I would like to bring up the subject of Annonaceous fruits in relation to their potential benefits and or drawbacks to stimulate a discussion.
Although the subject has been touched upon in other threads (and on other websites) I think it would be worthwhile to focus the discussion on these fruits in general, and acetogenins in particular given that these molecules seem pretty unique to this family of plants.
Annonaceous fruits include the Pawpaw (Asiminia triloba), Soursop (Annona muricata), Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) among others.
Mark Twain has been quoted as saying that the custard apple is among the tastiest of fruits.
And I think that this description could be extended to others in the Annona family. Many might not have heard of these fruits because they can be difficult to find.
This may relate to short shelf life, high-demand in the markets, or living far away from where they are grown (many in the tropics).
In any case, i'd be interested in hearing what people think of them as food since I haven't been blessed by a cherimoya companionship recently.
The double-edged sword: Acetogenin et al.
"Acetogenin" here is used to describe a series of compounds included in the Annona sp. plants including annonacin, annonin, and many others.
I refer to them as a double-edged sword because on one hand, they have been investigated in several trials for their anti-carcinogenic properties.
On the other hand, there has been a lot of concern (especially recently) regarding potential neurotoxic effects which have also been attributed to the acetogenins (especially annonacin).
In particular, they have been shown to act as an inhibitor of one of the complexes of the electron transport chain in mitochondria. This would, at face value seem to cast these fruits in an eerie light from a bioenegetic perspective. I remember having read that annonacins are more toxic than MPTP, a potent neurotoxin that sometimes makes its way into ingestables.
Influence of acetogenins on human disease states
If one was to do an extensive search of PubMed, one would find several articles documenting anti-neoplastic (PMID: 29921883, PMID: 30151067, PMID: 25885900), anti-parasitic (PMID: 18506253, PMID: 21739316) and anti-inflammatory (PMID: 29104539, PMID: 26303770) properties of substances contained within these fruits, their leaves, or seeds.
The PMID's i've referenced are a very superficial attempt to give you an idea on what's out there. There is a lot of research that has been done looking at in vivo as well as in vitro type-effects.
A lot of the literature is focused on Graviola specifically, this may be related to the fact that the leaves of the plant have been brewed as a folk remedy in the West Indies.
Evidence of potential neurotoxicity
In the literature, it all began with a statistical study by the Lancet in 1999 (PMID: 10440304) which linked the consumption of soursop/graviola/guanabana to atypical parkinsonism.
Since that time there have been several more investigations, (PMID: 17017523, PMID: 18816693) as well as some potentially warranted concern regarding the ingestion of these fruits.
To the enquiring mind, several questions appear to need answering before the question of their toxicity is resolved
How much acetogenin reaches the brain?
Is the concern related to the consumption of leaves and twigs in a traditional tea, or in fruit pulps? (PMID: 27569447)
Are there substances in the fruits themselves which may counteract these neurotoxic effects? (PMID: 30362086)
And what amount of fruit would be considered safe for a consumer?
Responses to the inquiry
A gentleman at the university of Kentucky had consulted the FDA regarding the safety of pawpaws and they had concluded that: “The pawpaw has a long history of food use and the FDA does not currently have any evidence that pawpaw is unsafe to eat.” (Dr. Kirk Pomper).
I had also consulted the benevolent gentleman of Eugene regarding his opinion on the subject. He was under the impression that consumption of a tea made from the leaves or twigs may lead to the accumulation of an acetogenin dose large enough to cause harm.
I would like to bring up the subject of Annonaceous fruits in relation to their potential benefits and or drawbacks to stimulate a discussion.
Although the subject has been touched upon in other threads (and on other websites) I think it would be worthwhile to focus the discussion on these fruits in general, and acetogenins in particular given that these molecules seem pretty unique to this family of plants.
Annonaceous fruits include the Pawpaw (Asiminia triloba), Soursop (Annona muricata), Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) among others.
Mark Twain has been quoted as saying that the custard apple is among the tastiest of fruits.
And I think that this description could be extended to others in the Annona family. Many might not have heard of these fruits because they can be difficult to find.
This may relate to short shelf life, high-demand in the markets, or living far away from where they are grown (many in the tropics).
In any case, i'd be interested in hearing what people think of them as food since I haven't been blessed by a cherimoya companionship recently.
The double-edged sword: Acetogenin et al.
"Acetogenin" here is used to describe a series of compounds included in the Annona sp. plants including annonacin, annonin, and many others.
I refer to them as a double-edged sword because on one hand, they have been investigated in several trials for their anti-carcinogenic properties.
On the other hand, there has been a lot of concern (especially recently) regarding potential neurotoxic effects which have also been attributed to the acetogenins (especially annonacin).
In particular, they have been shown to act as an inhibitor of one of the complexes of the electron transport chain in mitochondria. This would, at face value seem to cast these fruits in an eerie light from a bioenegetic perspective. I remember having read that annonacins are more toxic than MPTP, a potent neurotoxin that sometimes makes its way into ingestables.
Influence of acetogenins on human disease states
If one was to do an extensive search of PubMed, one would find several articles documenting anti-neoplastic (PMID: 29921883, PMID: 30151067, PMID: 25885900), anti-parasitic (PMID: 18506253, PMID: 21739316) and anti-inflammatory (PMID: 29104539, PMID: 26303770) properties of substances contained within these fruits, their leaves, or seeds.
The PMID's i've referenced are a very superficial attempt to give you an idea on what's out there. There is a lot of research that has been done looking at in vivo as well as in vitro type-effects.
A lot of the literature is focused on Graviola specifically, this may be related to the fact that the leaves of the plant have been brewed as a folk remedy in the West Indies.
Evidence of potential neurotoxicity
In the literature, it all began with a statistical study by the Lancet in 1999 (PMID: 10440304) which linked the consumption of soursop/graviola/guanabana to atypical parkinsonism.
Since that time there have been several more investigations, (PMID: 17017523, PMID: 18816693) as well as some potentially warranted concern regarding the ingestion of these fruits.
To the enquiring mind, several questions appear to need answering before the question of their toxicity is resolved
How much acetogenin reaches the brain?
Is the concern related to the consumption of leaves and twigs in a traditional tea, or in fruit pulps? (PMID: 27569447)
Are there substances in the fruits themselves which may counteract these neurotoxic effects? (PMID: 30362086)
And what amount of fruit would be considered safe for a consumer?
Responses to the inquiry
A gentleman at the university of Kentucky had consulted the FDA regarding the safety of pawpaws and they had concluded that: “The pawpaw has a long history of food use and the FDA does not currently have any evidence that pawpaw is unsafe to eat.” (Dr. Kirk Pomper).
I had also consulted the benevolent gentleman of Eugene regarding his opinion on the subject. He was under the impression that consumption of a tea made from the leaves or twigs may lead to the accumulation of an acetogenin dose large enough to cause harm.
