Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Purdue University, Heine Pharmacy Building, 575 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47904-2091, USA. [email protected]
Extracts of paw paw ( Asimina triloba, Annonaceae) are among the most potent of the 3500 species of higher plants screened for bioactive compounds in our laboratories at Purdue University.
The paw paw is a small tree native to eastern North America; its edible fruits (sometimes referred to as "Indiana Bananas") have nurtured mankind for centuries.
Activity-directed fractionation of the paw paw extracts, using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, led to the isolation and molecular characterization of over 50 unique annonaceous acetogenins.
Fractionation of extracts from related species resulted in the identifcation of over 150 additional acetogenins.
The annonaceous acetogenins are derivatives of long-chain (C32 or C34) fatty acids.
They are potent inhibitors of mitochondrial (complex I) as well as cytoplasmic (anaerobic) production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the related nucleotides.
The powerful cytotoxicity, in vivo antitumor, pesticidal, antimalarial, anthelmintic, piscicidal, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects indicated a myriad of potentially useful applications.
Commercial development of these compounds uses natural mixtures of active components, incorporated into pesticidal, topical, and dietary supplement products.
Successful applications and commercial products include a shampoo, highly effective in treating infestations of head lice, fleas, and ticks; a series of pesticidal sprays, which protects host plants against a diversity of pests; and an ointment for treatment of oral herpes (HSV-1) and other skin afflictions.
The extract (in capsule form) enhances a mixture of natural anthelmintics.
In addition, an encapsulated extract has been effectively used by certain cancer patients as a botanical supplement product.
PMID: 18598079
Posted by AliG (Member # 9734) on :
Land Grant Program, Atwood Research Facility, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-2355, USA. [email protected]
The North American pawpaw [ Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal] is a tree fruit in the early stages of commercial production in the United States.
This plant contains annonaceous acetogenins in the twigs, unripe fruit, seeds, roots, and bark tissues, which display antitumor, pesticidal, antimalarial, anthelmintic, piscicidal, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects, suggesting many potentially useful applications.
However, commercial development of these compounds, based on twig extracts, has been problematic due to limited availability of biomass for extraction.
Additionally, acetogenin compounds contained in fruit of pawpaw relatives (soursop or Annona muricata ) and tea made from the leaves of these plants may lead to an increased risk of atypical Parkinsonism later in life with overconsumption of these compounds.
Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to determine if extracts of ripe pawpaw fruit pulp displayed acetogenin activity, (2) to identify potential acetogenin compounds in the fruit tissue, and (3) to determine if the acetogenin activity varied in diverse pawpaw genotypes and closely related Annona species.
Extracts of ripe fruit had total extract weights and bioactivity using the brine shrimp bioassay similar to those from 'NC-1' pawpaw twig tissue.
Pulp from soursop, cherimoya, and several additional pawpaw cultivars ('Mitchell', 'Overleese', 'NC-1','Zimmerman', 'Wells', and 'Sunflower') also displayed bioactivity, but peach or banana pulp did not.
Ripe pawpaw pulp extract subjected to HPLC-MS analysis identified three prominent acetogenins: asimicin, bullatacin, and bullatalicin.
This study points to pawpaw fruit pulp serving as a new biomass source for the extraction of acetogenin compounds for product development.
An assessment of the potential human health risk of overconsumption of fruit and acetogenin bioavailability and degradation studies should be pursued.
PMID: 19711911
Posted by AliG (Member # 9734) on :
Kim EJ, Suh KM, Kim DH, Jung EJ, Seo CS, Son JK, Woo MH, McLaughlin JL.
Narcotic & Neuropharmacological Drug Division, Drug Evaluation Department, Korea Food and Drug Administration, Seoul 122-020, Korea.
Bioactivity-directed fractionation of the seeds of Asimina triloba resulted in the isolation of asimitrin (1) and 4-hydroxytrilobin (2).
Compound 1 represents an adjacent ring-hydroxylated bis-tetrahydrofuran (THF) acetogenin.
Compound 2 has an adjacent bis-THF ring with two flanking hydroxyl groups and a alpha,beta-unsaturated gamma-lactone with a 4-hydroxyl group.
Compounds 1 and 2 showed cytotoxic selectivity, with 100-10 000 times the potency of adriamycin against prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines.
PMID: 15730242
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
I tried to grow some of these 3 years ago. LOL Don't get babies. Mine were only 1 ft. and they did not make it through the first winter. But they are the most different leaved tree I have ever seen. I would like to try again. Very interesting. I do know the Indians used them for a lot of things.