A therapeutic potentiality and toxicity concern of nutrient plant Annona squamosa Linn.

Abstract

Annona squamosa Linn. fruit is famous for its nutritional value with a long history of medicinal benefits due to the presence of many phytochemicals, including alkaloids, diterpenes, essential oil, phytopeptides, etc. Several studies envisaged that Annona squamosa possesses cytotoxic, diuretic, antiurolithiatic, antitumor, anti-psoriatic, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective properties. This plant is traditionally used for the treatment of wound infection, dysentery, seizure, tumors, fever, vomiting, parasitic infections, hypertension, thyroid, toothache, acne, heart disease, inflammation, diabetes, hair loss, dandruff, hemorrhage, maggot-infected sores, abortifacient, and cough. However, some chemical constituents isolated from the plant have shown specific toxic effects in human and animal models, such as acute oral toxic effects, genotoxic, neurotoxic, and ocular toxic. The plant has diverse pharmacological actions, the seeds of this plant possess a genotoxic effect but on the contrary, the bark of the plant shows genoprotective activity. A large number of ethnobotanical studies reported the seed of this plant is used to induce abortion in humans, but a scientific study carried out in pregnant rats reported aqueous seed extract of the plant did not interfere with reproductive performance. The presented review summarized the traditional uses, pharmacological, and toxicological activities of the isolated compounds from this plant. Additionally, some patents and commercial products related to Annona squamosa are also brought up in this article to explore its application which would attract the scientific community to search out its hidden side.