Effects of annona muricata on the treatment and prevention of chronic degenerative diseases

The concern of the world population has been increasing due to the significant augmentation of people affected by chronic degenerative diseases. These diseases are usually caused by oxidative stress, so there is a growing interest in the discovery of natural substances as an alternative medical resource that can act as antioxidants. Authors have shown that Annona muricata L is associated with several benefits to human health and can be associated to improve risk factors of developing some chronic degenerative diseases. Our objective in this review was to present the beneficial potentials of Annona muricata L. in the treatment and prevention of the central chronic-degenerative diseases found in modern society. Exclusivity of the Annonaceae family are the acetogenins that have diverse biological activities like antitumoral, immunosuppressive, pesticide, antiprotozoal, anthelmintic and antimicrobial. Regarding its antitumor activity, there are reports of the ability to selectively inhibit the growth of adriamycin-resistant cancerous and tumor cells, demonstrating its cytotoxic potential. It was also highlighted the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. It is possible to verify that Annona muricata L. has a wide variety of bioactive compounds that can be useful for the treatment and prevention of the relevant chronic-degenerative diseases found in modern society, such as cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism, arthritis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension,and various cancers. Therefore, we can conclude that this plant is promising and may offer an affordable alternative, low cost and without significant side effects for use in medicine.