Phytochemical and biological activity study of Annona atemoya

Abstract

In 1789, the Annonaceae family was catalogued by de Jussieu. It encompasses tropical and subtropical plants which are widespread in distribution across various continents such as Asia, South and Central America, Australia and Africa. The genus of Annona is one of 120 genera of the Annonaceae family and contains more than 119 species of trees and shrubs. Most species are found in tropical America, where over 105 species have been identified. Due to its edible fruits and medicinal properties, Annona is the most studied genus of Annonaceae family. To date, only a limited number of these species have economic value, including A. squamosa L. (sugar apple), A. cherimola Mill. (Cherimoya), A. muricata L. (guanabana or soursop), A. atemoya Mabb. (atemoya), a hybrid between A. cherimola and A. squamosa, A. reticulata L. (custard apple), A. glabra L. (pond-apple) and A. macroprophyllata Donn. Sm. (ilama). Annona atemoya also known as the custard apple is a hybrid between two Annonaceae species: Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) and the sugar apple (Annona squamosa). It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical continents including north and south America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Despite becoming an increasingly important commercial fruit plant due to its’ creamy succulent flesh, compared to other Annonaceae species relatively few studies have investigated the phytochemistry and bioactivities of A. atemoya. Studies that evaluated A. atemoya extracts and its constituents were searched through the databases Scopus, PubMed and Embase from inception to June 2020. Constituents of A. atemoya include alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes and acetogenins. The results of this systematic review indicate that the constituents of A. atemoya possess cytotoxic, anti-angiogenic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities.