Antiviral, Antioxidant, and Antihemolytic Effect of Annona muricata L. Leaves Extracts

Abstract

Annona muricata L. is a tropical tree that is used in traditional medicine around the world. The high content of flavonoid, alkaloid, acetogenin, phenolic and lipophilic compounds of this tropical tree forms the basis of its traditional medical uses. Our objective was to study soursop leaf extracts to support their use as antiviral therapies and investigate their protective effects against oxidative damage. The aqueous extract (AE) and acidified ethanolic extract (AEE) of soursop leaves were characterized by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), and their effects on human erythrocytes and in vitro antioxidant capacity, as evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays, were investigated. The antiviral effects were evaluated using a bacteriophage surrogate. AEE showed the highest phenolic content, with rutin as the predominant compound. This extract showed higher values in the DPPH and ABTS assays, with 23.61 ± 0.42 and 24.91 ± 0.16 mmol of Trolox equivalent per gram, respectively. Inhibition of hemolysis was 34% and 51% for AE and AEE, respectively. AEE was selected for the antiviral study because of its higher antioxidant activity. The viral reduction ranged from 5–6 log10 plaque-forming units/volume (PFU) at contact times of 15–360 min. Soursop leaves have a positive effect on reducing oxidative stress in human erythrocytes and viral infections.

Pharmacological Activities of Soursop (Annona muricata Lin.)

“…Another study showed that acidified ethanolic extract of A. muricata decreased viral replication after 1 h of contact time. This activity may be due to the presence of phenolic compounds such as rutin [93]. Acetogenins such as annomuricin a, annomuricin b, annomuricin c, muricatocin c, muricatacin, cis-annonacin, annonacin-10-one, cis-goniothalamicin, arianacin, and javoricin were shown to possess good inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins (in silico).…”

A Review on Annona muricata and Its Anticancer Activity

“…The leaves [ 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ], pericarp [ 36 , 101 ], fruits [ 34 , 102 ], seeds [ 36 , 103 ], and roots [ 35 ] of A. muricata have ethnomedical uses. Roots of A. muricata have been employed in herbal therapy, whereas stem barks, stems, seeds, and leaves are the most common constituents in traditional medicinal decoctions [ 104 , 105 , 106 ].…”

An Integrative Approach to the Flavonoid Profile in Some Plants’ Parts of the Annona Genus

“…Using the LC-MS/MS technique, Kim et al found the flavonoids kaempferol-3- O -rutinoside and quercetin-3- O -rutinoside in a graviola leaf extract, in addition to demonstrating the ability of soursop leaves to boost immunity [ 75 ]. Similarly, Balderrama-Carmona et al identified rutin as the predominant compound through analyses performed using the UPLC technique, and reported that graviola leaves can help reduce oxidative stress in human erythrocytes, as well as viral infections [ 78 ]. Thus, it is possible to observe that, regardless of the technique used, rutin, kaempferol, quercetin, and their derivatives are prominently present in A. muricata .…”