Cancer Preventive and Therapeutic Potential of Banana and Its Bioactive Constituents: A Systematic, Comprehensive, and Mechanistic Review

Abstract

BackgroundThe banana (Musa spp.) plant produces elongated and edible fruit. The two main parthenocarpic species of banana are Musa accuminata Colla and Musa balbisiana Colla. There are several health-promoting and disease-preventing effects of Musa accuminata Colla, which are attributed to its important bioactive compounds, including phenolics, carotenoids, biogenic amines, phytosterols, and volatile oils, found in the stem, fruit, pseudostem, leaf, flower, sap, inner trunk, root, and inner core. Banana possesses numerous pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antiulcerogenic, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, leishmanicidal, anthelmintic, and anticancer properties. Various individual studies have reported anticancer effects of different components of the banana plant. However, according to our understanding, an up-to-date, systematic, and critical analysis of existing scientific results has not yet been carried out.ObjectivesThis review aims to include a thorough assessment of banana and its phytochemicals for cancer prevention and therapy with a focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms of action.MethodsThe available research studies on anticancer activities of banana extracts, fractions and pure compounds were collected using various scholarly databases, such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus, based on predetermined selection criteria.ResultsVarious banana extracts, fractions, and phytoconstituents, including ferulic acid, protocatechualdehyde, 2-pentanone, 4-epicyclomusalenone, cycloeucalenol acetate, and chlorogenic acid, have been shown to exhibit cancer preventative and anticancer activities in breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, hepatic, oral, prostate, and skin cancers. Bioactive components present in bananas have exhibited antiproliferative, cell cycle arrest-inducing, apoptotic, anti-adhesive, anti-invasive, and antiangiogenic effects through modulation of diverse, dysregulated oncogenic signaling pathways.ConclusionBased on the critical analysis of available literature, banana products and phytoconstituents show enormous potential for future development of drugs for cancer prevention and therapy. However, more mechanistic studies and well-designed clinical trials should be performed to establish its efficacy.

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) and Its Bioactive Phytocompounds: A Tribute to Cancer Prevention and Intervention

“…These naturallyoccurring phytochemicals are also utilized in the discovery and development of anticancer drugs [5,6]. Emerging preclinical and clinical data shows that bioactive food components contain enormous cancer-preventive and anticancer therapeutic potential due to their unique ability to impact various cancer hallmarks, namely sustained proliferation, cell death resistance, energy metabolism, immune surveillance evasion, inflammation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis, by modulating a plethora of oncogenic and oncosuppressive signaling pathways [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

Unveiling the Bioactive Potential of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Waste in Human Health from a Consumer Perspective

“…Different studies have identified many of these bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids (β-carotene), flavonoids, phenolics, biogenic amines, vitamins A, B, C, and E, and phytosterols [8,84,153,154]. Extracts from different parts of banana fruit and plants were shown to elicit effective protection against oxidative damage to cells and different human diseases triggered by these deleterious events, notably different forms of cancer (reviewed in [155]). These effects are possibly associated with the existence of specific phytoconstituents in banana plants and fruit, including ferulic acid, protocatechualdehyde, 2-pentanone, 4epicyclomusalenone, cycloeucalenol acetate, and chlorogenic acid, which have been shown to exhibit therapeutic cancer-preventing and anticancer abilities (reviewed in [155]).…”

“…Extracts from different parts of banana fruit and plants were shown to elicit effective protection against oxidative damage to cells and different human diseases triggered by these deleterious events, notably different forms of cancer (reviewed in [155]). These effects are possibly associated with the existence of specific phytoconstituents in banana plants and fruit, including ferulic acid, protocatechualdehyde, 2-pentanone, 4epicyclomusalenone, cycloeucalenol acetate, and chlorogenic acid, which have been shown to exhibit therapeutic cancer-preventing and anticancer abilities (reviewed in [155]). These bioactive compounds have been widely shown to have many positive effects on human health and banana has an effective antioxidant capacity higher than many berries [156].…”

“…Part of these bioactive compounds has potential against cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Evidence of such effects was provided by Wistar rats fed with an experimental diet incorporating banana blossom, which revealed modulation of hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic responses [155]. Recently, Sheng, et al [163] also provided evidence that banana flower phytosterols, notably β-sitosterol, have the potential to prevent diseases associated with abnormal blood sugar and AGE levels, such as diabetes.…”

Banana Lectin from Musa paradisiaca Is Mitogenic for Cow and Pig PBMC via IL-2 Pathway and ELF1

“…BanLec is one of the most potent anti-viral lectins, but also recognizes bacteria with high-mannose type structures [19,20]. This makes BanLec very interesting as a very potent anti-infective agent with additional immune modulatory capacities [20][21][22][23]. Further information about the intervention with the immune system is needed to understand respective processes.…”