Ethnobotanical, nutritional and medicinal properties of Mexican drylands Cactaceae Fruits: Recent findings and research opportunities

Underutilized Mexican Plants: Screening of Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Properties of Mexican Cactus Fruit Juices

“…Cactaceae plants are a group of uncommon species worldwide that grow in arid areas. Mexico is home of 518 species of which 47.7% are endemic [3]. Cacti fruits are highly valued in the region for their chemical composition which grants them their distinctive organoleptic properties such as color and taste [4].…”

“…They are ovoid in shape, pigmented, and possess small thorns [5] (Figure 1). Partial characterizations of pitaya fruits have shown that they contain betalains, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds (caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric) [3,6]. Their uses have been reported against insect bites, rheumatism, hemorrhages, and gastrointestinal issues [3,7].…”

“…Partial characterizations of pitaya fruits have shown that they contain betalains, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds (caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric) [3,6]. Their uses have been reported against insect bites, rheumatism, hemorrhages, and gastrointestinal issues [3,7]. Prickly pears are oval shaped fruits commonly referred to as "tunas" (Figure 1) and are extensively distributed throughout Mexico [8].…”

“…Prickly pears are oval shaped fruits commonly referred to as "tunas" (Figure 1) and are extensively distributed throughout Mexico [8]. They have been known to contain flavonoids, phenolic acids (caffeic, coumaric, vanillic, among others), betalains, ascorbic acid, fatty acids, lignans, and sterols [3,6]. Additionally, they possess a variety of health benefits, yet not restricted to a high antioxidant capacity [9], including cytotoxic activity [10,11], and an antiproliferative effect on cancer colon (HT29/Caco-2) and prostate cancer cell lines (PC-3) in vitro [12,13].…”

“…Garambullo fruits are 1.5 cm in length, globular, and purple ( Figure 1) [14]. The berry cactus fruits contain flavonoids, betalains, ascorbic acid, and many phenolic acids (caffeic, gallic, vanillic) [3,6] with associated health properties such as the improvement of renal functions in rats as well as decreased glucose and cholesterol levels in blood [14].…”