Pomegranate: A promising avenue against the most common chronic diseases and their associated risk factors (Review)

Abstract

Pomegranate is an important source of several bioactive compounds with beneficial properties. As widely described in the literature, pomegranate can be considered as a functional food able to promote the maintenance of a good health status. The present review article summarizes the properties of pomegranate, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, prebiotic and anticancer effects, as well as its protective role against metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Pomegranate and its phytocompounds can prevent the development of several chronic diseases. Additionally, pomegranate can be considered an adjunct for current therapeutic strategies able to improve the standard treatment efficacy and reduce side-effects. However, further studies are required in order to better clarify the mechanisms of action and the synergistic effects of the phytochemicals contained in pomegranate. According to the current data, pomegranate may be a promising avenue against the most common chronic diseases, including cancer. refer to the consumable portion of the pomegranate tree (2).Historically, the pomegranate tree dates back to the early bronze age (3500-2000 B.C.) with fossil findings (seeds, leaves and branches) mainly discovered in Central Asia, the Mediterranean area and the Middle East (3). Currently, it is planted in North and South America, the Middle East and Caucasus region, South and Central Asia, North and tropical Africa, as well as in the Mediterranean area, including Sicily (4).Of note, the pomegranate was considered a symbol of life, symbolizing prosperity and fertility in a number of ancient cultures and religions. For example, the Egyptians considered pomegranate as a symbol of life after death, while in the Bible's Old Testament, it symbolized good luck, abundance and fertility (1,5).However, pomegranate has been known also for its medical use. Indeed, as described in the literature, pomegranate and its derivatives (fruit, juice, pericarp, seeds and leaves) have a number of therapeutic and pharmacological properties (6), including prebiotic effects (7).These properties are due to the presence of numerous phytochemicals. Among the known phytocompounds, ellagitannins, gallotannins, anthocyanins, anthocyanidins, flavonoids, flavonones, flavonols, organic acids, fatty acids and lipids, phenolic acids, alkaloids and lignans have been isolated from pomegranate (8,9).Over the past few years, the attention of the scientific community on the beneficial effects of pomegranate and its

Pomegranate Peel as a Source of Bioactive Compounds: A Mini Review on Their Physiological Functions

“…Key vital signs were detected during the study period (4 weeks), showing that pomegranate can reduce diastolic blood pressure. Thus pomegranate played a key role in preventing some cardiovascular risk factors (such as hypertension) ( 86 ). However, the evidence of cardiovascular protection after PPE depletion remains insufficient and further studies are still needed owing to the high heterogeneity between trials and inter-individual variability.…”

Comparative metabolomics reveal intraspecies variability in bioactive compounds of different cultivars of pomegranate fruit (Punica granatum L.) and their waste by‐products

“…Pomegranate juice is the most common industrial product generated from the fruit, yet, biologically active ingredients are found in almost every part of the pomegranate fruit, which could be utilized to treat a wide range of diseases. The different parts of pomegranate are considered as a powerful pharmaceutical mixture of bioactive compounds with potent biological activities including antioxidant, anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐ageing, anti‐diabetes, cardiovascular protective, hepato‐protective and anti‐arthritis activity, etc 3‐5 …”

Novel Pomegranate-Nanoparticles Ameliorate Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity and Improves Cisplatin Anti-Cancer Efficacy in Ehrlich Carcinoma Mice Model

“…Although many herbal and synthetic antioxidants have been investigated for this purpose there is a paucity of information on a definite supplement that can effectively prevent CISP-induced nephrotoxicity [ 5 ]. Pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) belongs to the family Punicaceae, a common fruit derived from the deciduous tree of Punica L. genus [ 10 , 11 ].…”

“…Indeed, pomegranate has several therapeutic and pharmacological properties, which may be ascribed to the presence of numerous phytochemicals including phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids phytocompounds, organic acids, gallotannins, anthocyanidins, ellagitannins, flavonones, flavonols, anthocyanins, fatty acids and lipids, and lignans have been isolated from pomegranate [ 10 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Anthocyanins, tannins, and catechins in pomegranate juice and peel also have a significant antioxidant activity [ 10 , 11 , 19 , 20 ]. Pomegranate has been used to mitigate cancer, memory impairment, and arteriosclerosis and lowering high cholesterol levels [ 19 , 20 ].…”