Solanum Lycocarpum St. Hill

Health Benefits of the Alkaloids from Lobeira (Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill): A Comprehensive Review

“…Lobeira fruit has rarely been employed as a food source for humans, mainly used in the preparation of jams and sweets. However, both the fruit and plant parts have been utilized for centuries in folk medicine as hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic, antiepileptic, diuretic, sedative, and antispasmodic [2]. The presence of various alkaloids in the fruit and plant parts of lobeira, particularly solasonine and solamargine (as summarized above), may contribute to a wide range of effects on human health.…”

“…In this context, the lobeira or "fruta-do-lobo" (Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill), a species native to South America and predominantly found in the Brazilian Cerrado, stands out. Lobeira is known for being resistant and adaptable to dry and hot environments, making it a good food source for animals, especially the Lobo-guará (Chrysocyon brachyurus), particularly during the dry season when the availability of other foods is low [2]. This fruit has an interesting nutritional composition, as it has low levels of carbohydrates (10.97%), lipids (0.86%), and energy (57.1 kcal/100 g), demonstrating the potential for inclusion in restrictive diets (e.g., low-energy diets for obese individuals).…”

“…Minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium are predominant in its fruits (400.0, 8.4, and 14.7 mg/100 g, respectively), while other minerals like copper, manganese, iron, sodium, and zinc are present in low quantities (0.3, 0.095, 0.3, 0.66, and 0.179 mg/100 g, respectively). Also, lobeira is an excellent source of vitamin C providing more than 100% of Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) in only one serving (100 g of fresh edible fruit part) [2,3]. Beyond the nutritional aspects of the fruit, different parts of the lobeira plant have been used in folk medicine as a hypoglycemic, sedative, diuretic, antiepileptic, and antispasmodic agent [4][5][6].…”

“…Beyond the nutritional aspects of the fruit, different parts of the lobeira plant have been used in folk medicine as a hypoglycemic, sedative, diuretic, antiepileptic, and antispasmodic agent [4][5][6]. Recent studies have shown that these health-beneficial effects may be related to different classes of bioactive compounds present in the lobeira plant, particularly alkaloids [2].…”

“…Studies conducted with the lobeira plant have shown that these compounds mainly accumulate in its unripe fruits [8]. Alkaloid-rich extracts obtained from lobeira fruit and their isolated alkaloids have attracted growing attention from researchers due to their wide range of pharmacological properties, including hypoglycemic, anticarcinogenic, and antiparasitic effects [2].…”