Phytochemicals and biological properties of Annona coriacea Mart. (Annonaceae): A systematic review from 1971 to 2020.

Annona coriacea Mart., popularly known as "marolo", "araticum" and "araticum-liso" is a species distributed in Paraguay and Brazil, and easily found in Caatinga, Cerrado and Pantanal biomes. The araticum has been used in folk medicine for treating of stomatitis, neuralgia, rheumatism, headaches, furuncle, ulcers, and dermatites. The aim of this this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry and pharmacological activity of A. coriacea. A search for scientific articles of electronic databases (Science Direct, PubMed, Lilacs, Scopus, Google Scholar, Scielo and Web of Science) was performed identifying studies published until may 2020. All papers considering traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties were included. 46 articles (n= 212 subjects) were selected for inclusion in this review. Of the 46 articles reviewed, 32 focused on exposing some biological activity, while 14 limited to phytochemical studies. The studies showed the presence of a diversity of secondary metabolites such as acetogenins, sesquiterpenes, alkaloids, flavonoids and diterpenes. To date, pharmacological studies have demonstrated significant biological activities, most promising are anticancer, antiparasitic and insecticide activities. Utilization of A. coriacea appears promising and describes its possible uses for human health with activities like antioxidant, anxiolytic, antiviral, antitumor, antifungal insecticide, antiparasitic, and others. Furthermore, comprehensive studies involving clinical trials are required to scientifically validate the existing traditional practices in relation to its health benefits.