Abstract

MORON RODRIGUEZ, Francisco J.; MORON PINEDO, Déborah  and  NODARSE RODRIGUEZ, Mario. Assessment of scientific evidence recommending Annona muricata L. (soursop tree) for cancer prevention or treatment. Rev Cubana Plant Med [online]. 2010, vol.15, n.3, pp.169-181. ISSN 1028-4796.

INTRODUCTION: the dissemination of information about "fantastic" remedies to cure diseases feared by everybody because of their possible fatal outcome, or those "cure all" substances that may solve more than one hundred health problems is unfortunately frequent on Internet and creates false expectations in patients, relatives and even health professionals. There are some pieces of information on the Web that Annona muricata L. is able to cure cancer. OBJECTIVES: to determine if there is published scientific information that allows validating the use of this plant in the treatment of cancer. METHODS: the main scientific biomedical literature databases available (BVS-BIREME /11/, COCHRANE /0/, PubMed /5/, LILACS /2/, SciELO /0/, SeCiMed /0/, EBSCO /2) were reviewed, using key words as Annona AND muricata AND cancer. Likewise, review was made in Google using graviola and cancer. The obtained information was then analyzed to ascertain whether it can substantiate the above-mentioned recommendation. RESULTS: it was found that the published scientific studies that might substantiate the use of this plant or some of its extracts are based on in vitro experimental models and most of them used pure extracted active principles. CONCLUSIONS: there is not enough evidence to recommend the use of any extract or active principle from A. muricata , so the groundless publication of its "extraordinary anti-cancer properties" is unacceptable from the ethical viewpoint.

Keywords : Annona muricata; cancer; ethics.

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