Apart from being a favourite Caribbean fruit treat, a recent interdisciplinary study from a UWI team of scientists and international collaborators published in the highly respected journal Scientific Reports points out that there are potentially beneficial medicinal properties of the guinep.
The study "Hypotensive and antihypertensive effects of an aqueous extract from Guinep fruit (Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq) in rats” showed among other things that guinep (Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq) reduced blood pressure in rats through its effects on cardiac output and heart rates. The study authors noted that it did this via “its endothelium dependent vasorelaxation properties involving the nitric oxide (NO) and guanylyl cyclase, but not prostaglandin signaling pathways.” Importantly, the study found that the guinep extract did not show signs of toxicity, suggesting the potential for safe medical usage. These exciting results complemented those of a prior study which established that guinep also reversed and even prevented experimentally induced damage to the muscular tissue of the heart. Advanced analysis further revealed the presence of several medicinal compounds in guinep extracts with exciting cardiovascular and biological activity responses. These included antioxidants like vitamin C and related compounds, phenolic acids, flavonoid, fatty acids (oxylipins), and terpene derivatives.
The recent study is part of an ongoing effort by The UWI scientists and international collaborators from Chile and USA to highlight the medicinal benefits of indigenous natural products and scientifically validate folkloric evidence of their properties. The effort includes drawing on available scientific expertise to analyse and isolate active chemical components and deciphering the mechanisms of how these act to yield physiological or pharmaceutical benefits, whether through orthodox or alternative medicine applications. The guinep study was led by Dr. Chukwuemeka Nwokocha (Dept. of Basic Medical Sciences) with UWI collaborators from The Natural Products Institute, the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Pathology.
To read the studies
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-75607-3
Nwokocha CR, Gordon A, Palacios J, Paredes A, Cifuentes F, Francis S, Watson J, Delgoda R, Nwokocha M, Alexander-Lindo R, Thompson R, Minott-Kates D, Yakubu MA. Hypotensive and antihypertensive effects of an aqueous extract from Guinep fruit (Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq) in rats. Sci Rep. 2020 Oct 29;10(1):18623. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-75607-3. PMID: 33122667; PMCID: PMC7596469.
Nwokocha CR, Warren I, Palacios J, Simirgiotis M, Nwokocha M, Harrison S, Thompson R, Paredes A, Bórquez J, Lavado A, Cifuentes F. Modulatory Effect of Guinep (Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq) Fruit Pulp Extract on Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Damage in Rats. Identification of Major Metabolites Using High Resolution UHPLC Q-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry. Molecules. 2019 Jan 10;24(2):235. doi: 10.3390/molecules24020235. PMID: 30634603; PMCID: PMC6359499.
See feature in The Gleaner below:
Guinep bears hope for heart health, says researcher
Published on 22 Jan, 2021
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