relation: http://repositorio.unini.edu.mx/id/eprint/5365/ canonical: http://repositorio.unini.edu.mx/id/eprint/5365/ title: Prickly pear fruits from "Opuntia ficus-indica" varieties as a source of potential bioactive compounds in the Mediterranean diet creator: Armas Diaz, Yasmany creator: Machì, Michele creator: Salinari, Alessia creator: Mazas Pérez-Oleaga, Cristina creator: Martínez López, Nohora Milena creator: Briones Urbano, Mercedes creator: Cianciosi, Danila subject: Biomedicina subject: Alimentación description: Cactus has been used in traditional folk medicine because of its role in treating a number of diseases and conditions. Prickly pear fruit is an excellent source of secondary metabolites (i.e., betalains, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid) with health-promoting properties against many common human diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, rheumatic pain, gastric mucosa diseases and asthma. In addition, prickly pears are potential candidates for the development of low-cost functional foods because they grow with low water requirements in arid regions of the world. This review describes the main bioactive compounds found in this fruit and shows the in vitro and some clinical studies about the fruit of most important cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) and its relationship with some chronic diseases. Even though a lot of effort have been done to study the relationship between this fruit and the human health, more studies on Opuntia ficus-indica could help better understand its pharmacological mechanism of action to provide clear scientific evidence to explain its traditional uses, and to identify its therapeutic potential in other diseases. date: 2022-12 type: Artículo type: PeerReviewed identifier: Artículo Materias > Biomedicina Materias > Alimentación Universidad Europea del Atlántico > Investigación > Producción Científica Fundación Universitaria Internacional de Colombia > Investigación > Producción Científica Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana México > Investigación > Producción Científica Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana Puerto Rico > Investigación > Producción Científica Universidad Internacional do Cuanza > Investigación > Producción Científica Cerrado Inglés Cactus has been used in traditional folk medicine because of its role in treating a number of diseases and conditions. Prickly pear fruit is an excellent source of secondary metabolites (i.e., betalains, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid) with health-promoting properties against many common human diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, rheumatic pain, gastric mucosa diseases and asthma. In addition, prickly pears are potential candidates for the development of low-cost functional foods because they grow with low water requirements in arid regions of the world. This review describes the main bioactive compounds found in this fruit and shows the in vitro and some clinical studies about the fruit of most important cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) and its relationship with some chronic diseases. Even though a lot of effort have been done to study the relationship between this fruit and the human health, more studies on Opuntia ficus-indica could help better understand its pharmacological mechanism of action to provide clear scientific evidence to explain its traditional uses, and to identify its therapeutic potential in other diseases. metadata Armas Diaz, Yasmany; Machì, Michele; Salinari, Alessia; Mazas Pérez-Oleaga, Cristina; Martínez López, Nohora Milena; Briones Urbano, Mercedes y Cianciosi, Danila mail SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, cristina.mazas@uneatlantico.es, nohora.martinez@uneatlantico.es, mercedes.briones@uneatlantico.es, SIN ESPECIFICAR (2022) Prickly pear fruits from "Opuntia ficus-indica" varieties as a source of potential bioactive compounds in the Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 15 (4). pp. 581-592. ISSN 1973798X relation: http://doi.org/10.3233/MNM-220102 relation: doi:10.3233/MNM-220102 language: en