The pomegranate fruit has an ancient history and is mentioned in many Holy Scriptures such as the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. For centuries, the fruit has been revered in Greek mythology, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Sculptured representations of the fruit are found on the ancient monuments of Egypt and the Assyrian ruins. The tree is native to the region of Persia and the Himalayan ranges of India and has been cultivated in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North India, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Mediterranean region for several millennia.
Although grown in some regions of North America, its popularity as a consumer fruit has only recently reached the mainstream commercial markets of North America and the Western Hemisphere. In addition to its ancient historical uses, pomegranate is used in several systems of medicine for a variety of ailments. In the Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine, the pomegranate is prescribed as a general tonic and to treat diarrhea, ulcers, and parasites.
Pomegranate is also an important part of the Unani system of medicine practiced in the Middle East and India where it is popularly used to treat diabetes. The recent spate in interest in the medicinal and nutritional properties of pomegranate stemmed from studies that suggested its anti-oxidant activity greater than that of green tea and red wine.
In humans, pomegranate juice consumption decreased low density lipoprotein (LDL) susceptibility to aggregation and retention. In mice, oxidation of LDL by peritoneal macrophages was reduced by up to 90% after pomegranate juice consumption. This effect was associated with reduced cellular lipid peroxidation and superoxide release.
The up-take of oxidized LDL and native LDL by mouse peritoneal macrophages obtained after pomegranate juice administration was reduced by 20%. Pomegranate juice supplementation in mice reduced the number of foam cells and the size of atherosclerotic lesions. These observations suggest that pomegranate juice possesses potent anti-atherogenic effects in healthy humans and in atherosclerotic mice that could be attributable to its anti-oxidative properties.
Following these observations, the general health benefits of pomegranate started to be vigorously explored and investigated. Various products extracted from the pomegranate fruit have been found to be useful for treatment of: cardiovascular disease; diabetes; dental conditions; erectile dysfunction; ultraviolet (UV) radiation induced damages; and cancer and its prevention.
Health benefits of pomegranates have largely been attributed to the presence of phytochemicals, the non-nutritive compounds that protect the plant from adverse effects of the environment. Its chemistry varies depending on the part (bark, fruit, leaves, and flowers) being analyzed. The soluble polyphenol content in the juice varies within the limits of 0.2–1.0%, depending on the variety, and includes mainly anthocyanins (such as cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside, and delphindin-3-glucoside), catechins, ellagic tannins, and gallic and ellagic acids.
The contents of total phenolics, flavonoids and proathocyanidins were found to be higher in peel than in the pulp. The large amount of phenolics contained in the peel has been suggested to impart strong antioxidant activity. The fruit being the edible part comprises 80% juice and 20% seed and is also the source of many active polyphenolic ingredients.
Pomegranate juice is a rich source of anthocyanins and hydrolysable tannins. Positive reflectron mode Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) results indicate the presence of six anthocyanins in pomegranate juice: pelargonidin 3-glucoside; cyanidin 3-glucoside; delphinidin 3-glucoside; pelargonidin 3,5- diglucoside; cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside; and delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside. MALDI-TOF MS also detected an oligomeric series of ellagitannins such as punicalin, pedunculagin, and punicalagin.
The commercial processing for juice extraction involves the whole fruit including the peel, the arils, and the seeds and results in high ellagitannin content with approximately 2 g/L of punicalagins. The commercially available pomegranate juice is rich in oligomers composed of 2–10 repeating units of gallic acid, ellagic acid, and glucose.
There is a large variability in the amount of pomegranate metabolites among subjects which is attributed to differences in the microbial flora of the colon that are responsible for the metabolism of the ellagitannins. Ellagitannins such as punicalagins undergo partial hydrolysis and spontaneous internal lactone formation to yield ellagic acid and are detected in only trace amounts in the blood.
Many of the polyphenolic flavonoids are structurally similar to some mammalian estrogens and show weak estrogenic activity. These flavonoids, referred to as phytoestrogens, have been suggested to be linked to a lower incidence of hormonally dependent cancers of the breast and prostate. Quercetin, a compound possessing only weak estrogenic property, could be detected at a concentration level of 120 micro M. Other widespread phytoestrogenic compounds like genistein, daidzein, kaempferol, and luteolin showed markedly lower concentrations.
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