Pineapple Comosus

Pineapple

Pineapple has been used for centuries in folk medicine as a digestive, cosmetic and healing agent, has a digestive effect and there is evidence that it has anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity. It is a plant rich in enzymes the main one of which is bromelain. Its activity is due to its ability to hydrolyze proteins to oligopeptides and amino acids. Being a compound active in a fairly high ph range (ph3-10) it is hardly inactivated by gastric acidity. It contains a good amount of soluble mono- and disaccharides ( up to 15%), especially sucrose and levulose of organic acids of vitamins especially Vit. A, B vitamins, Vitamin C and protein. The main component of Pineapple stem is bromelain, which now appears to be a family of proteinases (proteolytic enzymes), in which at least 8 different fractions have been identified so far1. The biological activities and clinical uses described for Ananas comosus are essentially due to bromelain2, a mixture of sulfhydryl proteolytic enzymes endowed with numerous important activities3.

The anti edematous and anti-inflammatory activity of bromelain has been evident in several experimental models. These activities have also been confirmed over the years in humans, where bromelain has been found to be useful in reducing the inflammatory and edematous component in different diseases. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, oral administration of bromelain was shown to reduce inflammatory edema secondary to extraction of a molar tooth by between 6 and 15%4. Recent studies suggest that bromelain may also be effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. In experimental models, Bromelain treatment decreased clinical and histological signs of spontaneous colitis and inflamed colon. The anti-inflammatory activity appears to be related to an interaction of bromelain on lipoxygenase, resulting in reduced synthesis of inflammatory substances and reduced vasodilation, as well as increased fibrin depolymerization and inhibition of platelet aggregation5.

All these factors promote the restoration of proper permeability of the vascular wall (a condition altered in inflammation), thus promoting reabsorption of edematous material and reducing its stasis in surrounding tissues13. In addition, bromelain also appears to be very effective in improving to muscle function after intense physical activity. Bromelain was investigated in a small clinical study, eight patients with chronic pityriasis lichenoides, which in itself is not a very frequent disease with an unknown origin, but often affects pediatric age6. Complete clinical resolution was achieved after three months of oral treatment with bromelain. Dietary supplements containing bromelain are commercially available, which would aid the digestion of protein foods7. Recent studies indicate that bromelain possesses anticancer effects, in fact in some experimental models it appears to interfere with the replication and growth of malignant cells8. Sweet-tasting with a tendency toward acidic finish, it acts in MTC strengthening the system spleen-stomach-pancreas And its color confirms this. It has a cooling action as it cleanses tissues from excess heat by dissolving wind-moisture symptoms. It has nutritive function of the YIN.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Batkin S, Taussing SJ, Szekerezes J. Antimetastatic effect of bromelain with or without its proteolytic and anticoagulant activity. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1988; 114:507-508

1-Crude bromelain extracts from pineapple stems were fractionated by two-step FPLC-cation-exchangechromatography. At least eight basic proteolytically active components were detected (...)." (Harrach T, Eckert K, Schulze-Forster K, Nuck R, Grunow D, Maurer HR. Isolation and partial characterization of basic proteinases from stem bromelain. Journal of Protein Chemistry 1995; 14: 41-52).

2-Maurer HR. Bromelain: biochemistry, pharmacology and medical use. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2001 Aug;58(9):1234-45.

3-"Effects of orally administered bromelain in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of acute allergic airway disease (AAD). Oral bromelain significantly reduced BAL CD19+ B cells (P)compared with controls." (Secor ER, Carson WF, Singh A, Pensa M, Guernsey LA, Schramm CM, Thrall RS. Oral Bromelain Attenuates Inflammation in an Ovalbumin-induced Murine Model of Asthma. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2008 Mar;5(1):61-9)

4-"Exposure to bromelain in vitro has been shown to remove a number of cell surface molecules that are vital to leukocyte trafficking, including CD128a/CXCR1 and CD128b/CXCR2 that serve as receptors for the neutrophil chemoattractant IL-8 and its murine homologues. Using an in vitro chemotaxis assay, we demonstrated a 40% reduction in migration of bromelain- vs. sham-treated human neutrophils in response to rhIL-8... In vivo bromelain treatment generated a 50-85% reduction in neutrophil migration in 3 different murine models of leukocyte migration into the inflamed peritoneal cavity." (Fitzhugh DJ, Shan S, Dewhirst MW, Hale LP. Bromelain treatment decreases neutrophil migration to sites of inflammation. Clin Immunol. 2008 Jul; 128(1):66-74).

5-Maurer HR. Bromelain: biochemistry, pharmacology and medical use. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2001 Aug;58(9):1234-45

6-Roxas M. The role of enzyme supplementation in digestive disorders. Altern Med Rev. 2008 Dec;13(4):307-14.

7-"Bromelain treatment resulted in upregulation of p53 and Bax and subsequent activation of caspase 3 and caspase 9 with concomitant decrease in Bcl-2. A marked inhibition in cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) expression and inactivation of nuclear factorkappa B (NF-kappaB) was recorded, as phosphorylation and consequent degradation of I kappa B alpha was blocked by bromelain. Also, bromelain treatment curtailed extracellular signal regulated protein kinase (ERK1/2), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Akt activity. The basis of anti tumor-initiating activity of bromelain was revealed by its time dependent reduction in DNA nick formation and increase in percentage prevention. Thus, modulation of inappropriate cell signaling cascades driven by bromelain is a coherent approach in achieving chemoprevention." (Bhui K, Prasad S, George J, Shukla Y. Bromelain inhibits COX-2 expression by blocking the activation of MAPK regulated NF-kappa B against skin tumor-initiation triggering mitochondrial death pathway. Cancer Lett. 2009 Sep 18;282(2):167-76).

8-"The antitumor and antimetastatic activities of the plant cysteine endoproteinase bromelaine were evaluated in a murine model. Syngeneic sarcoma L-1 cells were incubated with bromelaine (after preceeding time and dosage kinetics) and subcutaneously; (s.c.) or intravenously; (i.v.) inoculated into BALB/c-mice (n = 5 per experimental group) to induce local tumor growth or lung colonization. Compared to non-protease incubated L-1 cells, local tumor growth and experimental lung metastasis decreased significantly (p < 0.05). After bromelaine incubation of the tumor cells. Sarcoma L-1 cells induced local tumor growth after s.c. inoculation and lung colonization after i.v. injection. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) or s.c. administration of bromelaine (optimal dosage and time schedule tested in preceeding kinetic studies) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced local tumor weight, however, lung colonization was non-significantly reduced. Bromelaine incubation of sarcoma L-1 cells significantly reduced their tumorigenic/metastatic capacities. Bromelaine treatment after tumor cell inoculation significantly reduced local tumor growth, experimental lung metastasis, however, to a lesser, non-significant degree." (Beuth J, Braun JM. Modulation of murine tumor growth and colonization by bromelaine, an extract of the pineapple plant (Ananas comosum L.). In Vivo. 2005 Mar-Apr; 19(2):483-5.)