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Potential Anti-Inflammatory Properties Of Canistel
Published on: December 20, 2024
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Introduction 

Asian countries are home to many exotic fruits, some more well-known than others. Canistel, also known as yellow sapote or eggfruit, is a lesser known fruit which cannot be ignored for its health benefits. Fruits are an important part of the human diet as they are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins, fibre, and minerals. 

Any given fruit has the potential to contain medicinal plant-produced compounds or metabolites like alkaloids, glycosides, phenolics and steroids,1 whose daily intake can reduce the risk of some types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.2 It is possible that canistel contains essential secondary metabolites, as there are reports of several Pouteria species being used to treat inflammation, skin eruptions, ulcers, and back pain.3

This article provides an overview of inflammation, anti-inflammatory research, botanical characteristics, and the nutritional composition of canistel. It is hoped that this information will be useful for future research on canistel for medical and consumer awareness.

What is canistel?

The family (genus) Pouteria comprises about 235 individual species, including several fruit species that can be eaten like canistel (Pouteria campechiana).4 Canistel is a persistent tropical fruit tree that is cultivated in South America, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, along with many other Asian countries.5,6 Fruits contribute an important part of the human diet from a nutritional perspective as they are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins, fibre, and minerals. 

Botanical description 

Canistel typically grows in tropical or sub-tropical climates below altitudes of 1800 m7 as a medium-sized, evergreen tree with a height between 8-20m.8,9 Its leaves are thin, ranging in shape from elliptical to oblongolate or ovate in shape, and grouped at the branch tips. These bright, glossy green leaves are 6-25 cm long and 2.5-8 cm wide and are bluntly pointed at the apex but more sharply tapered at the base.10

Its flowers are bisexual, green white-coloured and fragrant, distributed around the plant in solitary or clustered fashion.11 Canistel fruits are berries that can vary in shape and size, adopting one of a spectrum of forms - either round, ovoid, or spinal-shaped - frequently with an apex if not a curved beak.10 

Immature, unripe fruit are green, hard, and gummy inside that adopts an orange- or golden-yellow skin and yellow flesh, which becomes softer towards its seeds as ripening occurs. Due to its egg yolk shape, canistel has been referred to as egg fruit.18

While the canistel plant can produce flowers and fruits between the 4-5 years, there is great variation in the time of flowering and fruiting amongst the locations of cultivation, eg. harvesting takes place in Mexico between August and October9 whereas in Taiwan it is December.12

Inflammation and the role of anti-inflammatory signals 

Inflammation is an evolutionary process by the immune system as a result of harmful stimuli, including pathogens, damaged cells, toxic compounds, or irradiation.15 It involves removing the harmful stimuli and starting the healing process.16 Inflammatory responses that are carefully controlled and proportional to the injury, therefore described as acute, help minimise injury and infection along with the restoration of tissue. 

At the cellular or tissue level, acute inflammation is characterised by a local area of redness, swelling, heat, pain, and loss of tissue function, caused by careful responses from local immune, vascular, and inflammatory responses.17 

The process is the result of pro- and anti-inflammatory signals that control the inflammatory chemical messengers in the resident tissue cells and white blood (immune) cells recruited from the blood.18

When inflammatory responses remain after the injury or infection has been removed, white blood cells and chemical messengers continue the inflammatory process, which is considered chronic. This type of inflammation forms the basis of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and bowel diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer.19 

Chronic inflammation occurs either as an excess of pro-inflammatory signals or a lack of anti-inflammatory signals.20

Why is the immune system being mentioned?

A balanced immune response is not necessarily the result of an even split between pro- and anti-inflammatory signals,21 and mediators of these signals could be used to treat chronic inflammation. Despite canistel being used for many medicinal purposes, many of its anti-inflammatory, analgesic (pain-relief), and antiulcerogenic (ulcer preventing) properties have not been fully related to canistel plant physiology and fruit secondary metabolites by studies. 

Causes and consequences of chronic inflammation

Experiencing the right amount of inflammation allows a person to heal their injury or overcome their injection.22 However, inflammation becomes chronic when the process persists beyond the initial injury or injection, and its control is important to prevent additional tissue damage. The control of inflammation, including its start and resolution, is carefully managed by mediators over time and within the body. 

Maintaining the correct amount of inflammation requires a dynamic balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory signals that promote or inhibit inflammation, respectively.23 Changing specific parts of one’s diet by focusing on anti-inflammatory bioactive foods can significantly reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk.24,25,26 

Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet, particularly one from the Mediterranean, may prevent the development of breast and colorectal malignancies27,28 and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.29

Nutritional composition of canistel

Canistel is a fruit, making it a versatile food. The ripe fruit of canistel can be consumed in the form of jams, marmalade, pancakes, and flour. Its ripe flesh can contribute to making shakes when added with milk, custards, or ice cream. Consumed in these forms canistel is a rich source of carbohydrates, dietary fibre, fat and vitamins (including A, B-group and C).18 In addition, canistel contains minerals including calcium, phosphorus, and iron.19

The relatively small amount of previous research conducted on canistel’s nutritional properties has revealed important secondary metabolites (plant chemicals) such as phenols, flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids.14 

Additional research on canistel’s peel and pulp can provide insights into canistel’s potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic (cell-killing) properties that may be used for dietary supplements or form the basis for the fruit to be part of a nutritional regimen, particularly as a tropical superfood. 

Anti-inflammatory nutrients of canistel

Nutritional and biological analysis of canistel fruit has shown that it is a source of chemicals which have anti-inflammatory properties. These are:30

  • Tannins
  • Alkaloids
  • Terpenoids
  • Phlobatannins 

While dietary flavonoids can have anti-inflammatory properties,28 analysis of the canistel fruit has revealed that there are no flavonoids present that have these effects.29 

Additional anti-inflammatory activities have been detected in the canistels seeds and leaves. Further investigations of the seeds, fruit, and leaves of canistel are required to understand the active anti-inflammatory properties and their mechanism of action.16 This information can be used to find different ways to use canistel within the food industry and the communities that grow them.

Summary of canistel’s role in health and wellbeing

Consuming foods with anti-inflammatory properties can offer several benefits to overall health and well-being. Anti-inflammatory foods can help reduce inflammation around the body, a process that, left unchecked, can become chronic. 

Chronic inflammation can contribute to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and bowel diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer.11 The presence of anti-inflammatory foods in the diet can reduce the risk of these chronic diseases.

Reducing chronic diseases has additional knock-on benefits for individuals’ health, which include benefits for overall joint and heart health:11

  • Joint health can be improved by consuming anti-inflammatory foods because they can alleviate symptoms such as stiffness, pain, and reduced mobility, linked with arthritis 
  • Anti-inflammatory foods can contribute to a healthy heart by lowering cholesterol levels, blood pressure and reducing the risk of blood clots 

Implications for healthcare and wellness 

When consuming canistel to benefit from particular biological activities (e.g., anti-inflammatory), this should be done using the whole extract (fruit) rather than individual parts of the canistel plant, allowing the individual to benefit from all activities.31

You can find your own ways to enjoy cansitel through culinary experimentation. If eating it raw is not your thing, it can easily be a component of fruit salads, smoothie bowls and chia pudding. The options are endless. Finally, as more studies are done, many more health benefits of canistel may be revealed, and more biologically compounds identified. 

References

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Arunon Sivananthan

MSc – Human Molecular Genetics, MPhil – Clinical Medicine

I am a dedicated and detail-oriented Medical Writer with over seven years of experience in life sciences, specializing in creating high-quality scientific content and regulatory documents.

My background includes extensive research experience in diverse therapeutic areas, such as Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Gastroenterology, and Inflammatory Diseases. With a robust foundation in experimental and theoretical models of complex diseases, I have a proven track record of delivering precise and impactful medical writing.

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