Medicine from the desert date.
In a team with partners from Egypt, IPB scientists have performed comparative metabolic profiling of the desert date Balanites aegyptiaca. The plant is common in Africa and the Middle East and is traditionally used to treat various diseases, including jaundice, malaria and gastrointestinal disorders. In their study, the scientists made an inventory of primary and secondary metabolites in leaves, stems and seeds, as well as in immature and ripe fruits, using various NMR and MS techniques. They identified several marker substances for the individual plant organs. Antidiabetic compounds such as nicotinic acid and trigonelline were detected in all parts of the plant, but especially in immature fruits. Cytotoxic activity against human prostate cancer and colon cancer cell lines was found primarily for compounds from immature fruits and seeds. The study provides new evidence for the medical applicability of desert date, the scientists concluded.
