Passiflora Alata: Phytopharmacological Review

Passiflora alata, mainly known as sweet passion fruit, is a flowering plant native to Amazon, usually grown from Peru to Brazil. It is the official Passiflora species in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia. P. alata is a perennial plant, an evergreen climber native of South America. It is an evergreen vine popularly known in Brazil as ‘maracujá-doce’ can grow up to 6 m (20 ft) or more. The main constituents present in Passiflora alata include flavonoids mainly responsible for its antioxidant property, steroid glycosides, triterpene saponins, and alkaloids. Various analytical methods such as TLC, HPLC, and spectrophotometry have been utilized to identify its chemical compounds. Its leaf extracts have been used in folk medicine in South America because of their sedative and anxiolytic properties. It is also an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gastroprotective agent based on its traditional use for gastric problems. P. alata has been used as a sedative and for anxiolytic purposes. These effects are attributed to specific secondary metabolites such as saponins and C-glycosidic flavonoids. The main saponin constituent, triterpene quadranguloside is considered chiefly responsible for the anxiolytic activity. P. alata act as a gastroprotective agent based on its traditional use for gastric problems. Antimicrobial activity of acetone, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extract of P. Alata (dried ground plant) material was tested against 27 microorganisms, including 17 strains of bacteria and ten species of Fungi.