Background
- American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a fruiting tree native to North America. However, plantings of the tree can be found in Asia, Australia, and Europe. Pawpaw extract is made from the twigs of the tree.
- In the 1980s and 1990s, researchers at Purdue University isolated compounds from pawpaw bark extracts. Many of these compounds were found to have cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines. Currently, there is a lack of available scientific evidence supporting the safety or effectiveness of pawpaw for any condition.
References
Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to . Selected references are listed below.
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View Abstract - McLaughlin, JL. A novel mechanism for the control of clinical cancer: inhibition of the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) with a standardized extract of paw paw (Asimina triloba, Annonaceae) (Unpublished). 2001.
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View Abstract - Woo MH, Chung SO, Kim DH. Asitrilobins C and D: two new cytotoxic mono-tetrahydrofuran annonaceous acetogenins from Asimina triloba seeds. Bioorg.Med.Chem. 2000;8(1):285-290.
View Abstract - Woo MH, Kim DH, McLaughlin JL. Asitrilobins A and B: cytotoxic mono-THF annonaceous acetogenins from the seeds of Asimina triloba. Phytochemistry 1999;50(6):1033-1040.
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View Abstract - Ye Q, He K, Oberlies NH, Zeng L, et al. Longimicins A-D: novel bioactive acetogenins from Asimina longifolia (annonaceae) and structure-activity relationships of asimicin type of annonaceous acetogenins. J Med Chem 4-26-1996;39(9):1790-1796.
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