BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF PEQUI OF INTEREST TO HUMAN HEALTH: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Objective: To describe the immunological, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antifungal, antibiotic and disease control impacts resulting from the use of Caryocar brasiliense in the fields of science and medicine. Method: Qualitative study of narrative review carried out from searches in six indexing databases, with the last 24 years as a reference period. Studies developed in humans, animals or cell culture, published in Spanish, English or Portuguese, were considered. A total of 281 articles were found, and after excluding duplicate, triplicate, or constant works, 164 remained. After analysis of titles and abstracts, the works considered not relevant to the topic addressed were excluded, leaving a total of 18 articles. Results: Of the 18 articles analyzed, 44.44% point to the impacts of Caryocar brasiliense on anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity, 22.22% on antibiotic activity, 16.67% highlight the effects on disease control and 11.11% the antifungal effects. Regarding the immunological implications of C. brasiliense, only 1 article pointed to this action. Conclusion: This study addresses the various benefits that the herbal use of pequi-derived components can provide to human health. However, there is still a lack of clinical trials to better evaluate the impacts of these plant compounds, requiring future research that explores their mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications.