Research shows the effectiveness of garlic passion fruit in controlling tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease. Trials with rats in the laboratory show good results against this and other diseases that affect the central nervous system. The obtained results open the way for the production of functional and phytotherapeutic foods. Clinical analyses are still necessary to define safe and effective doses for humans. Study contributes to aggregate value to wild passion fruit species from Brazil. The study, developed by Embrapa, Universidade de Fortaleza (Unifor), and Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), showed the effects of garlic passion fruit (Passiflora tenuifila Kilip) in reducing tremors similar to those caused by Parkinson’s disease and other disorders related to motor coordination and the central nervous system. Although the trials with rats in the laboratory open the way for the production of functional and phytotherapeutic foods, clinical trials are still necessary to determine the safe and effective dose for human use. The obtained results were recently published in Food Research International and Journal of Functional Foods, also contributing to aggregate value to this wild species of passion fruit, which is still little studied. The scientific researches were driven by the general knowledge that the tea made from the dried fruit relieves tremors. The name “garlic passion fruit” is due to its smell, similar to that of the bulb. The research is an important step towards the development of a possible ingredient for the functional or medicinal food industry. According to researcher Nedio Jair Wurlitzer of Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry, located in the state of Ceará, the experiment showed that garlic passion fruit is not toxic. It also showed the promising functional effect of the species as an anxiolytic, hypnotic-sedative, anticonvulsant, and anti-tremor agent, which is possibly due to the present phenolic compounds. “The potential impacts of this research are related to the offer of a functional ingredient with protective action or for the control of symptoms as essential tremors or Parkinsonism”, reveals Wurlitzer. He points out that the obtained result opens new possibilities for companies in the food and health markets, as well as for farmers interested in growing the fruit. Science aggregates value to wild passion fruit species The study was a result of researches carried out with the objective of valuing different wild passion fruit species. According to researcher Ana Maria Costa of Embrapa Cerrados, although, in Brazil, there over 150 species of passion fruit, half of them edible, one passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) reins practically alone in the market. The researches aiming to aggregate value to the passion fruit native to Brazilian biodiversity involved researchers from all over the country, participating in the Passitec net, coordinated by Embrapa’s researcher. “In the germplasm bank of Embrapa Cerrados, we found interesting materials that allowed us to move our focus from improving conventional species to making species of the Brazilian biodiversity available to the market”, specifies Costa. Among the several results of the researches, stands out the launch of the BRS Vita Fruit (BRS VF) cultivar, obtained by conventional genetic improvement from populations of Passiflora tenuifila Killip of different origins, mainly from the Cerrado regions of Planalto Central. The study also allowed reaching solutions to problems related to the production system and use of the fruit. “One of the main challenges was the difficulty in germinating the seeds of this wild passion fruit”, highlights researcher Rita Pereira of Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry, who worked with the fruit production system in Ceará. She explains that she was able to solve this problem by changing the traditional method for seedling production. “The seeds were not washed, a detail that contributed to germination”, she states. Photo: Fabiano Bastos Research used an experimental model for Parkinson’s disease The objective of the study was to evaluate the chemical composition, toxicity, and functional effect of the fruit in an experimental model for Parkinson’s disease. The assessments of toxicity and in vivo effects on the central nervous system were carried out at Unifor, with the participation of three professors of the Post-graduation Program in Medical Sciences of UFC, Adriana Rolim, Cristina Moreira, and Renato Moreira, and also of a post-graduate student, Karine Holanda. The fruit caused an increase in the dopamine level inside the rat brains, similar to that of the chemical substance used to treat the disease. For the study, crushed and lyophilized fruit (peel, pulp, and seeds) were used. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were induced in laboratory rats via rotenone, a substance used in experimental models for the disease. The animals were treated with daily doses of the fruit for 21 days. The rats that received doses (200 and 400 mg/kg) of garlic passion fruit showed a reduced locomotor activity, with no changes in motor coordination, indicating a sedative action without muscle relaxation. They also had an increased exploratory behavior, indicating anxiety. The behavioral trials used to evaluate the anti-tremor effect showed that the consumption of garlic passion fruit caused an improvement and possible recovery of the induced damages. Moreover, the fruit increased the dopamine levels inside the rat brains. This level of dopamine was similar to that of the animals that received carbidopa/L-dopa, a substance normally used in the treatment of the disease. “The results obtained in our study are important because they evidence that, besides being non-toxic, garlic passion fruit has anxiolytic, sedative, anticonvulsant, and neuroprotector effects, which make it a promising source of functional compounds that affect the central nervous system”, concludes Adriana Rolim. Artigos científicos publicados The article “Passiflora tenuifila Killip: assessment of chemical composition by 1H NMR and UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MSE and its bioactive properties in a rotenone-induced rat model of Parkinson’s disease” was published in Journal of Functional Foods. The text, written by researchers of Embrapa, Unifor, and UFC, shows that the chemical composition of the fruit is indicative of high total dietary fiber contents, total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity. In the Parkinsonism model, the trials showed that the consumption of garlic passion fruit caused the improvement and possible recovery of the damages induced by rotenone. “Garlic passion fruit (Passiflora tenuifila Killip): assessment of eventual acute toxicity, anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant effects using in vivo assays” is the title of the article published in Food Research International. The objective of the study was to evaluate the fruit’s phenolic composition and acute toxicity, anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant effects, through in vivo assays. The article, written by researchers from UFC, Embrapa, and Unifor, reveals that Passiflora tenuifila Killip did not show acute toxicity and had a promising effect as an anxiolytic, hypnotic-sedative, and anti-convulsant agent, which could be related to its chemical composition (flavonoids and phenolic acids). Photo: Ana Maria Costa (flower)