Brazilian Myrtaceae Fruits: A Review of Anticancer Proprieties

The fruits belonging to Myrtaceae family are widely distributed throughout the Brazilian territory and are considered one of the most important families of the Brazilian flora, due to the high prevalence of species edible or used in traditional medicine. Medicinally, the fruits are reported to have antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antitumoral activity. Among these properties a lot of research has established that the dietary intake of this fruit has a positive and profound impact on human health and in chronic diseases. Evidences suggest that, rich diets with colored fruits, particularly belonging to Myrtaceae family, are highly chemoprotective because of their bioactive compounds. This review showed that the bioactive compounds presents in Myrtaceae fruits have anticancer properties and exhibit their chemoprevention effects, elucidating the importance of consuming these fruits.