**Acknowledgments**

and anxiolytic activities, which are common to several other species of the *Passiflora* genus [159]. Evaluation of aqueous extracts of pericarp fruit on rats concluded that a sedative effect was obtained with an oral administration of 300 mg kg−1 [160]. This effect was corroborated by a dose-dependent decrease of the locomotor-activity. Similar studies using ethanolic extracts of maracuyá leaves in rats exhibited sedative effects at 400 mg kg−1 [161]. Figueiredo et al. [162] reported that 130 mg kg−1 of bark flour of maracuyá fruits showed a sedative effect in rats. On the other hand, antiproliferative properties on cancer cells evaluated in SW480 and SW620 cells lines showed that cell growth in both lines was inhibited with 50–500 µg mL−1 of leaf ethanolic extracts and maracuyá fruit juice [163]. The polysaccharide peel of maracuyá fruits was also evaluated for its antiinflammatory effects and antidiabetic properties. In this context, the reduction of the inflammation was associated with the liberation or synthesis of histamine and serotonin, in response to a polysaccharide fraction of the maracuyá fruit [164]. Moreover, flour peel of maracuyá fruits in diabetic rats showed a decline in glucose content in the blood [165], probably associated with the high fiber level in this fruit tissue, which could prevent absorption of carbohydrates [166, 167]. Furthermore, triglycerides levels significantly decreased with 25 mg kg−1 of flour peel, however, no changes in total cholesterol levels were observed [165]. Still, Barbalho et al. [167] concluded that maracuyá fruit juice could improve the lipid profile,

202 Superfood and Functional Food - An Overview of Their Processing and Utilization

including the triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol levels.

A wealth of information in the field of phytochemical compounds and their impact on human health has been generated. Nowadays, it is possible to affirm that fruits and vegetables must be a part of daily diet. This is not simply a recommendation, but must be treated as an urgent

**4. Conclusion and perspectives**

**Figure 8.** Fruits of *Passiflora edulis* commonly name maracuyá.

We are grateful to FONDECYT 1110726, 1120917, and 1150220 projects and FONDECYT-POSDOCTORAL 3120248, Doctoral Fellowship CONICYT-PCHA/Doctorado Nacional/2016- 21160984, as well as the Millennium Nucleus for Plant Synthetic Biology and Systems Biology NC130030. We would like to thank Dr. Michael Handford and Dr. Franko Restovic for language support.
