A study published in Scientific Reports showed that passion fruit extract has the ability to protect retinal cells from damage caused by oxidative stress, the primary cause of age-related macular degeneration.
Experiments have shown that passionflower extract and the polyphenol compound piceatannol it contains restore damaged cells to near-normal vitality. Treating ARPE-19 pigment epithelial cells with passionflower extract increased their activity by more than 30%, and when exposed to hydrogen peroxide, the cells recovered up to 90% of their original capacity.
The researchers explained that piceatannol not only neutralizes free radicals, but also regulates mitochondrial function and restores ATP synthesis, the cell's primary source of energy.
The research team believes that passion fruit seed extract represents a promising ingredient in functional foods and preventative products for maintaining eye health, stressing that the study was conducted on cell models, and further animal and human trials are needed to confirm these benefits in practice.
