Current experience and future perspectives of bromelain application in medicine

Abstract

© 2014, Serbian Medical Society. All rights reserved. Bromelain is a complex mixture of different thiol endopeptidases which is derived from the pineapple stems (Ananas comosus, fam. Bromeliaceae). Bromelain is used in food industry for meat tenderizing, beer purification etc. A great number of studies conducted on cell cultures and experimental animals indicate that bromelain possesses antiedematous, analgesic, anti-coagulant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and hepatoprotective effect. However, there are only a few clinical studies which, under the clinical conditions, undoubtedly prove the therapeutic effects of bromelain in obesity treatment, sinusitis, tooth extraction pain, osteoarthritis, pityriasis rosea, burns and cardiovascular diseases such as angina pectoris, transient ischemic attack (TIA) or thrombophlebitis. The studies of chemoprotective activity have just been started, while the studies on humans have not been conducted yet. All studies confirm that bromelain is well tolerated as well as that it causes few side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct new studies that would confirm the role of bromelain in the therapy of certain pathological changes. An overview of the clinical studies in which some bromelain pharmacological effects have been confirmed is presented in this paper as well as selected in vitro and in vivo studies which are the base for further clinical research.