An overview of secondary metabolites in Mexican Annonaceae

This study presents an overview of the phytochemistry of species of the Annonaceae family native to Mexico. The most numerous groups of secondary metabolites in the family are acetogenins, alkaloids, phenols, and terpenes. Information for each species has been compiled from June 2025 through a comprehensive literature review. In addition, reviews by researchers on secondary metabolites in Annonaceae have also been considered. The distribution of these molecules by species and tissues is summarized in informative tables. Sixteen of the 74 Annonaceae species found in Mexico have at least one study characterizing their secondary metabolites. Six of the 12 genera have been studied. Annona has the largest number of species, particularly those important for fruit production ( A. cherimola, A. macroprophyllata, A. mucosa, A. muricata, A. purpurea and A. squamosa). Alkaloids have been reported in fourteen species, terpenes in eleven, and acetogenins and phenols in nine and seven species. These findings have been primarily due to the interest aroused by their potent biological activities, including insecticidal, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Studies on Mexican Annonaceae are pioneering in this family in the search for the ecological and physiological significance of these metabolites. The chemodiversity presented by Annonaceae documented so far is an incentive to continue searching for new molecules with pharmacological and agronomic potential, but also constitutes a strong argument for their conservation.