Molecules (May 2019)
<i>Cucurbits</i> Plants: A Key Emphasis to Its Pharmacological Potential
- Bahare Salehi,
- Esra Capanoglu,
- Nabil Adrar,
- Gizem Catalkaya,
- Shabnum Shaheen,
- Mehwish Jaffer,
- Lalit Giri,
- Renu Suyal,
- Arun K Jugran,
- Daniela Calina,
- Anca Oana Docea,
- Senem Kamiloglu,
- Dorota Kregiel,
- Hubert Antolak,
- Ewelina Pawlikowska,
- Surjit Sen,
- Krishnendu Acharya,
- Zeliha Selamoglu,
- Javad Sharifi-Rad,
- Miquel Martorell,
- Célia F. Rodrigues,
- Farukh Sharopov,
- Natália Martins,
- Raffaele Capasso
Affiliations
- Bahare Salehi
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam 44340847, Iran
- Esra Capanoglu
- Faculty of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, Food Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, 34469 Maslak, Turkey
- Nabil Adrar
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologie Végétale et d’Ethnobotanique, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algérie
- Gizem Catalkaya
- Faculty of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, Food Engineering Department, Istanbul Technical University, 34469 Maslak, Turkey
- Shabnum Shaheen
- Department of Plant Sciences, LCWU, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
- Mehwish Jaffer
- Department of Plant Sciences, LCWU, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
- Lalit Giri
- G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment & Sustainable Development Kosi-Katarmal, Almora 263 643, India
- Renu Suyal
- G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment & Sustainable Development Kosi-Katarmal, Almora 263 643, India
- Arun K Jugran
- G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment & Sustainable Development Garhwal Regional Centre, Srinagar 246174, India
- Daniela Calina
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
- Anca Oana Docea
- Department of Toxicology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
- Senem Kamiloglu
- Mevsim Gida Sanayi ve Soguk Depo Ticaret A.S. (MVSM Foods), Turankoy, Kestel, 16540 Bursa, Turkey
- Dorota Kregiel
- Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
- Hubert Antolak
- Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
- Ewelina Pawlikowska
- Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Lodz University of Technology, Wolczanska 171/173, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
- Surjit Sen
- Molecular and Applied Mycology and Plant Pathology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India
- Krishnendu Acharya
- Molecular and Applied Mycology and Plant Pathology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India
- Zeliha Selamoglu
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Nigde Ömer Halisdemir University, Campus, 51240 Nigde, Turkey
- Javad Sharifi-Rad
- Zabol Medicinal Plants Research Center, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61615-585, Iran
- Miquel Martorell
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Concepcion, Concepcion 4070386, Chile
- Célia F. Rodrigues
- LEPABE, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
- Farukh Sharopov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Avicenna Tajik State Medical University, Rudaki 139, Dushanbe 734003, Tajikistan
- Natália Martins
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Raffaele Capasso
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24101854
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 24,
no. 10
p. 1854
Abstract
Cucurbita genus has received a renowned interest in the last years. This plant species, native to the Americas, has served worldwide folk medicine for treating gastrointestinal diseases and intestinal parasites, among other clinical conditions. These pharmacological effects have been increasingly correlated with their nutritional and phytochemical composition. Among those chemical constituents, carotenoids, tocopherols, phenols, terpenoids, saponins, sterols, fatty acids, and functional carbohydrates and polysaccharides are those occurring in higher abundance. However, more recently, a huge interest in a class of triterpenoids, cucurbitacins, has been stated, given its renowned biological attributes. In this sense, the present review aims to provide a detailed overview to the folk medicinal uses of Cucurbita plants, and even an in-depth insight on the latest advances with regards to its antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer effects. A special emphasis was also given to its clinical effectiveness in humans, specifically in blood glucose levels control in diabetic patients and pharmacotherapeutic effects in low urinary tract diseases.
Keywords
