<p>The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant capacity and acute toxicity of the methanol extract of two <em>Lagenaria siceraria</em> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ignacio_Molina">Molina</a>) <a title="Paul Carpenter Standley" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Carpenter_Standley">Standl.</a> varieties of dried seeds, Sweet gourd Water Jug (WJ) and bitter gourd Basket Ball (BB). The seed extracts were tested for their total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and scavenging activity to the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Both dried seed extracts were then tested for acute toxicity at doses 2 and 5 g kg^-1 each. Sixty female and male rats were assigned into five groups per sex. Four groups were given low and high doses of each dried  seed extract and the fifth group was given 10 % Tween 20 as a control. Kidneys and livers of all rats were assessed for biochemistry and histopathology. The seed extract of WJ revealed higher TPC, FRAP and DPPH activities compared to BB seeds, while TFC results were reversed. Toxicologically, no toxicity signs were recorded in animals. Biochemistry results were within the normal ranges with a slight increase in bilirubin and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and histology of kidneys and livers showed normal architecture. In conclusion, WJ and BB dried seed extracts exhibited high antioxidant activity suggesting promising therapeutic regimen against oxidative stress.</p>

The composition of the oil and protein contents of eight Lagenaria siceraria varieties was characterized in order to evaluate their suitability as a source of edible oil and protein. The physicochemical properties and fatty acids of seed oils were determined. The oil yield ranged from 24.11 to 26.32 %. The refractive indices and relative densities of the oils fell within the narrow ranges of 1.464–1.468 and 0.857–0.907 g/cm3, respectively. The saponification value ranged from 158.48 to 179.52 mg KOH/g, unsaponifiable matter was between 0.749 and 0.937 %, and the peroxide values were lower than Codex values for vegetable oils. The principal fatty acids were linoleic (62.1–67.9 %), oleic (11.54–15.46 %), palmitic (12.13–14.03 %), and stearic (6.71–7.71 %) acids. Low linolenic acid levels were also observed (<1 %) within the range of 0.32–0.44 %. The major essential amino acids were arginine (2.04–3.77 g/100 g), leucine (1.245–1.726 g/100 g), phenylalanine (0.803–1.396 g/100 g), and lysine (0.921–1.383 g/100 g). The non‐essential amino acids were glutamic acid (2.5–4.37 g/100 g), aspartic acid (1.39–2.36 g/100 g), serine (0.69–1.19 g/100 g), glycine (0.79–1.37 g/100 g), alanine (0.72–1.37 g/100 g), and proline (0.63–1.02 g/100 g). Nine minerals (Na, Ca, Mg, K, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, and P) were determined with significant (p < 0.05) differences. The studied oils showed promising results and can be used in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This is the first study on the eight L. siceraria seed varieties grown in Sudan, opening the way for further studies on these seeds.