Cucurbitacins are a wide group of natural products found in several plant families, especially in the Cucurbitaceae family. In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in studies aimed at identifying new biological activities of cucurbitacins and describing their mechanisms of action. The most researched pharmacological activities are antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory activity, the first being recently reviewed. The present review explains the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory potential of cucurbitacins, identifying the most studied compounds in this area and exploring their mechanisms of action already studied. A brief report was made about the main structural characteristics of cucurbitacins, in addition to an update on the biological activities attributed to this class in the last 5 years. Cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin E have been identified as the most investigated when it comes to the immune response, playing roles in both innate and adaptive immunity. The most cited mechanisms were inhibition of COX-2 and NOS, reduction of oxidative stress, suppression of proinflammatory cytokines and modulation of acquired immunity proteins. It was found that cucurbitacins are promising molecules in the search for therapeutic innovation and have wide versatility in the immune response.

This work aimed to carry out a study of Apodanthera congestiflora by investigating its chemical composition and pharmacological potential. From the dichloromethane phase (Dic-Ac) of the A. congestiflora stems, three compounds were identified: cayaponoside C5b (Ac-1), cabenoside C (Ac-2) and fevicordin C2 glucoside (Ac-3), being last identified for the first time as a natural product. These compounds were obtained by chromatographic methods and their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic analysis of IR, MS and NMR. In the quantification of Dic-Ac, it was possible to observe the presence of 7% of cayaponoside C5b. Dic-Ac showed significant toxicity for in vivo tests, with macroscopic and biochemical changes. The anti-inflammatory activity of Dic-Ac was investigated using the paw edema model. A decrease in inflammatory signs was observed in the first 5 h and the most effective dose in reducing edema with was 7.5 mg kg−1 (66.6%). Anti-tumor activity of Dic-Ac was evaluated by Ehrlich’s carcinoma model, which showed inhibition rate of 78.46% at 15 mg kg−1 dosage. The phytochemical investigation, together with the biological tests carried out in this study, demonstrated that A. congestiflora is a promising species in the search for therapeutics, since it contains substances with high pharmacological potential in its composition.