A Review on Phytochemical Studies and Biological Potential of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. (Cucurbitaceae)

Abstract

Cucurbits are edible crops found in the Cucurbitaceae family. Interest in plant-based biological compounds has now awakened throughout the world and hence the literature data in this area is significant. The Cucurbitaceae family is distributed in the tropical and subtropical countries. The plants of this family are superb fruit crops rich in vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that very good for health. A number of plants belonging to this family have been reported so far and one among them is Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. All the parts of this plant (root, stem, leaf, fruits, and seeds) are utilized in the traditional system of medicine. A plethora of research is going on this plant species to discover new active moiety and to establish their medicinal importance. The present review gives updated information about the phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. established so far. As per the research so far among different cucurbitacins, cucurbitacin E is known to be found profoundly in Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. Some of the biological activities reported for this plant include antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, anti-diabetic activity, anti-hyperlipidemic activity, analgesic activity, anti-ulcer activity, anticonvulsant activity and insecticidal activity.

A Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract acutely enhances insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake in adipocytes by increasing PKB phosphorylation

“…Each full MS scan was followed by data dependent MS/MS on the most intense ion using the collision-induced dissociation (CID) fragmentation mode at 35% normalized collision energy, with an isolation width of 2 Da and activation Q set at 0.250. The obtained spectra were compared with those from literature (Chawech et al, 2015;Dhakad et al, 2017;Gurudeeban et al, 2010;Hussain et al, 2014), in order to determine their identity, based on the molecular formula deduced from Tr, M+HCOO-and M+NH4+ values (see Table 1). The CAD profile was used to quantify the relative presence of the compounds in Pna1 (normalized to 100%).…”

“…At present, the plant (especially its fruit) is the topic of pharmacological investigations, mainly concerning its anti-diabetic and (cucurbitacin-related) anti-cancer effects (Hussain et al, 2014). Other current areas of investigation include those concerning its antihyperlipidemic (cholesterol-and triglyceride-lowering), anti-inflammatory, analgesic, insecticidal, and anti-microbial activities (Dhakad et al, 2017;Gurudeeban et al, 2010;Hussain et al, 2014). In addition to its medicinal value, the Citrullus colocynthis is also well-appreciated for its marked nutritional value, due to its high protein amount and the elevated concentration of essential amino acids (Gurudeeban et al, 2010;Hussain et al, 2014).…”

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“…The phytochemical analysis of C. colocynthis and its parts exposed the presence of alkaloids, Flavonoids, Phenols, Saponins, and Diterpenes. The crude oil from seeds of C. colocynthis fruit showed that the major ingredients were mainly free fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols, along with other minor unidentified constituents [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] .…”

“…The presence of phenolic compounds prompted us to evaluate their antioxidant activity. The fruit extract of C. colocynthis has been used for the treatment of elephantiasis, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, jaundice, leucoderma, microbial, edema, ulcer, and urinary diseases 8,11,12,31,29,[62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74] .…”

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“…Phytochemical screening of the fruits of Citrullus colocynthis has revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds grouped as glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and essential oils 13 . Phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of various extracts from Citrullus colocynthis have been reported 14 .…”