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Cucurbits Plants: A Key Emphasis to Its Pharmacological Potential.

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.

SUBMITTER: Salehi B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6572650 | biostudies-other | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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<i>Cucurbits</i> Plants: A Key Emphasis to Its Pharmacological Potential.

Salehi Bahare B Capanoglu Esra E Adrar Nabil N Catalkaya Gizem G Shaheen Shabnum S Jaffer Mehwish M Giri Lalit L Suyal Renu R Jugran Arun K AK Calina Daniela D Docea Anca Oana AO Kamiloglu Senem S Kregiel Dorota D Antolak Hubert H Pawlikowska Ewelina E Sen Surjit S Acharya Krishnendu K Selamoglu Zeliha Z Sharifi-Rad Javad J Martorell Miquel M Rodrigues Célia F CF Sharopov Farukh F Martins Natália N Capasso Raffaele R

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) 20190514 10

<i>Cucurbita</i> 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 c ...[more]

PMID: 31091784

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Cucurbits Plants: A Key Emphasis to Its Pharmacological Potential.

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<i>Cucurbits</i> Plants: A Key Emphasis to Its Pharmacological Potential.

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