@article {1103, title = {An Insight into the Elusive Healer Plant {\textquotedblleft}Luffa echinata Roxb.{\textquotedblright}}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {15}, year = {2023}, month = {December 2022}, pages = {26-41}, type = {Review Article}, chapter = {26}, abstract = {

Recent years have seen a global rise in the use of herbal medicine. Many naturally occurring bioactive substances, especially those derived from plants, have been studied as potential cures for various diseases. Luffa echinata Roxb., a mysterious medicinal plant from the Cucurbitaceae family, has recently gained recognition as one of the most important medicinal herbs among them. Many phytochemicals found in this plant have been found to have therapeutic potential, including xanthones, alkaloids, phytosterols, flavonoids/isoflavonoids, chalcone, glycosides, terpenoids, saponins, carbohydrates, proteins, reducing sugars, fatty acids, tannins, and phenolic compounds. Other potent phytoconstituents of this plant include saponins, hentriacontane, gypsogenin, sapogenin, cucurbitacin (A, B, C, D, E, K, S, and I), β-sitosterol, echinatol (A and B), oleanolic acid, isoquercetin, quercimeritrin, and sitosterol glycoside. Cucurbitacin, a prominent class of triterpenoids found in L. echinata, has been proven effective in numerous reports. Recent research has shown that cucurbitacins can decapitate or inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. Luffa echinacea{\textquoteright}s fruit and leaves have long been used as purgatives and to cure liver disease, hemorrhoids, jaundice, migraines, emesis, and other conditions by Indian and Chinese physicians. Ulcers and sores have also been expelled using them. During the field study, it was found that the tribal community (Tharus) of Khatima utilized extremely bitter, squeezed fruit stuff given to sufferers of dog bites in the morning on an empty stomach, and more than 500 people have been adequately treated thus far. The therapeutic potential and phytoconstituents of Luffa echinata have been clarified by pharmacological and phytochemical studies; further study is required to investigate these phytoconstituents and their structures.

}, keywords = {Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbitacin, Ethnobotanical, Luffa echinata Roxb., Pharmacobotanical, Pharmacological Testimony, Phytomolecules}, doi = {10.5530/097484900254}, author = {Sumanta Mondal and Kausik Bhar and Renu Kumari and Prasenjit Mondal and Subhadip Chakraborty and Nooka Yaswanth Teja} } @article {819, title = {Effects of L-citrulline Diet on Stress-induced Cold Hypersensitivity in Mice}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {6}, year = {2014}, month = {August,2014}, pages = {297-302}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {297}, abstract = {

Background: L-citrulline is an amino acid discovered in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, Cucurbitaceae) and is a known component of the nitric oxide (NO) cycle that plays an important role in adjusting blood circulation and supplying NO and a key component of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of L-citrulline on a newly established stress-induced cold hypersensitivity mouse model. Materials and Methods: When normal mice were forced to swim in water at 25{\textdegree}C for 15 min, their core body temperature dropped to 28.9{\textdegree}C, and then quickly recovered to normal temperature after the mice were transferred to a dry cage at room temperature (25{\textdegree}C). A 1-h immobilization before swimming caused the core body temperature to drop to ca. 24.1{\textdegree}C (4.8{\textdegree}C lower than normal mice), and the speed of core body temperature recovery dropped to 57\% of the normal control. We considered this delay in recovery from hypothermia to be a sign of stress-induced cold hypersensitivity. Similar cold hypersensitivity was induced by administration of 50 mM L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester, a NO synthesis inhibitor. Results: In this study, we showed that recovery speed from the stress-induced hypothermia remarkably improved in mice fed a 1\% L-citrulline-containing diet for 20 days. Furthermore, the nonfasting blood level of L-arginine and L-citrulline increased significantly in the L-citrulline diet group, and higher serum nitrogen oxide levels were observed during recovery from the cold. Conclusions: These results suggested that oral L-citrulline supplementation strengthens vascular endothelium function and attenuates stress-induced cold hypersensitivity by improving blood circulation.

}, keywords = {Citrullus lanatus, Cold hypersensitivity, Cucurbitaceae, L-citrulline, Nitric oxide}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.138269}, author = {Yoshinori Kobayashi and Kazuki Narita and Kotaro Chiba and Hiroaki Takemoto and Masahiko Morita and Koji Morishita} }