Abstract:
Family Cucurbitaceae is one of the most important
families known for its edible fruits. It was, therefore,
deemed of interest to carry out phytochemical and
pharmacological studies on one of its species which is
Cucurbita moschata Duchesne as one of widely used
edible plants. Phytochemical screening of its seeds and
fruits pulp revealed the presence of carbohydrates,
saponins and steroids in considerable amounts in both of
them. GLC analysis for lipoidal content of seeds revealed
that lauric acid was the major saturated fatty acid while
oleic and linoleic acids were the major unsaturated fatty
acids. Vitamin A and E were estimated using RP-HPLC
analysis. The highest vitamin E concentration was found
in the petroleum ether extract (PEE) of the seeds while the
highest vitamin A concentration was observed in 70%
aqueous methanolic extract (AME) of seeds.
Pharmacological investigation revealed that, AME of
Cucurbita moschata Duchesne seeds and fruits pulp have
favorable anti-inflammatory activities without notable
ulcerogenic effect; that usually associated the antiinflammatory drugs; based on their antioxidant properties.
Moreover, there are remarkable analgesic and
antidepressant activities recorded for AME of its seeds.
