Hussain Abdullah I, Rathore Hassaan A, Sattar Munavvar Z A, Chatha Shahzad A S, Sarker Satyajit D, Gilani Anwar H
Department of Applied Chemistry & Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2014 Aug 8;155(1):54-66. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.06.011. Epub 2014 Jun 14.
Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad is a valuable cucurbit plant, widely distributed in the desert areas of the world. Citrullus colocynthis fruits are usually recognized for its wide range of medicinal uses as well as pharmaceutical and nutraceutical potential. This review aims to appraise the published information on the ethnobotanical knowledge, phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, nutraceutical potential and safety studies of Citrullus colocynthis (bitter apple) fruit, with critical analysis on the gaps and potential for future studies.
A literature survey was performed by searching the scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ACS as well as published books.
The plant has been reported to possess a wide range of traditional medicinal uses including in diabetes, leprosy, common cold, cough, asthma, bronchitis, jaundice, joint pain, cancer, toothache, wound, mastitis, and in gastrointestinal disorders such as indigestion, constipation, dysentery, gastroenteritis, colic pain and different microbial infections. Several bioactive chemical constituents from fruits were recorded, such as, glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, fatty acids and essential oils. The isolation and identification of curcurbitacins A, B, C, D, E, I, J, K, and L and Colocynthosides A, and B were also reported. The fruit of Citrullus colocynthis has been studied extensively for its wide range of biological activities, which include antioxidant, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antilipidemic, insecticide, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. The plant was also shown to be rich in nutritional value with high protein contents and important minerals as well as edible quality of seed oil.
It is evident from the literature that Citrullus colocynthis possesses a wide range of medicinal uses and has been well studied for its antidiabetic, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities, while its therapeutic potential for gut, airways and cardiovascular disorders remains to be explored. Critical analysis revealed that the plant has the huge potential for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical application, with some indications for the presence of synergistic and /or side effects neutralizing combinations of activities.
苦西瓜（Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad）是一种珍贵的葫芦科植物，广泛分布于世界沙漠地区。苦西瓜果实因其广泛的药用价值以及制药和营养保健潜力而闻名。本综述旨在评估已发表的关于苦西瓜（苦苹果）果实的民族植物学知识、植物化学、民族药理学、营养保健潜力和安全性研究的信息，并对研究空白和未来研究潜力进行批判性分析。
通过检索包括PubMed、Scopus、SciFinder、谷歌学术、科学网、美国化学学会等科学数据库以及已出版的书籍进行文献调查。
据报道，该植物具有广泛的传统药用用途，包括用于治疗糖尿病、麻风病、普通感冒、咳嗽、哮喘、支气管炎、黄疸、关节疼痛、癌症、牙痛、伤口、乳腺炎以及胃肠道疾病，如消化不良、便秘、痢疾、肠胃炎、绞痛和不同的微生物感染。记录了果实中的几种生物活性化学成分，如糖苷、黄酮类化合物、生物碱、脂肪酸和精油。还报道了葫芦素A、B、C、D、E、I、J、K和L以及苦西瓜苷A和B的分离与鉴定。苦西瓜果实因其广泛的生物活性而受到广泛研究，这些生物活性包括抗氧化、细胞毒性、抗糖尿病、抗血脂、杀虫、抗菌和抗炎。该植物还被证明具有很高的营养价值，含有高蛋白和重要矿物质，其种子油也具有可食用性。
从文献中可以明显看出，苦西瓜具有广泛的药用用途，并且其抗糖尿病、抗癌、抗氧化、抗菌和抗炎活性已得到充分研究，而其对肠道、气道和心血管疾病的治疗潜力仍有待探索。批判性分析表明，该植物在制药和营养保健应用方面具有巨大潜力，有迹象表明存在协同和/或副作用中和的活性组合。
