Muronga Mashudu, Quispe Cristina, Tshikhudo Phumudzo P, Msagati Titus A M, Mudau Fhatuwani N, Martorell Miquel, Salehi Bahare, Abdull Razis Ahmad Faizal, Sunusi Usman, Kamal Ramla Muhammad, Sharifi-Rad Javad
Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa.
Facultad de Ciencias De La Salud, Universidad Arturo Prat, Iquique, Chile.
Front Pharmacol. 2021 May 13;12:625546. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.625546. eCollection 2021.
species (Family Cucurbitaceae) are cultivated throughout the world for their edible fruits, leaves, shoots and seeds. Among the species of the genus there are three selected species that are used as vegetable, and for medicinal purposes, L (Bitter melon), Schumach (Bitter cucumber) and L (African pumpkin). The fruits and leaves of these species are rich in primary and secondary metabolites such as proteins, fibers, minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc), -carotene, foliate, ascorbic acid, among others. The extracts from species are used for the treatment of a variety of diseases and ailments in traditional medicine. species extracts are reputed to possess anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anthelmintic bioactivity, abortifacient, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and play chemo-preventive functions. In this review we summarize the biochemical, nutritional, and medicinal values of three species (, and ) as promising and innovative sources of natural bioactive compounds for future pharmaceutical usage.
葫芦科植物在世界各地因其可食用的果实、叶子、嫩枝和种子而被种植。在该属的物种中，有三种被选作蔬菜并用于药用，即苦瓜（Momordica charantia L.）、苦黄瓜（Momordica balsamina Schumach.）和非洲南瓜（Citrullus lanatus L.）。这三种植物的果实和叶子富含蛋白质、纤维、矿物质（钙、铁、镁、锌）、β-胡萝卜素、叶酸、抗坏血酸等初级和次级代谢产物。这些植物的提取物在传统医学中用于治疗多种疾病和不适。据报道，这些植物提取物具有抗糖尿病、抗微生物、驱虫生物活性、堕胎、抗菌、抗病毒作用，并具有化学预防功能。在本综述中，我们总结了三种植物（苦瓜、苦黄瓜和非洲南瓜）的生化、营养和药用价值，它们有望成为未来制药用天然生物活性化合物的创新来源。
