College of Biology and Agricultural Resources, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, 438000, Hubei Province, P.R. China.
College of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 250355, Shandong Province, P.R. China.
Food Funct. 2022 Nov 28;13(23):11986-11998. doi: 10.1039/d2fo02096c.
L. (), which is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family and widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, has been consumed as a vegetable and also used as herbal medicine for thousands of years worldwide. has received great attention in biological and biomedical research due to its remarkable antidiabetic/hypoglycaemic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral and antitumour activities both and . Numerous studies have revealed that the typical health-promoting activities of are mainly attributed to its phytochemicals including saponins, proteins/peptides, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, triterpenoids and polysaccharides. In particular, it has been attested that there is a strong relationship between the antidiabetic activity and the saponins and proteins of . In recent years, studies on the immunoenhancing and immunostimulating effects of have attracted much attention and made significant progress. Therefore, this review focuses on the immunomodulatory effects and associated mechanisms of and its bioactive phytochemicals. The clinical applications of in immune-related diseases are also discussed, aiming to broaden the exploration of as a functional food.
（），属于葫芦科植物，广泛分布于热带和亚热带地区，被作为蔬菜食用，同时在全世界范围内也被用作草药已有数千年历史。由于其具有显著的降血糖/抗糖尿病、抗炎、抗氧化、抗病毒和抗肿瘤活性，在生物和生物医学研究中受到了极大关注。大量研究表明，（）的典型保健活性主要归因于其植物化学物质，包括皂苷、蛋白质/肽、酚类化合物、生物碱、三萜和多糖。特别是，已经证明，（）的降血糖活性与其皂苷和蛋白质之间存在很强的关系。近年来，（）对免疫增强和免疫刺激作用的研究引起了广泛关注并取得了重大进展。因此，本综述重点介绍（）及其生物活性植物化学物质的免疫调节作用及相关机制。还讨论了（）在免疫相关疾病中的临床应用，旨在拓宽将（）作为功能性食品的探索。
