Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (Bitter Apple Fruit): Promising Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Effects, Aspects, and Potential Applications

Li, Qinyuan; Munawar, Mahzaib; Saeed, Muhammad; Shen, Ji-Qiang; Khan, Muhammad Sajjad; Noreen, Sobia; Alagawany, Mahmoud; Naveed, Muhammad; Madni, Asadullah; Li, Changxing

doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.791049

Cited by 26 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 85 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…Citrullus colocynthis (L.) is also an annual plant that grows in the south, center, west and east areas of Iran [ 25 ]. The plant C. colocynthis has proved to be a potent source for the creation of new drugs to treat severe human diseases include microbial infections [ 25 – 27 ]. C. colocynthis has been consumed as traditional remedy for many years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and identification of endophytic actinobacteria from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad and their antibacterial properties

et al. 2022

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Background Antibiotic resistance poses a major threat to human health globally. Consequently, new antibiotics are desperately required to discover and develop from unexplored habitats to treat life-threatening infections. Microbial natural products (NP) are still remained as primary sources for the discovery of new antibiotics. Endophytic actinobacteria (EA) which are well-known producers of bioactive compounds could provide novel antibiotic against pathogenic bacteria. This research aimed to isolate EA from the Citrullus colocynthis plant and explore the antibacterial properties of their metabolites against pathogenic bacteria. Results The healthy samples were collected, dissected and surface-sterilized before cultured on four different selection media at 28 °C. Six endophytic actinobacteria were isolated from Citrullus colocynthis plant. They were taxonomically classified into two family namely Streptomycetaceae and Nocardiopsaceae, based on colony morphological features, scanning electron microscope analysis and molecular identification of isolates. This is the first report on the identification of EA form Citrullus colocynthis and their antibacterial activity. The strains generated a chain of vibrio-comma, cubed or cylindrical shaped spores with indenting or smooth surfaces. Three of those were reported as endophytes for the first time. The strain KUMS-C1 showed 98.55% sequence similarity to its closely related strains which constitutes as a novel species/ strain for which the name Nocardiopsis colocynthis sp. was proposed for the isolated strain. Five isolated strains had antagonist activity against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli. Among those, stain KUMS-C6 showed the broadest spectrum of antibacterial activity against all test bacteria, whereas the strain KUMS-C4 had no antibacterial activity. Conclusions NPs have a long history of safe and efficient use for development of pharmaceutical products. Our study highlights that Citrullus colocynthis is an untapped source for the isolation of EA, generating novel and bioactive metabolites by which might lead to discovery of new antibiotic(s). This study reveals the future of new antibiotic developments looks bright against multi-drug resistance diseases by mining under- or unexplored habitats.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and identification of endophytic actinobacteria from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad and their antibacterial properties

et al. 2022

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“…Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. is a medicinal plant that has been used in several traditional medicinal cultures [ 16 ]. C. colocynthis is rich in cucurbitacins [ 17 ], flavonoids [ 18 ], phenolics, and natural antioxidants [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles from Citrullus colocynthis Fruit Extracts; Their Biocompatibility and Bioactivities

et al. 2023

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Modern nanotechnology encompasses every field of life. Nowadays, phytochemically fabricated nanoparticles are being widely studied for their bioactivities and biosafety. The present research studied the synthesis, characterization, stability, biocompatibility, and in vitro bioactivities of calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaONPs). The CaONPs were synthesized using Citrullus colocynthis ethanolic fruit extracts. Greenly synthesized nanoparticles had an average size of 35.93 ± 2.54 nm and showed an absorbance peak at 325 nm. An absorbance peak in this range depicts the coating of phenolic acids, flavones, flavonols, and flavonoids on the surface of CaONPs. The XRD pattern showed sharp peaks that illustrated the preferred cubic crystalline nature of triturate. A great hindrance to the use of nanoparticles in the field of medicine is their extremely reactive nature. The FTIR analysis of the CaONPs showed a coating of phytochemicals on their surface, due to which they showed great stability. The vibrations present at 3639 cm−1 for alcohols or phenols, 2860 cm−1 for alkanes, 2487 cm−1 for alkynes, 1625 cm−1 for amines, and 1434 cm−1 for carboxylic acids and aldehydes show adsorption of phytochemicals on the surface of CaONPs. The CaONPs were highly stable over time; however, their stability was slightly disturbed by varying salinity and pH. The dialysis membrane in vitro release analysis revealed consistent nanoparticle release over a 10-h period. The bioactivities of CaONPs, C. colocynthis fruit extracts, and their synergistic solution were assessed. Synergistic solutions of both CaONPs and C. colocynthis fruit extracts showed great bioactivity and biosafety. The synergistic solution reduced cell viability by only 14.68% and caused only 16% hemolysis. The synergistic solution inhibited Micrococcus luteus slightly more effectively than streptomycin, with an activity index of 1.02. It also caused an 83.87% reduction in free radicals.

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“…C. colocynthis is an herbaceous desert plant consisting of perennial roots and vine-like stems [ 32 ]. It belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, and it is native to the arid sandy areas of West Asia, Arabia, tropical Africa, and the Mediterranean [ 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad Seeds Extracts: Detailed Chemical Profiling and Evaluation of Their Medicinal Properties

Khan

Al-hamoud

et al. 2023

Plants

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Seeds and fruits of Citrullus colocynthis have been reported to possess huge potential for the development of phytopharmaceuticals with a wide range of biological activities. Thus, in the current study, we are reporting the potential antimicrobial and anticancer properties of C. colocynthis seeds extracted with solvents of different polarities, including methanol (M.E.), hexane (H.E.), and chloroform (C.E.). Antimicrobial properties of C. colocynthis seeds extracts were evaluated on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, whereas, anticancer properties were tested on four different cell lines, including HepG2, DU145, Hela, and A549. All the extracts have demonstrated noteworthy antimicrobial activities with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.9–62.5 µg/mL against Klebsiella planticola and Staphylococcus aureus; meanwhile, they were found to be moderately active (MIC 62.5–250 µg/mL) against Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus strains. Hexane extracts have demonstrated the highest antimicrobial activity against K. planticola with an MIC value of 0.9 µg/mL, equivalent to that of the standard drug ciprofloxacin used as positive control in this study. For anticancer activity, all the extracts of C. colocynthis seeds were found to be active against all the tested cell lines (IC50 48.49–197.96 µg/mL) except for the chloroform extracts, which were found to be inactive against the HepG2 cell line. The hexane extract was found to possess the most prominent anticancer activity when compared to other extracts and has demonstrated the highest anticancer activity against the DU145 cell line with an IC50 value of 48.49 µg/mL. Furthermore, a detailed phytoconstituents analysis of all the extracts of C. colocynthis seeds were performed using GC–MS and GC–FID techniques. Altogether, 43 phytoconstituents were identified from the extracts of C. colocynthis seeds, among which 21, 12, and 16 components were identified from the H.E., C.E., and M.E. extracts, respectively. Monoterpenes (40.4%) and oxygenated monoterpenes (41.1%) were the most dominating chemical class of compounds from the hexane and chloroform extracts, respectively; whereas, in the methanolic extract, oxygenated aliphatic hydrocarbons (77.2%) were found to be the most dominating chemical class of compounds. To the best of our knowledge, all the phytoconstituents identified in this study are being reported for the first time from the C. colocynthis.

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Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (Bitter Apple Fruit): Promising Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Effects, Aspects, and Potential Applications

Cited by 26 publications

References 85 publications

Isolation and identification of endophytic actinobacteria from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad and their antibacterial properties

Isolation and identification of endophytic actinobacteria from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad and their antibacterial properties

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles from Citrullus colocynthis Fruit Extracts; Their Biocompatibility and Bioactivities

Diversity of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad Seeds Extracts: Detailed Chemical Profiling and Evaluation of Their Medicinal Properties

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