Three new cucurbitane-type triterpenoid glycosides from Citrullus colocynthis and their anti-inflammatory activity / 中国中药杂志

Three new cucurbitane-type triterpenoid glycosides were separated from the ethyl acetate extract of Citrullus colocynthis by a variety of chromatographic techniques. According to the data of NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and/or comparison with the reported data, the three novel cucurbitane-type triterpenoid glycosides were identified as colocynthenin E(1), colocynthenin G(2), and colocynthenin H(3). The cell inflammation model was established with RAW264.7 macrophages exposed to lipopolysaccharide and then used to determine the anti-inflammatory activities of the three compounds. Compounds 2 and 3 showed mild anti-inflammatory activities with the IC_(50) of 48.21 and 40.11 μmol·L~(-1), respectively, compared with that(IC_(50)=7.57 μmol·L~(-1)) of the positive control dexamethasone.

Research progress on chemical constituents of Citrullus colocynthis and their pharmacological effects / 中国中药杂志

Citrullus colocynthis is widely distributed in the desert regions of the world. C. colocynthis has shown to improve constipation, liver diseases, jaundice, typhoid fever, diabetes and asthma in traditional use. As a kind of exterritorialy medicinal material, C. colocynthis has been used in China and introduced successfully. The main active ingredients of C. colocynthis are cucurbitacin, flavonoids, alkaloids and phenolic acids, which have been proven to have antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-pathogenic microorganisms and anti-cancer activities in modern pharmacological research. This paper reviews the traditional application, chemical composition and pharmacological effects of C. colocynthis, and provides reference for the in-depth study for the efficacy and mechanism of different components of C. colocynthis.