PHYTOCHEMICALS PROFILING OF SELECTED CUCURBITACEAE FRUITS: CUCUMIS MELOVAR, CUCUMIS SATIVUS, AND CUCUMIS MELO

Abstract

In the plant kingdom, Cucurbitaceae is medicinally and economically valuable and biggest family. It has greatest importance due to therapeutic potent. It has 130 genera and about 825 species. Some cucurbits, fruit and seeds parts contain, emetic, purgatives (prevent constipation) and antihelmintsics properties. Human nutrition mainly depends upon fruits and vegetables, which possess rich antioxidants. The family Cucurbitaceae includes crops like cucumbers and melons: i.e. Cucumis melovar (Kakri), Cucumis sativus (Khira) and Cucumis melo (Kharbuza) fruit which are medicinally essential. The family Cucurbitaceae plants jointly called cucurbits. Cucurbitaceae family plants have tremendous nutritional and medicinal benefits due to distinctive properties, the plants found active agents containing pharmacological activity. The main phytoconstituents are present in these fruits parts such as, terpenoids, glycosides, tannins, saponins, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, proteins and amino acids etc. A plant of the family has terpenoid substance, so it is known as Cucurbitacians.