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Evidence from the ancient Near East
Published in Marshall Joseph Becker, Jean MacIntosh Turfa, The Etruscans and the History of Dentistry, 2017
Marshall Joseph Becker, Jean MacIntosh Turfa
Leek calls this a “septic tooth” and notes that all of these ingredients tend to be astringent. Leek (1967b: 53) also translates “dзrt” as colocynth, but Ebbell (1937: 133) offers a very different Egyptian term for colocynth. Colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis) is an herbaceous vine related to the watermelon and known from northern Africa and the Mediterranean. A powerful cathartic is prepared from the fruit. “dзrt” more likely identifies carob, according to Manniche (1989: 91).
Cathartics*
Published in Bev-Lorraine True, Robert H. Dreisbach, Dreisbach’s HANDBOOK of POISONING, 2001
Bev-Lorraine True, Robert H. Dreisbach
Croton oil is a non-volatile oil obtained from the seeds of Croton tiglium. The oil contains about 10% of a resin that is responsible for the effects of the oil. The active principles of colocynth (from Citrullus colocynthis), bryonia (from Bryonia alba), and elaterin (from the fruit of Ecballium elaterium) are mixtures of alkaloids, resins, and glycosides. Podophyllum resin (from Podophyllum peltatum, mayapple) and gamboge (from Garcinia hanburyi) are gum resins. Podophyllum resin (podofilox, Condilox) is used as a keratolytic.
Protecting Pancreatic β-cells from Metabolic Insults
Published in Christophe Wiart, Medicinal Plants in Asia for Metabolic Syndrome, 2017
Evidence is accumulating to demonstrate that the seeds of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. contain polar natural products, yet to be identified, that enhance insulin secretion and protect β-cells functionality in vitro. The seeds methanol extract of defatted seeds Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. at a concentration of 500 µg/mL protected Wistar rats isolated islets against streptozotocin-induced reduction of glucose (16.7 mM) stimulated insulin secretion as evidenced by about a 20% increase in insulin secretion.65 Isopropanol extract of defatted seeds of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. perfused at 0.1 mg/mL to isolated pancreas of Wistar rats exposed to 8.3 mM glucose concentration increased insulin secretion by 40% at 5 minutes.66 Methanol extract of defatted seeds Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. at a concentration of 500 µg/mL protected Wistar rats isolated islets against streptozotocin-induced reduction of glucose (16.7 mM) stimulated insulin secretion as evidenced by about a 20% increase in insulin secretion.65 The seeds contain tryptophan (Akobundu et al. 1982) which is known to induce insulin secretion in vitro.67 It must be recalled that the fruits and aerial part of this plant contain flavone C-glucoside of which isovitexin, isooriantin and isooriantin 3′-methylether.68 Isovitexin given at a single oral dose of 15 mg/kg to Wistar rats in oral glucose tolerance tests lowered postprandial glycemia from about 200 to 170 mg/dL at 30 minutes with concurrent increase in insulin secretion.69 In alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar rats with high hyperglycemia (>400 mg/dL) this C-glucosyl flavone had no effect implying the need of remaining viable β-cell function for activity.69
Investigating the effects of Citrullus colocynthis on cognitive performance and anxiety-like behaviors in STZ-induced diabetic rats
Published in International Journal of Neuroscience, 2023
Mohammad Amin Rajizadeh, Amir Hashem Aminizadeh, Khadijeh Esmaeilpour, Mohammad Abbas Bejeshk, Asie Sadeghi, Fouzieh Salimi
Citrullus colocynthis commonly known as “bitter apple”, “colocynth”, “vine-of-sodom”, and “Tumba” is an annual tropical plant [1] common in countries including Europe, Asia, and Africa [10]. The whole plant has many medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-candidal, bacterial, and anti-oxidant, and the fruit is scientifically proved as antidiabetic [8]. Olatunya et al. stated that C. colocynthis seeds contain PUFA and the consumption of large amounts of PUFA is linked to a lower incidence of depression, a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and decreased prevalence of age-related memory loss [10]. PUFAs might have a positive influence on controlling and developing diabetes. This positive influence includes protecting the pancreatic beta cells from damage, which results from the production of free radicals in diabetes [11]. Furthermore, C. colocynthis fruit extract has a pain mitigatory effect in patients with painful diabetic polyneuropathy [12].
Watermelon Reduces the Toxicity of Cisplatin Treatment in C57BL/6 Mice with Induced Melanoma
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2022
Roberta Cristina Ribeiro Cruz, Francisco Rinaldi Neto, Ricardo Andrade Furtado, Larissa Mendes Souza, Fernanda Diniz de Sousa, Saulo Duarte Ozelin, Jairo Kenupp Bastos, Geórgia Modé Magalhães, Denise Crispim Tavares, Pollyanna Francielli de Oliveira
The reduction of the toxic effects of cisplatin on the renal system and bone marrow might be explained by the fact that watermelon is rich in antioxidants such as lycopene, citrulline, arginine, and vitamins A, B, and niacin (26). The polyphenols found in this fruit are able to reduce inflammation and cardiovascular, degenerative, and liver diseases. Antioxidants protect enzymatic activities and inhibit lipid peroxidation, attenuating drug toxicity (27, 28). Adeyemi et al. (29) demonstrated a nephroprotective effect of the ethanolic extract of the fruit of Citrullus colocynthis, which was due to a reduction of creatinine and urea levels. Citrullus colocynthis belongs to the same genus as the watermelon, with the two species exhibiting high evolutionary proximity, and is probably the ancestor of the cultivated watermelon. Two triterpenes, colocynthenin A and colocynthenin C, present in species of this genus, have shown an inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase (30–32). It has been demonstrated in different models that the inhibition of this enzyme blocks induced apoptosis. The AChE gene, which encodes acetylcholinesterase, may be considered a tumor suppressor gene (33). These triterpenes may have been involved in the reduction of the side effects of cisplatin chemotherapy when combined with Citrullus lanatus.
Optimization and development of antidiabetic phytosomes by the Box–Behnken design
Published in Journal of Liposome Research, 2018
Citrullus colocynthis (L.) is used widely throughout the world for the treatment of many diseases including diabetes, constipation, leprosy, asthma, bronchitis, jaundice, joint pain, cancer and mastitis (Abo et al., 2008; Karim et al., 2011). It is traditionally used as an antidiabetic medication in the tropical and subtropical countries (Aburjai et al., 2007). Phytochemical literature survey revealed the presence of many chemical constituents such as – alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates, glycosides, essential oils (Gordon & David, 2001), bitter substances (colocynthin, colocythetin), cucurbitacins A, B, C, D and E (α-elatrin); cucurbitacines I, J, K and L (Sturm et al., 2009) and cucurbitacin glycosides (Abbas et al., 2006). A number of chemical constituents have been investigated for their antimicrobial potentials (Kim et al., 2014), anticonvulsant activity (Mehrzadi et al., 2016), cytotoxic, heptoprotective, cardiovascular, antidiabetic and antioxidant activity (Jayaprakasam et al., 2003).