BACKGROUND The aqueous extract of Cucurbita ficifolia (C. ficifolia) fruit has demonstrated hypoglycemic effect, which may be attributed to some components in the extract. However, the major secondary metabolites in this fruit have not yet been identified and little is known about its extra-pancreatic action, in particular, on liver carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, in addition to the isolati...

Averrhoa bilimbi Linn. fruit and its extracts were screened for antihypercholesterolemic activity using Triton-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats as a model. The fruit and its water extract, but not alcohol and hexane extracts, showed remarkable antihypercholesterolemic activity. An active fraction, which showed activity at a low dose of 0.8 mg/kg, was purified from the water extract. An acti...

background and objectives: dried pulps and peels of ziziphus jujuba fruits are commonly applied as food because of their high nutritional value. it has been widely used in traditional medicine as laxative, tonic, wound healing agent and appetizer. the aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-melanogenic effects of z. jujuba fruit. methods: fruit extracts were obtained by two different extract...

Laboratory experiments tested whether two economically-important sibling species of tephritid fruit flies have evolved distinct egg-laying responses to chemical stimuli on the fruits of their respective hostplants. The egg-laying preferences displayed by apple maggot flies, R. pomonella, and blueberry maggot flies, R. mendax, on artificial fruits treated with apple and blueberry extract paralle...

introduction this study was intended to evaluate the nutritional value, phenolic compounds and digestibility coefficients of barberry leaves. berberis vulgaris is one of the major crops in the province. the province has more than 70 percent and 95 percent of the total area under cultivation of barberry. waste and foliage of barberry harvest traditionally used to feed livestock tannin concentrat...

The use of naturally occurring botanicals with substantial antioxidant activity to prevent photoageing is receiving increasing attention. We have previously identified piceatannol and scirpusin B, which is a dimer of piceatannol, as strong antioxidants that are present in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seeds. In the present study, the effects of passion fruit seed extract, piceatannol, and s...

Ageing is the phase of gradual decline of body efficiency and metabolic activities after reaching a maturity stage. Free radicals cause oxidative alterations in collagen, elastin material and changes in membrane characteristics and induce polymerization reactions. Use of topical antioxidants can overcome some of these effects and retard actinic ageing. Herbal products are popular due to their m...

Background and objectives: Dried pulps and peels of Ziziphus jujuba fruits are commonly applied as food because of their high nutritional value. It has been widely used in traditional medicine as laxative, tonic, wound healing agent and appetizer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-melanogenic effects of Z. jujuba fruit. Methods: </st...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an important global public health problem. Despite the availability of drug therapy, patients have continued using plants with anti-diabetic properties as alternative treatments for diabetes. Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché (C. ficifolia) is a plant cultivated in Mexico for its edible fruit that is medicinally used to control type 2 DM (T2D). The hypoglycemic effect of C. f...