Pharmacognostical, Physicochemical Evaluation, and in vitro Anti-obesity Investigation of Citrullus Colocynthis Linn. Fruits from Western Haryana

Abstract

Cucurbitaceae family plants have been widely used as traditional medicines for the prevention and treatment of many ailments. Citrullus colocynthis Linnaeus also known as Colocynth, is a bitter plant commonly found growing in sandy deserts around the world, and it grows naturally in the Western Haryana region. Fruits of this plant have been utilized traditionally for various medicinal purposes, like as an appetite suppressant, hypoglycemic, diuretic, laxative, anthelmintic, and for treating renal stones. The objective of this study is to carry out the in vitro anti-obesity investigation, pharmacognostical studies, heavy metal and pesticide residue analysis, microbial contamination, and mycotoxins evaluation of the Citrullus colocynthis fruits for establishing their quality, safety, efficacy, and purity standards. Fresh fruits were collected and taxonomically authenticated. The pharmacognostical characteristics of the intact and powdered fruits were identified and qualitative and quantitative phytochemical evaluation was performed. Physicochemical evaluation, heavy metal and pesticide residue detection, microbial contamination, and mycotoxins analysis were performed as per WHO guidelines 2011. In vitro inhibition activities for pancreatic lipase and α-amylase enzymes were carried out as per standard procedures and IC50 values were recorded. The pharmacognostical standards viz. macroscopy, microscopy and physicochemical parameters were laid, and the drug was declared free from microbial contamination and mycotoxins. Heavy metal analysis and pesticide residue detection revealed that their presence was below toxic levels. The Powder microscopy, microbial contamination, mycotoxin evaluation, and pesticide residue of the Colocynth fruits are novel findings. The IC50 values (µg/ml) for pancreatic lipase inhibition for aqueous and ethanolic extracts were found to be 21.27±1.25 and 34.35±1.86, and for α-glucosidase, the values were 271.12±2.64 and 283.21±3.06, and for α-glucosidase, the values were 295.67±2.92 and 306.15±3.44 respectively. Thus, the fruit extracts showed significant in vitro anti-obesity potential. Pharmacognostical and physicochemical studies prove to be useful in reducing commercial adulteration of the crude drug by assuring their purity and identity and this could further help in improving the quality of formulations incorporating it. The results of various standardization parameters could be used for designing the monograph of the crude drug. The fruits were found to be fit for therapeutic consumption and their extracts have shown good pancreatic lipase inhibition. The in vitro anti-obesity investigation findings of the fruit extracts can further be explored in-vivo for evaluating their therapeutic efficacy.