Evaluation of ethanolic seed extract of Lagenaria siceraria for their therapeutic potential

Abstract

During the past few decades, the drugs from natural products have gained importance in the field of medicine. Many plants and their products exhibit marked pharmacological activities. Lagenaria siceraria fruit is one of the important natural plant which is used in the treatment of various disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential of ethanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria seeds. The Lagenaria siceraria seeds were evaluated for their antioxidant potential by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl method. The extract showed significant antioxidant potential in a dose dependent manner as compared to ascorbic acid. The extract showed maximum scavenging activity i.e., 75.19% at 200 μg by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging method. Thus, it was further studied for anti-inflammatory activity by Carrageenan induced rat paw edema and analgesic activity by Tail immersion method and Hot plate method at different concentrations i.e., 100, 200 and 300 mg kg -1. The results showed that ethanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria seeds possess good therapeutic potential and may be useful as a natural antioxidant and it can be used in the treatment of inflammation and pain.