Cucurbitae family

Alkaloids (pyrazolinc derivatives) and some others of undetermined structure have been reported from several genera. The family is known chemically for the cucurbitacins-loxic steroidal substances. In this study, 106 samples in 73 species were tested two were already known to contain alkaloids, Momordica charantia (2/11) and M. foeiida (1/2). Other positives included Coccinea addensis (1/3), Cucumis anguria, C. zeyheri, Cucurbita foelidissi-ma (2/3), Echinocystis macrocarpa, Marah macrocarpa, Melothria cordala, Momordica cissoides, M. repens (1/2), Peponium macke-nii, Trichosanthes sp. 

The seeds of squash plants are rich in a family of trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors that are approximately 35 amino acids in size and have been extensively investigated not only for their enzyme inhibitory activity, but also because they are very stable mini-protein scaffolds with applications in protein engineering. The best studied examples are Ecballium elaterium trypsin inhibitor (EETI-II) and Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor (CMTI). Both X-ray and NMR have been used to characterise their structures, which incorporate a cystine-knot motif formed by three conserved disulphide bonds.93 We will describe this motif in more detail in a later section describing the plant cyclotides. 

Vietnamese squash) which are cyclic peptides (cyclotides) [541]. The small size, exceptional stability and protease inhibitor potency of these cyclic squash family PIPs make them potentially very useful lead compounds and structural scaffolds for pharmaceutical development [541], The structures of various squash family PIPs have been determined, namely those of Cucurbita maxima CMTI-I [544, 545], Cucurbita pepo CPTI-n [545], Momordica charantia MCTI-A [556, 557] and the cyclotide Momordica cochinchinensis McoTI-U [541]. The linear squash PIP structures involve anti-parallel P-strand elements beneath a loop which contains the protease binding site [544, 545, 556, 557]. 

Some pests attack even a broader spectrum of plants. Plant families are larger groupings of plants that contain several genera. Cucumbers and melons belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. This family also includes summer squash and winter squash, which belong to the genus Cucurbita. It s important to know and understand these relationships, because one of the basic principles in planning a crop rotation is to plant crops from different families in sequence in a particular location to prevent the buildup of pest populations in the soil. 

PUMPKIN SEED Cucurbita peponis semen consists of the dried, ripe seeds of Cucurbita pepo L., family Cucurbitaceae or its cultivars. The drug can also be the seeds without husk, Cucurbitae peponis semen decorticatum. The anthelmintic substance is the amino acid cucurbitin in a dose of 100-250 mg, followed after 3 hours by castor oil as an agent against tapeworm. 

Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) are a member of the family Cucurbitaceae which includes squashes, melons, pumpkins and cucumbers. Pun kins are of New World origin and are believed to have been important in the diet of aboriginal Americans. The flavor composition of the Cucurbits has received little attention though other members of the Cucurbitaceae have been investigated. For exan le, the carbonyl compounds of fresh cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) were studied almost 20 years ago ( ). 

Vegetables of the cucurbit family (Cucurbitaceae), which includes squashes, melons, pumpkins, cucumbers and gourds of the genera Benincasa, Citrullus, Cucumic, Cucurbita, Lagemria and Lujfa, occasionally show bitter taste in response to various... 

Marrow, pumpkin, squash, courgette (zucchini) are all Cucurbita species and members of the Cucurbitaceae, as are melons (Cucumis melo). Squashes were very important to early inhabitants of Southern and Central America, as important as corn and beans. Fossilized remains of squashes in Peru have been dated to 4000 bc. Originally the flowers, seeds and flesh were eaten. The seeds provided a source of sulphur-containing amino acids. Wild members of the family are thin-skinned and bitter. There are few data available on the phytochemical content of the flesh of squashes. Butternut squash has been found... 

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