In Vitro Studies of Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata var. Kashi Harit) Seed Protein Fraction(s) to Evaluate Anticancer and Antidiabetic Properties

Vinayashree, S. and Hemakumar, C. and Ravindra Veeranna, P and Ravi, Kumar and Pavithra, V. and Mahendra, V. P. and Prasanna, Vasu (2024) In Vitro Studies of Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata var. Kashi Harit) Seed Protein Fraction(s) to Evaluate Anticancer and Antidiabetic Properties. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 79. pp. 632-640.

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Abstract

Chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes are the major public health concerns of India and worldwide. Nowadays, plant-derived products are in great demand for the treatment of these diseases. Pumpkin seeds are traditionally implicated for their pharmacological properties, as exemplified by benign prostatic hyperplasia. Earlier, pumpkin seed proteins were extracted by the Osborne method, and their functional and nutritional qualities were evaluated. Here, the aim is to assess in vitro, the anticancer and antidiabetic properties of seed protein fractions. HepG2, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7 cell lines were treated with water-soluble (WF) and alkali-soluble fractions (AF) to assess cytotoxicity, while pancreatic β-cells and insulin resistance (IR) – HepG2 cell lines were treated with WF to evaluate the antidiabetic potential. WF and AF showed cytotoxic effects towards HepG2 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, suggesting apoptosis-mediated anticancerous activity. WF potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells, in a dose-dependent manner. In IR-HepG2 cell line studies, control, metformin, and WF-treated groups showed uptake of glucose, when compared to the diabetic group, which is well-correlated with the upregulated expressions of GLUT2 and GLUT4 transporters in these groups. These results indicate that proteins from WF and AF may have anticancerous and antidiabetic properties and thus have the potential to utilize pumpkin proteins in the management of cancer and diabetes.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Pumpkin seed proteins, Cancer, Diabetes, Apoptosis, Glucose transporters
Subjects:	500 Natural Sciences and Mathematics > 04 Chemistry and Allied Sciences > 29 Protein Chemistry 600 Technology > 01 Medical sciences > 04 Diabetes Mellitus 600 Technology > 08 Food technology > 23 Vegetables
Divisions:	Food Safety Analytical Quality Control Lab
Depositing User:	Somashekar K S
Date Deposited:	20 Jan 2025 06:58
Last Modified:	20 Jan 2025 06:58
URI:	http://ir.cftri.res.in/id/eprint/18934

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