Luffa aegyptiaca

633 metabolites were profiled across bitter and non-bitter Luffa varieties, with 364 differing significantly. Cucurbitacins B and D were markedly enriched in bitter fruit and increased further in extra-bitter lines, with terpenoid biosynthesis upregulated; the cucurbitadienol synthase gene sits in a biosynthetic gene cluster with cytochrome P450s and an acetyltransferase. Heat and abscisic acid stress activated the pathway. Practically, this is the evidence that bitterness in a Luffa fruit is a direct readout of cucurbitacin content and that growing stress can raise it.

85 studies retrieved from 14 databases were synthesised for the congeneric species Luffa operculata, which is widely used in folk medicine for sinusitis and as an abortifacient and is the basis of both allopathic and homeopathic products. The authors describe an alarming toxicological spectrum covering cytogenotoxicity, tissue toxicity, acute and subacute toxicity, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity and phytotoxicity, with intensity varying by plant organ, solvent, dose, model and route; clinical data show acceptable efficacy and tolerability limited to upper airway use. Included here because Luffa operculata is the principal substitution hazard for this record, not because it is the same drug.

Leaf infusion characterised as containing protocatechuic acid, naringenin, chlorogenic acid and ascorbic acid was given by gavage to Wistar rats exposed to cisplatin or carbon tetrachloride. At 40 mg/kg it improved serum markers of liver and kidney function, restored superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, lowered malondialdehyde and reduced histological damage. Rat study only; the authors themselves note that clinical investigation is still required.

Luffa extract at 25 to 100 micrograms/mL reduced nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia through inhibition of AKT-GSK3beta-CREB signalling. Oral dosing at 50 or 300 mg/kg for seven days improved LPS-induced cognitive impairment in mice on passive avoidance and Y-maze testing and lowered hippocampal inflammatory markers. HPLC identified myricetin as a major component with independent anti-inflammatory activity in microglia. Preclinical; no human data.

Seeds of 42 Luffa genotypes were analysed for moisture, oil, protein, fatty acid profile, total phenol and sugar. Oil ranged from 15.4 to 29.8 percent and protein from 19.9 to 30.8 percent, with total unsaturated fatty acids exceeding saturated and total phenol 6.43 to 12.84 mg per 100 g. Several genotypes were identified as promising oilseed material. Establishes how much the seed varies between genotypes, which is why a seed preparation cannot be assumed to have a fixed composition.

Thirty-seven compounds were identified in the antioxidant-rich fraction of the bleeding sap of the Luffa vine, the drug recorded for tuberculosis since the eighteenth-century Supplements to the Compendium of Materia Medica. Network pharmacology and docking implicated 13 compounds including linoleic acid and abietic acid acting through PPAR gamma or MAPK pathways. This is computational and in vitro work on a traditional indication and does not constitute evidence that the sap treats tuberculosis.