Natural products; pharmacological importance of family Cucurbitaceae: a brief review

Abstract

Compounds derived from nature have played a major role in drug discovery. They became the basis for the development of new pharmaceuticals. In this scope, family Cucurbitaceae is a prominent source of secondary metabolites, mainly triterpenoids. In this paper, we provide a brief review of cucurbitane metabolites that exhibit an extensive range of biological actions specifically antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, and antiparasitic effects.