The anti-inflammatory properties of the methanolic extract of Cucumis melo Linn. against prostate enlargement in Wistar rats

R S Rajasree; Sibi P Ittiyavirah; Punnoth Poonkuzhi Naseef; Mohamed Saheer Kuruniyan; Muhammed Elayadeth-Meethal; S Sankar

doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2022.103396

The anti-inflammatory properties of the methanolic extract of Cucumis melo Linn. against prostate enlargement in Wistar rats

Saudi J Biol Sci. 2022 Sep;29(9):103396. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2022.103396. Epub 2022 Jul 25.

Authors

R S Rajasree¹, Sibi P Ittiyavirah², Punnoth Poonkuzhi Naseef³, Mohamed Saheer Kuruniyan⁴, Muhammed Elayadeth-Meethal⁵, S Sankar⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government Thirumala Devaswom Medical College, Alappuzha 688005, India.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Centre for Professional and Advanced Sciences Cheruvandoor, Kottayam 686631, India.
³ Department of Pharmaceutics, Moulana College of Pharmacy, Perinthalmanna 679321, India.
⁴ Department of Dental Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookode, Wayanad 675621, India.
⁶ Department of Pathology, Govt Medical College, Kottayam 686008, India.

Abstract

In different parts of the world, Cucumis melo Linn. (C melo) is used for its medicinal properties. The present study examined the effects of a methanolic extract of C melo Linn. (F1 hybrid, MECM) on benign prostatic hyperplasia in adult male Wistar rats and evaluated its anti-inflammatory activity in vivo. MECM treatment reduced prostate weight mildly. Histopathological studies showed that the extract produced a strong protective effect against the development of BPH by testosterone. The MECM also showed protection from testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MECM was tested against carrageenan-induced inflammation in rats' paws to determine its anti-inflammatory activity. It was shown that MECM had a pronounced effect on the inflammatory response in the late phase, i.e., one hour after carrageenan injection. Prostaglandins and nitric oxide are primarily responsible for this phase indicating that MECM can modify the production and release of prostaglandin and nitric oxide. A novel formulation containing C melo may be able to treat the conditions mentioned above.

Keywords: Bioactive compounds; Drug discovery; Inflammation; Inflammation-associate diseases: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); Medicinal plants; Phytochemicals.