Pharmacological review of Luffa acutangula (L) Roxb

Abstract

Luffa acutangula (Cucurbitaceae), a perennial plant grows mainly in India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Egypt, and other parts of Africa, it is widely used in the traditional Indian medicinal system to treat various health ailments. It is commonly present in the waste land also. This plant fruit portion is valuable for hypoglycaemic, antiulcer, anti pyretic, and anti hypertensive effect. In this present review is focused on the pharmacognostical characters like scientific classification, vernacular name and the plant potential in biological activity is described. The plant has been used in jaundice, diabetes, hemorrhoids, dysentery, headache, ringworm infection, and leprosy. More than 50 chemical compounds have been isolated from a plant which mainly comprises flavonoids, anthraquinones, proteins, fatty acids, saponin triterpene, volatile components, and other phytoconstituents. Crude extract of plant and its isolated compounds possess broad pharmacological activities such as antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antiulcer, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, CNS depressant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory. The present review work focused on its distribution, botanical characters, ethanobotanical uses, folklore claims, nutritional value, phytochemical constituents, medicinal properties and biological properties of L. acutangula.