Cucurbita maxima seed was tested for its immunomodulatory effect by comparing with immunostimulant, Levamisole HCL using dexamethasone induced immuno suppression model in rabbits in terms of assessing cell mediated immune response. Thirty six rabbits were randomly divided into six groups of six animals in each. Group I was the untreated control. Group II was dexamethasone sodium treated. Group ...

Phloem-specific proteins (P proteins) are particularly useful markers to investigate long-distance trafficking of macromolecules in plants. In this study, genus-specific molecular probes were used in combination with intergeneric grafts to reveal the presence of a pool of translocatable P protein subunits. Immunoblot analyses demonstrated that Cucurbita spp P proteins PP1 and PP2 are translocat...

Pumpkin ( cucurbita maxima ) belongs to cucurbitaceae which include pumpkin, gourds, melons and squashes. They are characterized by their seed oil. Pumpkin plant has been grown since the earliest history of mankind 1 . ( Brucher – 1989 ). Pumpkin are grown around the world for variety of agricultural purposes, the seeds show anti helmintic, taenicide diuretic, cardio tonic, anti-inflammatory, a...

Aim : The objective of the study was to estimate the humoral immune response in rabbits treated with Cucurbita maxima seeds. Materials and Methods: Thirty six male Newzealand White rabbits were divided into six groups (I, II, III, IV, V, VI) of six in each. Group I was the untreated control. Group II was treated with dexamethasone sodium (2 mg/Kg, i.m) for 7 days. Group III was treated with lev...

We have investigated the phylogenetic relationships among six wild and six domesticated taxa of Cucurbita using as a marker an intron region from the mitochondrial nad1 gene. Our study represents one of the first successful uses of a mtDNA gene in resolving inter- and intraspecific taxonomic relationships in Angiosperms and yields several important insights into the origins of domesticated Cucu...

The word “pumpkin” is derived from the Latin word pepo, which is a botanical term for fruit with a hard rind and fleshy interior. The commonly used scientific name for pumpkins is Cucurbita pepo. But some other cucurbits, such as Cucurbita moschata (e.g., ‘Dickenson’ and ‘Libby Select’, known as processing pumpkin) (Figure 1, B) and Cucurbita maxima, which are winter squash, are also known as p...

The pumpkin seed oil obtained from Cucurbita pepo has been shown to be useful for the treatment of nocturia in patients with urinal disorders in several western countries. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the pumpkin seed oil from Cucurbita maxima on urinary dysfunction in human overactive bladder (OAB). Forty-five subjects were enrolled in this study. An extract of pumpkin seed oil fr...

Tumor formation in cucurbit cultivars resulting from infection by various strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes is environmentally affected. In all instances, tumors could be induced on excised cotyledons while inoculating attached cotyledons or stems resulted in no tumor formation. In addition, buttercup squash (Cucurbita maxima Duch. buttercup) was most susceptible...

A photolabile azido derivative of the kaurene oxidase inhibitor 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-l-yl) pentan-3-ol (paclobutrazol) has been synthesized for use as a photoaffinity labeling agent. The compound was tested as an inhibitor of the oxidation of ent-kaurene catalyzed by cell-free preparations from endosperm of Cucurbita maxima. The I(50) of the azido derivative was 9.5 ...