A Literature-Based Update on Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.: Traditional Uses, Nutraceutical, and Phytopharmacological Profiles

Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. (Cucurbitaceae) is an annual climbing plant, native to Asia with multiple therapeutic uses in traditional medicine. This updated review is aimed at discussing the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical, pharmacological properties, and molecular mechanisms highlighted in preclinical experimental studies and toxicological safety to evaluate the therapeutic potential of this genus. The literature from PubMed, Google Scholar, Elsevier, Springer, Science Direct, and database was analyzed using the basic keyword “Benincasa hispida.” Other searching strategies, including online resources, books, and journals, were used. The taxonomy of the plant has been made by consulting “The Plant List”. The results showed that B. hispida has been used in traditional medicine to treat neurological diseases, kidney disease, fever, and cough accompanied by thick mucus and to fight intestinal worms. The main bioactive compounds contained in Benincasa hispida have cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Further safety and efficacy investigations are needed to confirm these beneficial therapeutic effects and also future human clinical studies.

Identification and Characterization of Known and Novel MicroRNAs in Five Tissues of Wax Gourd (Benincasa hispida) Based on High-Throughput Sequencing

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous single-stranded non-coding small RNAs of 20-24 nucleotides and play important roles in many plant biological and metabolic processes. Wax gourd is an important vegetable of Cucurbitacea family, with great economic and medicinal value. Although miRNAs have been extensively studied in model plant species, less is known in wax gourd (Benincasa hispida). In this study, in order to identify miRNAs in wax groud, five independent small RNA libraries were constructed using leaf, root, stem, flower, and fruit of B227. Based on high-throughput Illumina deep sequencing. In total, 422 known and 409 novel miRNAs were identified from five libraries. Comparative analysis revealed that many miRNAs were differentially expressed among different tissues, indicating tissue-specific expression of some miRNAs. qRT-PCR verified the reliability of small RNA sequencing results. Furthermore, miRNAs with similar expression patterns among five tissues were clustered into the same profile, among which many miRNAs were found with relatively high expression in the fruit of wax gourd. MiR164-x had the highest expression in fruit than in other tissues and many NAC transcription factors were predicted as its target genes. We propose that miR164 might regulate fruit development by forming miR164-NAC module in wax gourd. Taken together, this study provides the first global miRNAs profiling of wax gourd, and lays the foundation for understanding the regulatory roles of miRNAs in the growth and development processes of wax gourd.

Identification and Application of BhAPRR2 Controlling Peel Colour in Wax Gourd (Benincasa hispida)

Peel color is an important factor affecting commodity quality in vegetables; however, the genes controlling this trait remain unclear in wax gourd. Here, we used two F2 genetic segregation populations to explore the inheritance patterns and to clone the genes associated with green and white skin in wax gourd. The F2 and BC1 trait segregation ratios were 3:1 and 1:1, respectively, and the trait was controlled by nuclear genes. Bulked segregant analysis of both F2 plants revealed peaks on Chr5 exceeding the confidence interval. Additionally, 6,244 F2 plants were used to compress the candidate interval into a region of 179 Kb; one candidate gene, Bch05G003950 (BhAPRR2), encoding two-component response regulator-like protein Arabidopsis pseudo-response regulator2 (APRR2), which is involved in the regulation of peel color, was present in this interval. Two bases (GA) present in the coding sequence of BhAPRR2 in green-skinned wax gourd were absent from white-skinned wax gourd. The latter contained a frameshift mutation, a premature stop codon, and lacked 335 residues required for the protein functional region. The chlorophyll content and BhAPRR2 expression were significantly higher in green-skinned than in white-skinned wax gourd. Thus, BhAPRR2 may regulate the peel color of wax gourd. This study provides a theoretical foundation for further studies of the mechanism of gene regulation for the fruit peel color of wax gourd.

Comparative Literature Study of Bligo Fruit Extract (Benincasa hispida (Thunb) Cogn) and Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L.) Extract on the Minimum Inhibition of Salmonella typhi Bacteria

Salmonella typhi is a gram-negative bacteria species that causes typhoid fever. Salmonella typhi is sensitive to antibiotics such as amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and cotrimoxazole. However, there has been some increase in antibiotic resistance, so there is a need for new antibacterials that do not have a resistance effect to treat infection. Bligo fruit (Benincasa hispida (Thunb) Cogn) and bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) contain saponins, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and triterpenoids which have antibacterial power. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the bligo fruit extract (Benincasa hispida (Thunb) Cogn) and bitter melon extract (Momordica charantia L.) on the minimum inhibition of Salmonella typhi bacteria. The method used is narrative literature review. The results of the journal study showed that the extract of bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) was more effective in inhibiting Salmonella typhi bacteria than the extract of bligo (Benincasa hispida (Thunb) Cogn) with a minimum inhibitory power at a concentration of 20%, namely 8.5 mm. Keywords: Bligo Fruit (Benincasa hispida (Thunb) Cogn), Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L.), Salmonella typhi.