Citrullus lanatus
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Watermelon is a tropical fruit of the Cucurbitaceae family. It grows in a vine like plant which is highly cultivated throughout the world due to the heavy commercial demand. This medium sized fruit is generally a berry with a green hard rind and the bright red flesh comprising of black seeds, known to be sweet and juicy to taste. It is very popular for its antioxidant properties and contents of vitamin A and C which helps to lower inflammation and oxidative damages. Lycopene and citrulline found in watermelon help to lower blood cholesterol and helps to increase the NO levels in the body. Consuming the fruit is beneficial to the body because Lycopene present in the fruit can independently inhibit the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and (COX-2) mRNA and other proteins to show Anti-inflammatory activities. |
| Plant Details | Agro-climatic Zone | Vernacular Names | Pictures |
| Scientific Name: Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai Family: Cucurbitaceae Juss. Juss. Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Cucurbitales Genus: Citrullus Schrad. ex Eckl. & Zeyh. Fruiting Season: February-March Fruting Condition: Ripe |
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Andhra Pradesh : Eriputccha, Eriputccha Assam : Torbuj, Torbuj Karnataka : Kallangadi balli, Kallangadi balli Maharashtra : Kalingad, Kalingad Manipur : Tarbuj, Tarbuj Tamil Nadu : Tarbusini, Tarbusini Uttar Pradesh : Tarbooz, Tarbooz |
 Whole plant with fruit.  Ripe fruit.  Flower. |
| Compound/Chemical | Immunomodulatory Activity | Pathway | Immunomodulatory Marker |
| Vitamin C | Antioxidant activity | Inhihibits lipid peroxidation protects oxidation of LDL and HDL, preventing cell damage by free radicals. | NA[3] |
| b-carotene | Antioxidant activity | Act as scavangers of free radicals, ROS & reactive nitogen species. | NA[3] |
| Citrulline | Antioxidant activity | Efficient hydroxyl radical scavenger | NA[4] |
| Lycopene | Antioxidant activity | Free radical scavenger and oxygen quencher | NA[2][4] |
| Lycopene | Anti-inflammatory activity | Independently inhibit the expressions of inducible nitic oxide synthase (iNOS)and cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) mRNA and their proteins | COX-2[2][4] |
| Fruit extract | Anti-inflammatory activity | It also decreases in the production of MCP-1 and IFN-gamma concentrations and increases IL-10. | IFN-gamma, IL-10[4] |
| Fruit extract | The extract results in the ability to inhibit NO with the increase in the concentration of the extract. | Inhibition of NO.[2] |
| Major Class | Metabolites |
| Alpha-amino acid | Citrulline(Flesh) |
| Amino acid | L-arginine() |
| Carotenoid | Lycopene(Flesh), Beta-carotene(Flesh) |
| Cucurbitacins | Cucurbitacin E(Pulp) |
| Vitamin | Vitamin C(Pulp) |
| Traditional Practice | Diseases | Plant Part | Additional Knowledge |
| Unani | Gonorrhoea, Urethral Ulcer, Vesical Irritability, Anuria, Renal ulcers | Leaves | Accelerates the Rate of Increase in Platelet Count among Patients with Dengue Fever and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever[4] |
| Unani | Gonorrhoea, Urethral Ulcer, Vesical Irritability, Anuria, Renal ulcers | Fruit | Effective for increasing circulating lycopene in vascular function of postmenopausal women[5] |
| Unani | Gonorrhoea, Urethral Ulcer, Vesical Irritability, Anuria, Renal ulcers | Fruit | Microencapsulated watermelon rind can increase plasma L-citrulline and L-arginine and improve endothelial function in young adults.[6] |
| 4.1, 04.1.1, 04.1.1.1, 04.1.1.3, 04.1.2.1, 04.1.2.11, 04.1.2.5, 04.1.2.7, 04.1.2.9 |
| Incompatible with Milk and Yogurt |
| CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat-6, Assam, India
CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur-61,Himachal Pradesh, India |