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<p><i>Citrullus colocynthis</i> L. Schrad (colocynth) is a valuable medicinal plant belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. Its fruit is widely recognized for its diverse therapeutic applications. This study aimed to comprehensively profile the metabolites of colocynth fruit using UPLC/MS and SPME-GC/MS. The study revealed the annotation of 60 distinct phytoconstituents. Identified metabolites included cucurbitacins (26), phenolic acids (10), fatty acids (9), flavonoids (6), amino acids (3), sterols (2), an organic acid, and a monoacyl glycerol. Several metabolites were reported for the first time in colocynth, including khekadaengoside G/H, glycosidic conjugates of <i>p</i>-coumaric, caffeic, vanillic and ferulic acids along with flavonoids viz. diosmetin-<i>C</i>-dihexoside and isorhamnetin. Newly identified phytosterols (dehydrobrassicasterol, brassicasterol) and oxylipids were also detected. Spectroscopic datasets were subjected to multivariate analysis (PCA and OPLS) to identify tissue specific biomarkers. Drying methods clearly differentiated oven-dried and lyophilized peel tissues, revealing that the peel was the most affected by drying. Volatile profiling identified 26 compounds, with esters constituting the predominant class represented by hexenol acetate as a major volatile in pulp (83.21%) compared to peel (15.94%). Cytotoxic assays against HCT-116 and PC-3 cancer cell lines revealed promising anticancer activity, with seeds showing the highest potency against HCT-116. Pulp and seed extracts exhibited superior activity against PC-3 compared to peel. These findings expand our knowledge of colocynth phytochemistry, providing comprehensive metabolomics characterization with previously unreported metabolites and highlighting its potential as a source of bioactive compounds with potential anticancer activity for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Unveiling metabolome composition of Citrullus colocynthis (Colocynth) medicinal fruit in context to its different parts and drying methods via UPLC-MS, GC-MS and cytotoxic effect

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月20日

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  • Mayy M. Mostafa,
  • Mohamed A. Farag

摘要

Citrullus colocynthis L. Schrad (colocynth) is a valuable medicinal plant belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. Its fruit is widely recognized for its diverse therapeutic applications. This study aimed to comprehensively profile the metabolites of colocynth fruit using UPLC/MS and SPME-GC/MS. The study revealed the annotation of 60 distinct phytoconstituents. Identified metabolites included cucurbitacins (26), phenolic acids (10), fatty acids (9), flavonoids (6), amino acids (3), sterols (2), an organic acid, and a monoacyl glycerol. Several metabolites were reported for the first time in colocynth, including khekadaengoside G/H, glycosidic conjugates of p-coumaric, caffeic, vanillic and ferulic acids along with flavonoids viz. diosmetin-C-dihexoside and isorhamnetin. Newly identified phytosterols (dehydrobrassicasterol, brassicasterol) and oxylipids were also detected. Spectroscopic datasets were subjected to multivariate analysis (PCA and OPLS) to identify tissue specific biomarkers. Drying methods clearly differentiated oven-dried and lyophilized peel tissues, revealing that the peel was the most affected by drying. Volatile profiling identified 26 compounds, with esters constituting the predominant class represented by hexenol acetate as a major volatile in pulp (83.21%) compared to peel (15.94%). Cytotoxic assays against HCT-116 and PC-3 cancer cell lines revealed promising anticancer activity, with seeds showing the highest potency against HCT-116. Pulp and seed extracts exhibited superior activity against PC-3 compared to peel. These findings expand our knowledge of colocynth phytochemistry, providing comprehensive metabolomics characterization with previously unreported metabolites and highlighting its potential as a source of bioactive compounds with potential anticancer activity for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

Graphical Abstract