Watermelon Seeds in the Prevention and Treatment of Carcinoma

The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a traditional Brazilian fruit with a wide variety of medicinal properties. This chapter provides emphasis on the role of various seeds with special emphasis on their role in the prevention and treatment of carcinoma. It provides an excellent piece of information on the empirical data profile of the fatty acids extracted from the seeds and further helps in accessing their possible cytotoxic and antioxidant effects. The phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of 44 traditional and exotic Brazilian fruit pulps are analyzed. The anti-inflammatory properties of chia seed oil and its blends were investigated in vitro, and the proliferation rate and apoptosis were significantly linked with the number of days on the diet (p = 0.05; 7.4–7.8 for historic controls vs. 5.0–4.9 for treated patients, p = 0.05). The antioxidant properties help to minimize oxidative stress and aid in cancer cell anti-proliferative actions. Furthermore, lycopene’s antioxidant properties also help to reduce lipid peroxidation and promote a decrease in the free androgen index. In addition, the anti-lipoxygenase activity of pumpkin seed oil was significantly reduced (p = 0.01), while incubation with maize oil significantly reduced the antiapoptotic indices (36.3% 18.9% to 29.3% 16.8%). Inhibition of testosterone-induced hyperplasia of the prostate of Sprague-Dawley rats was achieved by a diet containing pumpkin seed oils and maize oils for a total of 20 days. The results of this study indicate that the physicochemical features of the watermelon seed and peel are within the suggested limits, suggesting that it might be a useful source of cooking and frying oil and as a cosmetic element.