• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.734-738
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• 2008

The physicochemical and in vitro physiological properties of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) from wax gourd (Benincasa hispida) pulp and peel were investigated. The pulp was composed of 11.4% SDF and 24.3% insoluble dietary fiber (IDF), while the peel contained 3.2% SDF and 43.3% IDE The predominant sugar in the SDF of the wax gourd pulp and peel was uronic acid, followed by galactose and rhamnose. The SDFs from the wax gourd pulp and peel gave similar elution patterns, with 4 main neutral sugar and uronic acid peaks eluted by 0.4, 0.5, 1, and 2 M ammonium acetate buffer. The pulp SDF had a much higher glucose retardation index (GRI) than the peel SDF for all measurement times. The pulp SDF showed strong growth-inhibiting activity against Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens, whereas the peel SDF produced strong growth-promoting activity against Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Lactobacillus brevis when compared to glucose.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.259-265
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• 2004

This study was designed to examine the effects of diets containing different levels of seeds of Benincasa hispida (wax-gourd)on plasma glucose, insulin levels and lipid profiles in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were induced diabetes mellitus by STZ injection (45 mg/kg) into the tail vein and were divide into 4 groups: normal, STZ-control, two experimental groups. Normal and STZ-control groups were fed an AIN-93 diet and 2 experi-mental groups were fed a modified diet containing 2.5% and 5.0% of wax gourd seed powder for 4 weeks. The weight gain and feed efficiency ratio in 5.0% seed groups were higher than in STZ-control group. A significant lowering effects of plasma glucose levels were observed in the wax gourd seed 2.5% and 5.0 groups. The plasma insulin level did not differ after treatment with wax gourd seed in experimental rats. The intake of 2.5% wax gourd seed did not result in sig-nificant change in plasma cholesterol levels compared to diabetic control group. The intake of 2.5% wax gourd seeds had normalized the increased levels of plasma triglyceride and free fatty acids after 4 weeks. In 5% wax gourd seed group, cholesterol, triglyceride and free fatty acid levels were elevated compared to 2.5% wax gourd seed group. The results of the present study indicate that 2.5% wax gourd seed group would be more effective to control the diabetes than 5% wax gourd seed group.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.895-900
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• 2012

The effects of three fractions, hexane (BHHH), chloroform (BHHC), and ethyl acetate (BHHE), from water extract of Benincasa hispida on the underlying mechanisms of adipogenesis were investigated in 3T3-L1 cells. Intracellular lipid droplets were stained with Oil Red O dye and quantified. Compared to control, lipid accumulation significantly decreased by 11% and 13% upon treatment with BHHC and BHHE, respectively at a concentration of 50 ${\mu}g/mL$. Intracellular triglyceride (TG) levels were also reduced by 21% and 16%, respectively, at the same concentration. To determine the mechanism behind the reductions in TG content and lipid accumulation, glycerol release and expression levels of adipogenic marker genes were measured. The levels of free glycerol released into culture medium increased by 13% and 17% upon treatment with BHHC and BHHE, respectively. In subsequent measurements using real-time polymerization chain reaction, the mRNA levels of $PPAR{\gamma}$, C/$EBP{\alpha}$, and leptin significantly decreased upon treatment with BHHE (45%, 67%, and 35%) in comparison with non-treated control. These results suggest that BHHE inhibits adipocyte differentiation by blocking $PPAR{\gamma}$, C/$EBP{\alpha}$, and leptin gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells, resulting in reduced lipid accumulation, increased glycerol release, and intracellular triglycerides.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.430-430
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• 2022

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.335-343
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• 2003

This study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic effects of Benincasa hispida (Wax gourd) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in the male rats by intravenous injection of STZ at a dose of 45 mg/kg dissolved in citrate buffer. The diabetic animals then had plasma glucose concentration of above 300mg/dl. The experimental groups were divided into five groups; normal, STZ-control and three Wax gourd groups (5%, 10% and 20% intake groups). Normal and STZ-control groups were fed on a AIN-93 diet and experimental groups were fed a AIN-93 diet with the Wax gourd powder (5%, 10% and 20%/kg diet) for 4 weeks. The body weight, diet intake and feed efficiency ratio (FER) were monitored. The blood glucose and cholesterol levels were determined everyweek. After 4 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and the levels of glucose, insulin, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and free fatty acids in plasma and levels of glycogen in liver and muscle were analyzed. Diabetic rats showed the lower weight gain compared to the normal rats. The weight gain and feed efficiency ratios in 15 and 20% Wax gourd groups were higher than in STZ-control group. The plasma glucose levels were significantly lower in all Wax gourd groups than in STZ-control group. The plasma insulin levels in diabetic groups were not significantly different compared to the normal group, but the level of 20% Wax gourd group was higher than other diabetic groups. The experimental diabetic groups showed the higher levels of muscle glycogen compared to STZ-control group. The lower levels of plasma cholesterol were noticed in 20% Wax gourd group throughout the experimental period. The plasma level of triglyceride was elevated in STZ-diabetic control and the levels were slightly decreased in Wax gourd groups. Rats of 10% Wax gourd group showed the lower levels of plasma free fatty acids. It is suggested, from the results, that the possibility of therapeutic or preventive use of wax gourd to the diabetes mellitus.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.87-90
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to find the effect of 36 traditional medicinal plant species on hepatoprotective activity screening. For this study, carbon tetrachloride $(CCl_{4})$ intoxificated rats were used. Test extracts were made with the traditional medicinal plants refluxed in 95% MeOH and orally administered to the rats. Sixteen species, such as Mentha arvensis, Sophora japonica, Benincasa hispida, Lonicera japonica (Lonicerae Flos), Agaricus blazei, Epimedium koreanum, Aralia continentalis, Lithospermum erythrorhizon, Cimicifuga foetida, Gastrodia elata, Sanguisorba officinalis, Cephalonoplos segetum, Bupleurum falcatum, Alisma plantago-aquatica var. orientale, Lonicera japonica (Lonicerae Folium) and Sinomenium acutum showed protective effect against increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or serum asparteate aminotransferase (AST) activities.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1117-1123
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• 2003

The effects of heat treatment on the physical and physical and physiological properties of wax gourd (Benincasa hispida) were examined. The applied heat treatments were autoclaved at $121^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr, boiled for 30 min, and microwaved at 680 W for 5 min. The water retention capacity (WRC) of the wax gourds was 9.43 g/g for the microwaved samples, 5.12 g/g for the boiled samples, 4.63 g/g for the raw samples, and 2.61 g/g for the autoclaved samples. Heat treatment caused to increase swelling by up to $4.4{\sim}7.8\;mL/g$. Calcium binding capacity of heat-treated wax gourd increased in the order of microwaved, boiled, raw, autoclaved samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SME) showed that autoclaving caused the most severe structural modifications, while microwave treatment produced the least modifications. The retarding effect on glucose and bile acid transport depended on the heat treatment. Only boiling showed the glucose retardation effect. Bile acid retardation effect increased in order of boiling (22.9%), autoclaving (17.1%), microwave treatment (14.3%), and raw wax gourd (8.6%). The cadmium retardation effect was significantly high in all samples.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.35 no.1 s.136
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• pp.16-21
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• 2004

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B(PTP1B) is thought to be a negative regulator in insulin signal-transduction pathway. Insulin-resistance by the activation of PTP1B is a hallmark of both type 2 diabetes and obesity. Thus, the compounds inhibiting PTP1B can improve insulin resistance and can be effective in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. The methanol extracts of 160 herbal medicines were screened for the inhibitory activity against PTP1B. Among the tested extracts, methanol extracts of Amsonia elliptica, Areca catechu, Benincasa hispida, Morus alba, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Siegesbeckia orientalis, and Trichosanthes kirilowii showed relatively strong inhibitory activity against PTP1B.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.165-176
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• 1999

The in vivo effects of Fructus Benincasae (FB-Baekdongkwa(B) and FB- on the expectoration (decrease in sputum viscoelasticity) by their sorts and using rats (Sp. D. male, $150{\sim}160g$). FB was divided by seed, flesh, and bark, extracted by 95% ethanol for 3 hr. The extracts were given to rats administration and the following results were obtained: 1. When FB Recens-C extract was administered at the concentration of 300 mg/kg b.w., mucus secretion effect in the trachea was desirably stimulated. 2. The secretion of phenol red was increased in the FB-treated tracheas in the order of Semen Benincasae(SB)-B $(153{\pm}8\;%)$, FB-B $(149{\pm}10\;%)$, and FBR-C $(117{\pm}26\;%)$. In general, the effect of FB-B extract on phenol red secretion was stronger than that of FB-C. 3. When tracheobronchial lavage fluid was analyzed, the mucus secretion was relatively high $(111{\pm}14\;%)$ in FB-B compared with other extracts. 4. Microscopic analysis after direct treatment of the FB extracts to the rat tracheal tissue showed that all the FB extracts possessed no effects for the activity of the ciliary movement. 5. Glycoprotein content secreted by the seed extract of FB-B was increased compared with the control group, which represents the highest secretion effect of mucus. From the above results. we could conclude that the seed of SB-B possesses better activity for mucus secretion from trachea than the extracts of any other parts. Therefore, it is expected that the seed of SB-B may be available for the purpose of expectorant activity in the prescription of traditional medicine.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2003

The adult of the Cotton caterpillar, Palpita indica (Saunder) laid eggs more on mature leaves than on aged and developing leaves. They laid more on leaves than on petiole and stem, and more on the adaxial than on the abaxial surface side of the leaves. Larvae of the Cotton caterpillar showed their preference in the order of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus), gourd (Lagernaria siceraria), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) ＞ oriental melon (Cucumis melon L. var makuwa), wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), melon (Cucumis melo), star cucumber (Sicyos angulatus) ＞ sponge cucumber (Lufa cylindrica), cotton (Gossypium indicum). There were no distinct differences among varieties and lines that were collected and hybridized at the Gochang Watermelon Experiment Station in Korea. There was a positive relationship between the leaf area and the degree of damage by the Cotton caterpillar. The feeding amounts of the Cotton caterpillar excrement were gradually increased to 16-18 days after hatching, after that the amounts of excrement were rapidly decreased.