Solvent-Dependent Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibition and Antioxidant Activity of Cucurbitaceous Seed Extracts and Hydrocotyle asiatica
Affiliations: Post Graduate Department of Biotechnology, Microbiology & Bioinformatics, National College, Tiruchirapalli-620001, Tamil Nadu, India Department of Biochemistry, Minhaj University, Lahore, Pakistan
Corresponding author: Balaji Nagarajan
Abstract
Background: Oxidative stress and impaired cholinergic neurotransmission are central features of Alzheimer’s disease. Plant-derived inhibitors of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) may provide useful leads for neuroprotective research. Objective: To compare the influence of plant species and extraction-solvent polarity on the BChE inhibitory and DPPH radical-scavenging activities of cucurbitaceous seed extracts and Hydrocotyle asiatica. Methods: Seeds of Cucurbita maxima, Cucumis melo, Cucumis sativus, and Citrullus lanatus, together with whole-plant material of H. asiatica, were sequentially extracted with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol. BChE inhibition and DPPH scavenging were evaluated in triplicate at 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/mL, using galantamine and ascorbic acid as reference compounds. Results: The methanolic extract of C. lanatus was reported to inhibit BChE by 81.19% at 1.0 mg/mL (IC50 = 98 µg/mL). The ethyl acetate extract of C. maxima produced 81.77% inhibition, whereas the chloroform extract of H. asiatica reached 88.88% inhibition at 1.0 mg/mL. In the DPPH assay, the chloroform extract of C. sativus showed the strongest seed-derived activity (63.78% at 1.0 mg/mL; IC50 = 642 µg/mL), followed by the ethyl acetate extract of C. lanatus (IC50 = 708 µg/mL). Conclusion: Bioactivity depended strongly on both species and solvent. The most active fractions warrant bioassay-guided isolation, mechanistic enzyme-kinetic studies, and in vivo validation; the present findings should be interpreted as preliminary in vitro evidence rather than proof of therapeutic efficacy.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; butyrylcholinesterase; DPPH; cucurbitaceous seeds; solvent polarity; Hydrocotyle asiatica
Article Information
Declarations
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Data availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The raw data are securely maintained by the Post Graduate Department of Biotechnology, Microbiology & Bioinformatics, National College, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India, and will be made available in accordance with institutional policies.
Author contributions
Sankara Narayanan Senthilkumar: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing – Original Draft. Mohamed Isthiyak M: Investigation, Validation, Data curation, Writing – Review & Editing. Bilqees Fatima: Literature review, Visualization, Writing – Review & Editing. Balaji Nagarajan: Conceptualization, Supervision, Project administration, Resources, Writing – Review & Editing. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript, including the revised title, text, figures, declarations, and authorship order.
Full Text
The complete peer-reviewed version of record is available as the JBSS article PDF.
Read Full Article PDFHow to Cite and Export
Sankara Narayanan Senthilkumar, Mohamed Isthiyak M, Bilqees Fatima, Balaji Nagarajan*. Solvent-Dependent Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibition and Antioxidant Activity of Cucurbitaceous Seed Extracts and Hydrocotyle asiatica. Journal of Biological and Sustainability Sciences. 2025;1(1):24-33. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21530282