A Review: The Emerging Nutraceutical Potential of Pumpkin Seeds

Abstract

The pumpkin, belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae, is a well-known edible plant that has been frequently used as functional food or herbal medicine. Pumpkins contain rich unsaturated fatty acids, phytoestrogens and vitamins E in their seeds that have potential pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical properties. Information regarding their nutritional components and therapeutic properties of pumpkin seeds has expanded dynamically in the recent years and this review focus on the three main components of pumpkin seeds that described before. Several types of unsaturated fatty acids are the dominant composition in pumpkin seeds which can play a role in the disease prevention and promote health. Pumpkin seeds also contain the important phytoestrogen compounds, i.e., secoisolariciresinol and lariciresinol that have estrogenic-like effect such as preventing hyperlipidemia and osteoporosis for menopausal women. Phytoestrogens in pumpkin seeds also could be related to a reduced hormone-dependent tumor. Pumpkin seeds are rich in vitamin E contents as an emerging free radical scavenger, antiaging and antioxidant such as a-tocopherol and g-tocopherol. Findings of these studies prove that patents field for the innovation product of pumpkin seeds holds promise for the future along with their immense nutraceutical properties.