Gen info
- Based on molecular phylogenetic data, the genus Gymnopetalum was transferred to the genus Trichosanthes.
- Trichosanthes, the snake gourd genus, is the largest genus in the Cucurbitaceae family, with other 90 species.
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Trichosanthes cochinchinensis is a climbing plant in the family cucurbitaceae.
- Etymology: The genus name Trichosanthes derives from Greek words thrix , meaning "hair" and anthos, meaning "flower". The specific epithet costata derives from Latin, meaning "ribbed", referring to the ribbed appearance of the fruit.
 Botany
• Gymnopetalum chinense: Plants perennial. Stem and branches slender, hispid or villous, glabrescent. Petiole 2-4 cm; leaf blade ovate-cordate, 4-8 × 4-8 cm, membranous, 5-angular or 3-5-lobed; middle lobe larger, triangular, both surfaces scabrous, base cordate, apex acuminate. Plants monoecious. Male flowers solitary, or 3-8 in a raceme; peduncle slender, 10-15 cm; bracts leaflike, 1-2.5 cm, yellow-brown villous, 3-lobed; calyx tube tubular, elongate, ca. 2 cm; segments linear, ca. 7 mm; corolla white; segments oblong-ovate, 15-20 × 10-12 mm, ± villous; filaments ca. 0.5 mm; anthers ca. 7 mm. Female flowers solitary; pedicels 1-4 cm; ovary oblong, 10-12 × ca. 5 mm, yellow-brown villous, acute at both ends; style 5-8 mm; stigmas 3. Fruit orange, oblong-ovoid, 4-5 cm, smooth, 10-ribbed, acute at both ends. Seeds oblong, ca. 7 × 3-3.5 mm, both ends obtuse. (Flora of China)
 • Climbing or creeping herb, rooting at the nodes, to 6 m long, finely scabrous and sparsely hairy or subglabrous. Probract (minute, caducous or) absent. Tendrils unbranched. Leaves: blade ovate, or triangular in outline, or 3- or 5-angled or (deeply) lobed, 4–12 cm diam., membranous, ± sparsely scabrous-pubescent on both surfaces, upper surface not bullate, cystoliths usually faint, or fine, base deeply cordate, margin finely sparsely dentate, apex acute(-acuminate), main veins 5, subpalmate; petiole 2–5 cm long. Male inflorescences: flowers solitary or several in erect racemes 10–25 cm long, bracteate, sometimes co-axillary with a solitary flower; peduncle 4–12 cm long; bracts oblong, 15–20 mm long, (deeply) 2–5-lobed, base cuneate or rounded, sessile, without glands. Male flowers thinly gray pubescent; pedicel 3–7 cm long for solitary flowers, 5–15 mm long in the racemes, faintly articulate with receptacle; receptacle-tube narrow, but widened in upper ⅓ where containing the synandrium, 25–35 mm long, 3–4(–5) mm wide at throat, outside and inside ± pubescent, throat yellow inside; sepals linear, rarely ± lobed, 6–9 mm long, spreading to recurved, green; petals obovate, short-clawed, 20–30 by 12–15 mm, indistinctly veined, somewhat hairy, yellow at base; stamens inserted 12–15 mm below receptacle throat, filaments short, synandrium 9–10 by ca 3.5 mm, deeply included, connectives not enlarged; disc short, 3-lobed. Female flowers: perianth as in male flowers; pedicel 0.5–2(–4) cm long; ovary narrowly ellipsoid, 10–12 by 2.5–4 mm, pubescent, (faintly) 10-ribbed; style 18–20 mm long; stigmas 4–6 mm long, included; disc low, ± 3-lobed. Fruits broadly fusiform, 2.5–5 by 1.5–3 cm, beaked by receptacle remnant, orange-red, glabrescent, sharply 10-ribbed, pulp greenish (brown); fruiting pedicel 1–4 cm long. Seeds oblong, 7–8 by 2–3 by 1.5 mm, with marginal groove, faces not ornamented. (e-Flora of Thailand)
Note: The flowers of Gymnopetalum chinense open at night and wilt by the following morning.
Distribution
- Native to the
Philippines. (1) (2)
- In Balabac, Balut, Basilan, Cebu; in Luzon, Quezon; Masbate, Matinloc; in Mindanao: Agusan del norte,Davao del Sur. Zamboanga.
- In lowland clearings, open waste areas, etc. (2)
- Also native to Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Hainan, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicobar Is., Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam. (1)
 Constituents
- Phytochemical screening of aqueous, ethanol, and methanol extracts of fruits for secondary metabolites revealed presence of tannins, saponin, phenolic compounds, and reducing sugar ; flavonoids only in the aqueous and methanol extracts, terpenoids only in the methanol extract, with absence of steroids, alkaloids, and carbonyl compounds in all. (4)
- Nutrient analysis of T. costata leaves and stems yielded (g/100g): moisture 9.63 and 8.64; total ash 9.85 and 14.58; crude fat 3.76 and 1.00; crude fiber 10.91 and 37.47; and protein 14.4 and 10.4 respectively. (5)
- Mineral analysis of leaves and stems (µg/100g) revealed: K 220.37 and 9.19; Na 3.54 and 46.17; Ca 10.08 and 336.5; Mg 357 and 351.74, respectively. Microelement analysis yielded: Mn 0.37 and 097.52; Cr 0.73 and 1.99; Fe 0.92 and 4.36; Al 2.96 and 297, Cu 0.27 and 0.59 respectively.(5)
- Quantitative analysis of leaves and stems showed total phenolic content (mg GAE/100g) 56.25 and 28.72; and total flavonoid content (mg QE/100g) 43.5 and 29, respectively. (5)
Properties
- Studies have suggest antioxidant, antimicrobial, glyco- and lipo-regulatory, antidiabetic, cytotoxicity properties.
Parts used
Leaves, roots, fruits.
Uses
Edibility
- Caution: Conflicting reports on edibility of leaves and fruit. While the fruit is reported to be poisonous, deseeded unripe fruits are used as condiment. Leaves eaten as vegetable in Vietnam, but used as fish poison in Laos. (4) (6)
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- Used for treatment of ophthalmia, rheumatism, snakebite, etc.
- Leaf juice used as eye drops for ophthalmia. Decoction of leaves used as antidote for poisoning from eating the fruit. (6)
- Traditionally used for treatment of diabetes by traditional practitioners of Meghalaya, India. (10)
- In Nepal, tuberous root, pounded and mixed with hot water, is rubbed on atrophic limbs and aching body parts. (9)
- In Bangladesh, fruits used to prevent ulcers.
- Leaves used for rheumatism and tetanus. Juice obtained after boiling young fruits taken once daily for treatment of diabetes and malaria. Root paste rubbed on aching body parts.
- Ethnic Tetun people in West Timor, Indonesia, use roots for treatment of malaria. (12)
- In Assam, India, leaves and fruits used as anthelmintic. (13)
Others
- Fish poison: Leaves used as fish poison. (4)
Studies
• Antioxidant / Leaves and Stems: Antioxidant analysis revealed varying levels across different plant parts. In FRAP assay leaves and stems showed 169.85 and141.26 mM Fe (II) E/Mg; !C50s of 94.14 and 134.71 µg/mL for ABTS and 103.05 and 169.08 µg/mL respectively. (see constituents above) (5)
• Antimicrobial / Leaves: Study evaluated the in-vitro antimicrobial activity of Gymnopetalum chinense against five selected human pathogenic bacteria (Streptococcus mutans, S. pyogenes, Vibrio cholera, Shigella flexneri, and Salmonella typhi) by agar well diffusion, disc diffusion and broth dilution methods. Leaf extract showed presence of phenolic compounds, tannin, saponin, flavonoids, and glycosides. The methanol extract showed highest zone of inhibition (16.66 mm) against S. pyogenes in DD assay. Estimation of MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) showed lowest inhibitory action (200 µg/ml) against Streptococcus mutans (MTCC497) and S. pyogenes (MTCC1926) by ME of leaves. (7)
• Glyco- and Lipo-Regulatory Effects: Study evaluated the effect of Gymnopetalum cochinchinense for effect on total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Aqueous extract significantly improved altered lipid profiles, lowering total cholesterol and triglycerides and caused an increase in HFL-cholesterol. Serum insulin level was increased, along with glucokinase and hexokinase activities. Effects on serum insulin, glycolytic enzyme activity and lipid profile were comparable to standard hypoglycemic agents, metformin, glibencladmide and insulin. Activity-guided fractionation suggest the alkaloid fraction to be responsible for the effects. (8)
• Antidiabetic / Fruits: Study evaluated aqueous extracts of fruits for hypoglycemic and anti-hyperglycemic effects in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Results showed dose- and time-dependent hypoglycemic activity. In alloxan induced mice, blood glucose was markedly reduced to 56% from control at 4 h, and 59% in normal mice. Toxicity studies on mice up to 450 mg/kbw showed no adverse effects during a 4-week observation. Results were comparable to glibenclamide, an insulin secretagogue. Another mechanism postulated was a direct insulin-like effect. (10)
• Effect of Extraction Temperature on Polysaccharide Content and Antioxidant Activity: Study evaluated the effect of extraction temperature on the invitro antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from Gymnopetalum cochinchinense. Results showed highest antioxidant activity with extraction temperature of 80°C. The total antioxidant capacity of PS-W-T80 was 0.2726 mg GAE/g. IC50s in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging models were 0.83 and 3.30 mg/mL. Results suggest PS-W-T80 polysaccharide from G. cochichinense is a potential antioxidant agent. (11)
• Cytotoxicity by BSLA / Seeds: Study evaluated the phytochemical composition and cytotoxic activity of Trichosanthes costata seeds. Phytochemical analysis of hydroethanolic extract of seeds revealed tannins, saponins, phenolic compounds, and reducing sugars with absence of flavonoids and terpenoids. The extract exhibited potent cytotoxic activity with 100% mortality of nauplii at all concentrations tested. Cytotoxic effect was comparable to positive control, vincristine sulphate, indicating a potential source of bioactive compounds with therapeutic applications. (14)
• Phytochemical and Toxicity Study of Flowers: Phytochemical screening of flowers for secondary metabolites revealed tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, and reducing sugars. Cytotoxicity study of the hydroethanolic extract of flowers using brine shrimp lethality assay showed significant cytotoxic activity, with 100% death rate at concentrations ranging from 12.5 to 200 mg/mL after 24 h. Results suggest potential anticancer properties. (15)
Availability
- Wild-crafted.
- Seeds in the cybermarket.
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