A Study on Pharmacological Activities of Luffa acutangula

Abstract: Luffa acutangula (cucurbitaceae), a perennial plant that grows mostly in India, Southeast Asia, china, Japan and other parts of the world. It is mostly used in the traditional Indian medicinal system to cure various health conditions and diseases. It is also called as torai in India which is commonly used as food. This plant has been used to cure jaundice, diabetes, dysentery, headache etc. Its consist of various types of chemical compounds like flavonoids, proteins, fatty acids, saponin etc. crude extract of this plant and its isolated compounds possess pharmacological activities like anti-diabetic, antiulcer, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. This review gives a brief idea about its anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial activity and its applications.

Keywords: Bioactive compounds, Anti-cancer activity, Anti-oxidant activity, Anti-microbial activity, Anti-diabetic activity, Luffa acutangula.