“IULIU HAŢIEGANU” UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY CLUJ-NAPOCA THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL CLUJ-NAPOCA, 2017 2 PhD student Ielciu Irina Comparative pharmacobotanical study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family 3 PhD THESIS Comparative pharmacobotanical study of some species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family PhD Student IRINA IELCIU Scientific supervisors : Prof. LAURIAN VLASE, PhD Prof. MICHEL FRÉDÉRICH, PhD 4 PhD student Ielciu Irina Comparative pharmacobotanical study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family 5 Dedication Dedicated to my parents, my sister and all those that, with a word, a fact or a thought, have managed to heal any possible wound... 6 PhD student Ielciu Irina Comparative pharmacobotanical study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family 7 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS Articles published in extenso as a result of the doctoral research 1. Rus M, Ielciu I, Păltinean R, Vlase L, Ştefănescu C, Crişan G. Morphological and histo-anatomical study of Bryonia alba L. (Cucurbitaceae). Not Bot Horti Agrobo 2015; 43(1): 47-52. ISI Impact factor – 0.451 (publication included in Chapter 1). 2. Ielciu I, Frédérich M, Tits M, Angenot L, Păltinean R, Cieckiewicz E, Crişan G, Vlase L. Bryonia alba L. and Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. – Two related species of the Cucurbitaceae family with important pharmaceutical potential. Farmacia 2016; 64(3): 323-332. ISI Impact factor – 1.162 (publication included in the State of the art). 3. Ielciu I, Vlase L, Frédérich M, Hanganu D, Păltinean R, Cieckiewicz E, Olah NK, Gheldiu AM, Crişan G. Polyphenolic profile and biological activities of the leaves and aerial parts of Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray (Cucurbitaceae). Farmacia 2017; 65(2): 179-183. ISI Impact factor – 1.162 (publication included in Study 2). 8 PhD student Ielciu Irina Comparative pharmacobotanical study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 15 1. BOTANICAL DATA REGARDING CUCURBITACEAE FAMILY ....................................... 19 1.1. Taxonomic classification ................................................................................................... 19 1.2. Botanical description of the Cucurbitaceae family .................................................. 20 1.3. Cucurbitaceae species from the European and Romanian flora ........................ 21 1.4. Morphological differentiation of the Cucurbitaceae species ............................... 23 1.5. Cucurbitaceae species from the Romanian flora ...................................................... 24 1.5.1. Bryonia alba L. ............................................................................................................................... 25 1.5.2. Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray ................................................................... 26 1.5.3 . Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. .......................................................................................... 27 1.6. Histo-anatomical characters of the Cucurbitaceae species ................................. 28 1.6.1. Bryonia alba L. ............................................................................................................................... 29 1.6.2. Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich............................................................................................. 30 2. PHYTOCHEMICAL DATA ON THE THREE SPECIES BELONGING TO CUCURBITACEAE FAMILY .......................................................................................................... 31 2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 31 2.2. Cucurbitacins ......................................................................................................................... 32 2.3. Flavonoids ............................................................................................................................... 34 2.4. Other compounds ................................................................................................................. 35 2.5. Toxicity of the three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family ....................... 36 3. PHARMACOLOGICAL DATA ON THE THREE SPECIES BELONGING TO CUCURBITACEAE FAMILY .......................................................................................................... 37 3.1. Bryonia alba L. ....................................................................................................................... 37 3.2. Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray.............................................................. 38 3.3. Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. ..................................................................................... 39 1. WORK HYPOTHESIS ............................................................................................................... 43 2. GENERAL METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 43 2.1. Plant material ........................................................................................................................ 43 2.2. General methodology ......................................................................................................... 43 3. STUDY 1. COMPARATIVE BOTANICAL RESEARCHES OF THREE SPECIES BELONGING TO CUCURBITACEAE FAMILY .......................................................................... 45 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 45 3.2. Work hypothesis .................................................................................................................. 45 3.3. Materials and methods ...................................................................................................... 46 3.4. Results ...................................................................................................................................... 47 3.4.1. Macroscopic study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family ............. 47 3.4.2. Comparative microscopic study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family ............................................................................................................................................................. 48 3.4.2.1. Comparative microscopic study of the powder of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family .................................................................................................................... 48 a) Bryonia alba L. ........................................................................................................................ 48 b) Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray ............................................................ 50 10 PhD student Ielciu Irina 3.4.2.2. Comparative histo-anatomical study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family .......................................................................................................................... 51 a) Bryonia alba L. ........................................................................................................................ 51 b) Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray ............................................................ 53 c) Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. ..................................................................................... 55 3.4.3. Comparative study of the trichomes on the surface of the leaves of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family ................................................................................... 57 a) Bryonia alba L. ........................................................................................................................ 58 b) Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray ............................................................ 59 c) Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. ..................................................................................... 60 3.5. Discussions ............................................................................................................................. 62 3.5.1. Microscopic study of the powder of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family .............................................................................................................................................................. 62 a) Bryonia alba L. ........................................................................................................................ 62 b) Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray ............................................................ 62 3.5.2. Microscopic histo-anatomical study of three species belonging to Cucurbitaceae family ............................................................................................................................... 62 a) Bryonia alba L. ........................................................................................................................ 63 b) Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. et A. Gray ............................................................ 65 c) Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. ..................................................................................... 68 3.5.3. Microscopic study of the trichomes of three species