o:36886 Biological activity of pumpkin pulp extracts: cytoprotection, anti-inflammatory effects, and photoprotection in human skin cells en Background: Pumpkin extracts are rich in vitamins and bioactive compounds, offering antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties, making them valuable in dermatology and cosmetics; however, pumpkin pulp extracts have not been evaluated before for their cutaneous biological activities. Methods and results: This study evaluated the biological activity of methanolic pumpkin pulp extracts from six Serbian accessions of Cucurbita (C.) maxima and C. moschata on normal keratinocytes (HaCaT) and melanoma (FemX) cells. The extracts showed no cytotoxicity to normal cells up to 1000 μg/mL and exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxicity to melanoma cells(determined by MTT assay). They also demonstrated antioxidative effects against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in H2DCFDA assay, and reduced tumor necrosis factor -α/interferon-gamma-γ-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukine-1β in HaCaT cells, as shown in the cell-based ELISA assay. Sun protection factor (SPF) calculations for all six accessions confirmed the photoprotective potential of the extracts, with noticeable differences in SPF values between species and varieties. The highest SPF value was observed in the C. moschata variety. Conclusion: Significant variations in biological activities among the examined accessions were noted, with C. maxima extracts showing pronounced antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties while C. moschata extract showed the highest SPF values. These findings represent the first report on the skin-beneficial effects of pumpkin pulp extracts, identifying them as sustainable sources of safe, bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotective properties for dermatological or cosmetic applications. Pumpkin pulp; keratinocytes; cytotoxicity; oxidative stress; pro-inflammatory cytokines 1552099 https://doi.org/10.1080/15569527.2025.2570195 2025-10-29T10:59:52.659Z 44 yes 46 Milorad Mijic Institute of Food Technology (FINS), University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia Sanja Vlaisavljevic Krstic Pharmacognosy, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria person Mirjana Nacka-Aleksić University of Belgrade, Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, Serbia doktor medicinskih nauka person 0000-0003-0750-9347 Aleksandra Jovanović University of Belgrade, Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, Serbia doktor tehnoloških nauka person 0000-0001-5394-0125 Dragana Dekanski University of Belgrade, Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, Serbia doktor medicinskih nauka person 0000-0001-8467-4165 Jelena Antic Stankovic Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia person Dragana Bozic Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia person Milica Jovanović Krivokuća Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, University of Belgrade, Serbia doktor bioloških nauka person 0000-0001-8292-4853 Žanka Bojić-Trbojević Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, University of Belgrade, Serbia doktor bioloških nauka person 0000-0001-5619-1027 Andrea Pirković Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy INEP, University of Belgrade, Serbia doktor bioloških nauka person 0000-0002-1182-4895 application/pdf 540949 https://phaidrabg.bg.ac.rs/o:36886 no yes 19 70 92000001 11A13 11A29 Biological activity of pumpkin pulp extracts: cytoprotection, anti-inflammatory effects, and photoprotection in human skin cells 1 14 Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology Taylor & Francis 2025