Macro-micromorphological, anatomical, and phytochemical characterization of Cucumis melo var. agrestis Naudin: a potential source of natural antioxidants

A comprehensive study of macro-micro-morphological and anatomical seed and pollen characteristics of Cucumis melo var. agrestis (Cucurbitaceae) using plant materials gathered during field visits, the results showed that the plant is annual, pubescent, prostrate with a single hairy unbranched tendril, andro-monoecious; yellow perfect flowers and large male flowers on separate branches. Fruit yellowish green to yellow, fleshy, globular to ellipsoid, berry-like, indehiscent, pubescent when young, turns glabrous at maturity, many-seeded. Pollen grains are monads, sub-triangular, polar-shaped with tri-zonoporate aperture, reticulate texture, and foveolate ornamentation. Seed pale cream, obovoid with apical hilum, reticulate sculpture with hexagonal cells. The stem is circular with ridges; vascular bundles are arranged in two alternate rings. The petiole has an oval outline with a groove along its the narrow side. The leaf has a U-shaped midrib region, and the mesophyll is differentiated into palisade and spongy. The leaf and fruit phenolic profiles, antioxidant actavity, and free radical scavenging activity were studied. A qualitative phytochemical screening procedure was performed on the 70% ethanolic extract. The Phytochemical study revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, steroids, fatty acids, coumarins, terpenoids, and glycosides. Total phenolic and flavonoid content in the leaves and fruit was determined. The data showed that the ethanolic extract of leaves records the highest concentration of 55.71 mg GAE/g and 9.013 mg QE/g. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using different assays, including KMnO₄, methylene blue, DCPIP, and DPPH. In vitro methods using leaf and fruit extracts, the leaf extract showed significant action towards free radicals in all methods. The ethanolic extract was analyzed by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to identify its phenolic constituents. HPLC analysis of the ethanolic extract of Cucumis melo var. agrestis revealed 12 phenolic compounds in both leaf and fruit extracts . These findings highlight the potential of Cucumis melo var. agrestis as a promising natural source of antioxidant compounds and provide a basis for further pharmacological investigations.