Pumpkin Seed Oil Extracted From Cucurbita maxima Improves Urinary Disorder in Human Overactive Bladder

Mie Nishimura; Tatsuya Ohkawara; Hiroji Sato; Hiroshi Takeda; Jun Nishihira

doi:10.4103/2225-4110.124355

Pumpkin Seed Oil Extracted From Cucurbita maxima Improves Urinary Disorder in Human Overactive Bladder

J Tradit Complement Med. 2014 Jan;4(1):72-4. doi: 10.4103/2225-4110.124355.

Authors

Mie Nishimura¹, Tatsuya Ohkawara², Hiroji Sato³, Hiroshi Takeda⁴, Jun Nishihira⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Management and Informatics, Hokkaido Information University, Ebetsu 069-441, Japan. ; Section of Research and Development, Hokkaido Food Industry Promotion Organization, Sapporo, Japan.
² Department of Medical Management and Informatics, Hokkaido Information University, Ebetsu 069-441, Japan. ; Pathophysiology and Therapeutics, Hokkaido University Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sapporo, Japan.
³ Section of Research and Development, Hokushin Foods, Co. Ltd, Ebetsu, Japan.
⁴ Pathophysiology and Therapeutics, Hokkaido University Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sapporo, Japan.
⁵ Department of Medical Management and Informatics, Hokkaido Information University, Ebetsu 069-441, Japan.

Abstract

The pumpkin seed oil obtained from Cucurbita pepo has been shown to be useful for the treatment of nocturia in patients with urinal disorders in several western countries. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the pumpkin seed oil from Cucurbita maxima on urinary dysfunction in human overactive bladder (OAB). Forty-five subjects were enrolled in this study. An extract of pumpkin seed oil from C. maxima (10 g of oil/day) was orally administrated for 12 weeks. After 6 and 12 weeks, urinary function was evaluated using Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS). Pumpkin seed oil from C. maxima significantly reduced the degree of OABSS in the subjects. The results from our study suggest that pumpkin seed oil extracts from C. maxima as well as from C. pepo are effective for urinary disorders such as OAB in humans.

Keywords: Cucurbita maxima; Overactive bladder; Pumpkin seed oil.