LC-HRMSMS comprehensive profiling of the polar lipids occurring in the seeds of Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca

Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca (Cucurbitaceae family) is a pumpkin imported in Europe in the post-Columbian era, still today farmed as a food in almost all warm and temperate areas of the world [ 1 ]. The peculiarity of this variety lies in its naked seeds which are used for the preparation of an edible conditioned oil, particularly appreciated for its sensory and optical characteristics, with a recognized use as anti-inflammatory agent [ 2 ]. Furthermore, recent studies conducted on seeds hydroalcoholic extracts highlighted their beneficial effects on human health, in particular in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia [ 3 ]. Considering that investigations on the chemical composition of the seeds of Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca were mainly focused on fatty acids composition [ 2 ], the present study has been addressed to a broader analysis of the lipid classes, in order to include polar lipids. The use of liquid chromatography techniques coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry allowed to identify in the ethanolic extract obtained from pumpkin seeds the occurrence of a high number of polar lipids, mainly phospholipids and sphingolipids (mostly ceramides of the Cer-EOS type, i.e. ceramides in which the fatty acid N -acylated to the amino-alcohol long chain base is in turn involved in the O -esterification via its ω-OH position with a second fatty acid), and neutral lipids. The obtained results, supported by literature evidences about the potential beneficial roles shown by these metabolite classes for human health, contribute to valorize pumpkin seeds and further encourage their use as a nutraceutical agent. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany