Antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of wild bitter melon (Momordica charantia Linn. var. abbreviata Ser.) in Taiwan |
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Authors: | Shu-Jing Wu |
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Affiliation: | a Department of Health and Nutrition, Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan b Department of Biotechnology, Tajen University, No. 20 Weishin Road, Yanpu Shiang, Pingtung, Taiwan |
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Abstract: | Momordica charantia Linn. var. abbreviata Ser. (Cucurbitaceae), also known as “Shan Ku Gua”, is a wild variety of bitter melon (BM) in Taiwan. The size of its fruits is only about one-fifth of the commonly seen BM. It is commonly consumed as vegetable and also used as a popular folk medicine. In this study, the antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of BM aqueous (BM-H2O) and ethanol (BM-EtOH) extracts were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), metal chelation, cytochrome c and xanthine oxidase inhibition (XOI) assays, as well as FeCl2-ascorbic acid induced lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS) assay in rat liver homogenates in vitro. Total flavonoid and phenol contents of BM extracts were also analyzed. Results showed that both BM-H2O (IC50=129.94 μg/ml) and BM-EtOH (IC50=156.78 μg/ml) possess potent DPPH radical scavenging activity, which was better than vitamin E (IC50=172.21 μg/ml). These extracts also showed better iron chelating activity than vitamin E. However, they were weaker than vitamin E in free radical scavenging, xanthine oxidase inhibitory and anti-lipid peroxidation activities. With the exception of XOI activity IC50=7.90 μg/ml (BM-H2O) vs. 7.69 μg/ml (BM-EtOH)], BM-H2O showed a lower IC50 value in free radical scavenging IC50=6.15 μg/ml (BM-H2O) vs. 7.08 μg/ml (BM-EtOH)] and anti-lipid peroxidation IC50=53.72 μg/ml (BM-H2O) vs. 88.51 μg/ml (BM-EtOH) for liver; 82.53 μg/ml (BM-H2O) vs. 91.83 μg/ml (BM-EtOH) for brain] activities than BM-EtOH. Both BM extracts showed a weak anti-lipid peroxidation activity in plasma. BM-H2O (62.0 mg/g) possessed a significant higher concentration of total flavonoids than BM-EtOH (44.0 mg/g), but was lower in the total phenol content (BM-H2O: 51.6 mg/g vs. BM-EtOH: 68.8 mg/g). In conclusion, BM extracts possess potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. These antioxidant activities could have contributed, at least partly, to the therapeutic benefits of the certain traditional claims of wild BM. |
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Keywords: | Momordica charantia Wild bitter melon Antioxidant Free radical scavenging |
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