Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L) Fruit Decreased Blood Glucose Level and Improved Lipid Profile of Streptozotocin Induced Hyperglycemia Rats

Abstract

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia, L) is a fruit that traditionally believe has benefits on health. The objective of this study is to identify bitter melon bioactive and nutritional compounds, and their effect on blood glucose level and lipid profile of streptozotocin induced hyperglycemia rats. Rats were divided into three group, those were normal group; hyperglycemia group without bitter melon fruit feeding; and hyperglycemia group with bitter melon fruit administration. Hyperglycemia condition was achieved by STZ induction. The experiment was conducted for 4 weeks. The results showed that fresh bitter melon fruit contains β-sitosterol 348.16+1.66 ppm, stigmasterol 183.08+0.8 ppm, campesterol 130.79+0.4 ppm, diosgenin 16.42+0.06 ppm, soluble dietary fiber 2.99+0.07%, insoluble dietary fiber 0.55+0.01%, and pectin 1.41+0.05%. At week 4 of experiment, bitter melon fruit fed hyperglycemia group showed a decrease of 56% blood glucose level compared to blood glucose level at week 0. Body weight of this group also increased. The improvement of lipid profile of bitter melon fed group was indicated by decreasing blood total cholesterol of 49%, triglyceride of 35%, LDL cholesterol of 42%, and increasing HDL of 133% compared to initial level at week 0. Bitter melon also increased fecal cholesterol secretion and effectively inhibited cholesterol absorption in hyperglycemia rats. Bitter melon fruit is suggested for hyperglycemia management due to its ability to reduce glucose and improve lipid profile simultaneously.

The Effect of Momordica charantia in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus: A Review

“…In STZ-induced diabetic rats, MC juice reduces the Na + - and K + -dependent absorption of glucose in jejunal brush border membrane vesicles by affecting PI3K [ 30 ]; MC powder [ 59 ] and fresh fruit [ 60 ] when given orally affect glucose absorption due to dietary fiber. Furthermore, MC powder can lower the expression of GLUT2, thus reducing the reabsorption of glucose by the kidneys and increasing the excretion of urine sugar [ 61 ] ( Figure 2 ).…”

Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Composition of Momordica Charantia: A Review

“…M. charantia contains triterpenoids 11,39,47 , saponins 48 , polypeptides 49 , flavonoids 14,50,51 , alkaloids 40,52,53 and sterols 13,[54][55][56] , which are distributed throughout the entire plant. The seed is not edible, it contains extractable oils, mostly a conjugated triene cis-9, trans-11, trans-13 (c9, t11, t13) conjugated isomer of linolenic acid, known as α-elestearic acid (α-ESA).…”

“…50,58 Several bioactive compounds of the fruit of M. charantia have been registered in the literature; they are classified into carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and more. 46,56,59 Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids such as charantin have been related to antimicrobial activity. 60 Charantin is a 1:1 mixture of two steroidal saponins ( Figure 3), stigmasterol glycoside and β-sitosterol glycoside.…”

Systematic review and meta-analysis protocol for efficacy and safety of Momordica charantia L. on animal models of type 2 diabetes mellitus

“…Interest in the antidiabetic activity of M. charantia L. started in the 1940s, where Rivera and colleagues found the hypoglycemic activity of crude extract of M. charantia L. in rabbits [13]. Later, several in vivo studies showed significant glucose lowering potential of whole fruits, fruit pulp, and seeds [14][15][16][17][18]. Based on these significant results of in vivo preclinical studies, a handful of clinical trials were conducted [10]; however, the majority of these trials failed to establish benefits of M. charantia L. in a systematic review conducted in 2014 [19].…”