¹H NMR-based metabolic study reveals the improvements of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) on energy metabolism in diet-induced obese mouse

Abstract

Context: Obesity can be ameliorated by some natural products such as polyphenol, flavones and saponin. As a typical medicinal plant, Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) (bitter melon, BM) contains these natural chemicals and reduces diet-induced obesity in mice.Objective: This study evaluates the metabolic effects of dietary BM supplement, investigates a global metabolic profile and determines associated perturbations in metabolic pathways. Materials and methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were fed with low-fat diet (LFD), high-fat diet (HFD) and HFD supplemented with 5% BM based on 37.6 g/kg body weight in average for 12 weeks, respectively. Then energy metabolism was quantified using PhenoMaster/LabMaster. The spectroscopy of urine was acquired by nuclear magnetic resonance and latent biomarkers were identified. Pattern recognition analysis was used to discriminate associated metabolic profiles. Results: Dietary BM supplement reduced body weight gain (À0.15-fold, p < 0.01) and blood glucose levels (À0.19-fold, p < 0.01) in HFD-fed mice. Meanwhile, the levels of energy metabolism were enhanced (0.08-0.11-fold, p < 0.01). According to pattern recognition analysis, dietary BM supplement changed metabolic profiles in HFD-fed mice and the modified profiles were similar to those in LFD-fed mice. Finally, the mapping of metabolic pathways showed that dietary BM supplement primarily affected glucose metabolism-associated pathways. Discussion and conclusion: The results indicated that BM improves weight loss in diet-induced obesity and elevate energy expenditure in HFD-fed mice. The pattern recognition with metabolic study may be used as a noninvasive detection method to assess the effects of dietary BM supplement on mouse energy metabolism. ARTICLE HISTORY

Impact of Extraction on Biochemical Properties and Antioxidant Potential of &lt;i&gt;Momordica charantia&lt;/i&gt; L. Seeds’ Oil

“…It has good sources of catechin, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid [7] and saponin compounds [8], but also essential amino acids, vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoids, folic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium [2]. Indeed, body weight gain and blood sugar levels could be reduced as well as levels of energy metabolism could be increased in mice fed the powder-rich diet of Momordica charantia [9]. Furthermore, the oil from the seeds of M. charantia may regenerate tissue without side effects in healing rabbit skin [10].…”

Phytochemical profile and biological activities of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae): A review

“…They found that this plant was antiobesogenic, and had the ability to modulate lipid proliferation, decrease body weight gain, visceral tissue weight, plasma and lipid concentrations, and lipid peroxidation in metabolism. The weight loss may be related to the increased energy of the rats, demonstrating that a diet rich in M. charantia extracts may aid in the treatment of obesity (Bian et al, 2016).…”