Abstract
Natural products play an important role in the treatment of several diseases inflicted on mankind and in drug discovery procedures. Drugs synthesized from naturally available products are usually safe, cheap in cost, easily available and more effective than pure synthetic drugs in the treatment of several diseases. Bitter melon containing numerous bioactive compounds like saponins, alkaloids, polypeptides, minerals, vitamins, with the ability to fight against several disorders, i.e. diabetes mellitus, abdominal pain, tumor proliferation, cancer, kidney (stone), scabies and fever. The key constituent of BM called charantin, which is steroidal saponins, act like peptides and certain alkaloids that control sugar levels in blood. The medicinal properties of M.charantia are beneficial in regulating blood cholesterol to minimise cardiovascular disorders like atherosclerosis. There are several classes of secondary metabolites, such as tannins, flavonoids, and alkaloids in the fresh and dried leaves extracts of Bitter melon with antimicrobial activity. This phytochemical composition of both the leaves reported antimicrobial activity against different bacteria, like Salmonella, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus and Streptococcus.
Highlights
Momordica charantia is commonly known as Bitter melon, bitter guard and used as a food and natural medicine
The seed extracts of bitter melon possess antimicrobial activity and controls growth and infection of several viruses and gram- positive and gram- negative bacteria, including Shigella, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, H. pylori Escherichia coli, Streptococcus, Streptobacillus, and parasitic organisms Plasmodium falciparum & Entamoeba histolytica
Wound healing activity Fruit powder ointment of Momordica charantia is more effective in wound contracting, wound closure time, epithelisation period, tensile strength of the wound and tissue regeneration at wound site when compared to the control group, and comparable with a reference drug povidone iodine ointment in rat model [34]
Summary
Momordica charantia is commonly known as Bitter melon, bitter guard and used as a food and natural medicine. Momordica charantia contains a different biologically active phytochemicals, which includes proteins, triterpens, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, and acids. Momordica contains alkaloids and peptides which resemble like insulin and charantin, a collection of steroidal sapogenins due to which it has hypoglycaemic property. 3. Active Constituents Bitter melon is an edible vegetable and natural medicinal plant with 91.8% water, 1.4% fiber, 0.20% fat, 4.2% carbohydrates. BM contains minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorous and magnesium, in maximum amounts in fruit and leaves. Fruits and seeds are rich in variety of phytochemicals like steroidal saponins resins, vitamins, polypeptides, minerals, alkaloids, and aromatic volatile oil which are health promoting. Momordicine alkaloid, and p-insulin which is polypeptides in nature, are standard constituents [10]. Epicatechin, catechin, gentisic acid, chlorogenic acid and gallic acid are present in Momordica extract [11]
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