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We established in vivo models of isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction (MI) to determine the cardioprotective effect of Spirulina platensis (Spi), Momordica charantia fruit (MC) and their combination. MI was induced in six groups of Male Wistar albino with isoproterenol, and cardioprotection was evaluated by measuring SGOT, SGPT, LDH, CK, CK-MB with commercially available test kits and analyzing histopathology. Online PASS was used to predict the mechanism of action of a marker compound in Spi and MC. Rat serum levels of LDH, SGOT, CK-MB, and CK were significantly reduced by the Spi and MC combination extract (P < 0.05). The combination extract at a dose of 50:50 mg/kg body weight preserve the integrity of the myocardial cell membrane. Identified compounds by LC-MS/MS in the ethanol extract of Momordica charantia are (3β,16α-Dihydroxy-lanosta-8,24-dien-21-oic acid), Eclalbasaponin II, Epianhydrobelachinal, Epianhydrobelachinal, Paeonenolide F, Ziyu glycoside II. Identified compounds by LC-MS/MS in Spirulina platensis extract are d-Lirioferine, Lycopodine, Yuanhunine, Candidate Mass C18H26N2O5 and Candidate Mass C36H38N4O5. In PASS analysis, Phycocyanobilin's cardioprotective mechanism of action is predicted to be kinase inhibitor, cytoprotectant, and platelet aggregation inhibitor, with Probable activities (Pa) of 0.06, 0.53, and 0.443, respectively. The Pa values for cholesterol antagonist, proliferative disease treatment, nitric oxide scavenger, and anti-inflammatory agents in Momordicoside A are respectively 0.841, 0.666, 0.59, and 0.55. These findings suggest that the cardioprotective activity of the combination of Spi and MC extracts at a dose of 50 mg/kg was synergistic.

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) belongs to family Cucurbitaceae, and is a popular vegetable crop in the tropical and sub-tropical countries. It is an annually grown herbaceous vine that requires warm climate for growth. The leaves, stem and roots of bitter gourd contains a lot of bio-active components having nutritional and medicinal importance. Alternaria leaf blight (Alternaria cucumerina Ellis & Everh.) is a fungus which causes leaf blight on bitter gourd and leads to significant crop damage. The present study investigated the efficacy of five different fungicides against Alternaria leaf blight (ALB) of bitter gourd under in vivo and in vitro conditions. The single hyphal tip method was used to isolate and purify the fungal pathogen from the ALB infected leaves of bitter gourd. Five commercially available fungicides (1. Melody duo 66.8% WP, 2. Polyram DF 70%, 3. Score 250 EC, 4. Tilt 250 EC, 5. Flumax 60% EC) were evaluated at concentrations of 50 ppm and 100 ppm for effective ALB diseased control. Among tested fungicides, maximum inhibition (90 %) of fungal growth was given by Melody duo @ 100 ppm concentration followed by Polyram (81 %), Score (77 %) and Tilt (70 %), whereas Flumax resulted in minimum (45 %) fungal inhibition under in vivo. Melody duo revealed minimum disease incidence (15.67 %) compared to disease incidence recorded in polyram (17.83 %), Score (20.50 %) and Tilt (22.33 %) treated crop. Flumax was not tested in vitro because it gave minimum disease control in in vitro experiments. The control plants showed high disease incidence (56%).

Ancylostoma caninum is one of the most important hookworms in dogs. A study revealed that the prevalence of ancylostomiasis in Indonesia is relatively high. However, cases of persistent ancylostomiasis in dogs were reported, indicating the possibility of anthelmintic resistance. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the anthelmintic potential of plants preclinically against A. caninum based on related research articles. This review retrieved 14 articles from 2001 to 2021 investigating 19 different plants. Momordica charantia, Diospyros anisandra, and Citrus aurantiifolia hold a promising prospect as anthelmintic against A. caninum. This review found aspects of those medicinal plants that need to be investigated deeper to improve our understanding of the matter. In vitro results in this review have not yet been tested in in vivo trials, which are essential in determining the efficacy and safety of the use of these medicinal plants and also to justify its clinical application.

Bitter melon is a fruit that was famous for its bitter taste and contains chemical compounds that are proven to have effects such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antioxidant. One of the prerequisites of a plant to be developed into a drug that is by testing the subchronic toxicity. This study goal to determine the presence of toxic effects that are not detected in the acute toxicity test. A total of 40 wistar rats were divided into group control and 3 treatment groups. Each group consisted of 5 male rats and female rats. Group 1 (control) is only given food (pellets) and drinking water. Group 2, 3 and 4 groups were given ethanol extract of bitter melon pulp (Momordica charantia L.) with multilevels doses 250 mg/kgbw, 500 mg/kgbw, and 1000 mg/kgbw. The observations made for 28 days included the number of death animals, relative organ weight (ROW), ureum, creatinine levels and histopatological changes in kidney. There were no deaths in the entire group, decreasing ureum (p=0,022), creatinine levels (p=0,033) in male group. While in female group ureum decrease not significantly (0.878) and creatinine (0.845). There were no significant changes in ROW (p=0,370 and p=0,394), but there were changes in microscopic structure. In conclusion ethanol extract of bitter melon fruit (Momordica charantia L.) at a of 250 mg/kgbw, 500 mg/kgbw, and 1000 mg/kgbw does not showed any toxic effects on kidney function and relative organ weight. But microscopically, the administration of ethanol extract of bitter melon fruit caused a toxic effect on the kidney tubules in both male and female groups. Keywords: Momordica charantia L., sub chronic toxicity, ureum, creatinine, histopathological change

The activation of the NF-kB pathway leading to the production of proinflammatory cytokines is a critical feature in innate antiviral immunity. However, in SARS-CoV-2 infection, a high number of cases with a prolonged late-stage stimulation of cytokine production that leads to a cytokine storm phenotype, an undesirable, dangerous immune-related state that can cause multiple organ failures, have been reported. To treat this, immunosuppressants with selective action on the innate NF-kB pathway are urgently required. Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) has been reported to yield antiinflammatory activity, thus might be a potential candidate for such effort. In this study, we carried out experimental procedures on the PGRP-LB mutant line of Drosophila melanogaster to examine the immunosuppressive effect of Momordica charantia L. fruit extract (MCFE) on the NF-kB pathway. Initial phytochemical screening revealed that Momordica charantia L. fruit extract contains alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins. Furthermore, the phenotypical analysis demonstrated that MCFE could improve the survival and locomotor of the PGRP-LB mutant line of Drosophila melanogaster in a concentration-dependent manner. Additional gene expression analysis revealed that the expression of dpt and dro, two important downstream genes in the Imd (NF-kB) pathway of D. melanogaster, was significantly reduced, in a different expression profile, in response to MCFE treatment. However, it is important to note that while the expression of dpt was dramatically repressed in all extract-treated groups, the expression of dro occurred in a concentration-dependent manner. These results strongly support the notion that Momordica charantia L. can reduce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines downstream of the NF-kB pathway, hence potential to be used as a source candidate to harvest prospective immunosuppressive compounds to alleviate the cytokine storm condition. © 2021 by the authors.

The experiment was conducted at the Horticulture farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207 during the period of November 2019 – May 2020 to find out Influence of bio-fertilizer application method with organic and in-organic fertilizer on growth and yield of bitter-gourd in winter season .The experiment was consisted of two factors : as- Factor A: Fertilizer (4 levels) T0: control, no fertilizer ,T1: Organic (kitchen compost @1000 kg/ha),T2: in-organic (N46 P40 K 45 ) Kg/ha and T3: Organic (kitchen compost @1000 kg/ha) + in-organic (N23 P20 K23) kg/ha Factors B: Bio-fertilizer application method (3 levels) F1: Seed treatment with bio-fertilizer @ 100ml/250g seed,F2: Seedling treatment with bio-fertilizer @400 ml/500 seedling. And F3: Soil treatment with bio-fertilizer @.046 g/m2. The two factorial experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Maximum plant height (299.69 cm),fruit number per plant (19.96), fruit length(27.11 cm), yield/plant (1.05 kg), yield per plot(6.30kg) and total yield (19.44 t/ha) were found from T3F3 treatment. whereas minimum plant height (90.67 cm), fruit number per plant (1.27), fruit length (4.49 cm), yield/plant (.046 kg), yield per plot(.28 kg) and total yield (.86 t/ha) were found from T0F2(control) treatment .All growth related parameter was collected up to 75 DAS due to COVID-19.This study suggests that T3F3 (Organic (kitchen compost @1000 kg/ha) + in-organic (N23 P20 K23) kg/ha)+ bio-fertilizer (soil treatment) treatment acts as a potential source of plant nutrients for suitable bitter gourd production. The combination of organic, In-organic and soil application of bio-fertilizer (T3F3) gave the highest gross return (Tk. 1458000). The lowest gross return (Tk.85600) was obtained in the control condition where no bio-fertilizer as well as no fertilizer was applied. The combination of organic, inorganic and soil application of bio-fertilizer (T3F3) gave highest benefit cost ratio (3.16) and the lowest benefit cost ratio (0.60) was obtained in combination of control condition (T0F2). So, the economic analysis revealed that the treatment T3F3 combination appeared to be the best for achieving the higher growth, yield and economic benefit of bitter gourd.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are antihypertensive medications often used in the treatment of diabetes-related complications. Synthetic ACE inhibitors are known to cause serious side effects like hypotension, renal insufficiency, and hyperkalaemia. Therefore, there has been an intensifying search for natural ACE inhibitors. Many plants or plant-based extracts are known to possess ACE-inhibitory activity. In this review, articles focusing on the natural ACE inhibitors extracted from plants were retrieved from databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. We have found more than 50 plant species with ACE-inhibitory activity. Among them, Angelica keiskei, Momordica charantia, Muntingia calabura, Prunus domestica, and Peperomia pellucida were the most potent, showing comparatively lower half-maximal inhibitory concentration values. Among the bioactive metabolites, peptides (e.g., Tyr-Glu-Pro, Met-Arg-Trp, and Gln-Phe-Tyr-Ala-Val), phenolics (e.g., cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside), flavonoids ([-]-epicatechin, astilbin, and eupatorin), terpenoids (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid) and alkaloids (berberine and harmaline) isolated from several plant and fungus species were found to possess significant ACE-inhibitory activity. These were also known to possess promising antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic and anti-inflammatory activities. Considering the minimal side effects and lower toxicity of herbal compounds, development of antihypertensive drugs from these plant extracts or phytocompounds for the treatment of diabetes-associated complications is an important endeavour. This review, therefore, focuses on the ACE inhibitors extracted from different plant sources, their possible mechanisms of action, present status, and any safety concerns.

Background and Aim: Momordica charantia is mainly characterized by its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The current study aimed to evaluate the healing activity of gel and cream formulations based on M. charantia on induced wounds in mice. Materials and Methods: Acetonic extract of M. charantia was prepared and incorporated into gel and cream formulations. Mus musculus Balb/c (n=30) with induced injury were distributed into five groups: Group I (control – day 7), Group II (control – day 14), Group III (1% gel – day 7), and Group IV (1% gel – day 14) to which 1% M. charantia gel was dermally applied daily for 7 and 14 days, respectively, Group V (1% cream – day 7) and Group VI (1% cream – day 14) to which of M. charantia 1% cream were dermally applied daily for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Time of wound closure was determined during the experimentation; rats were euthanized with sodium pentobarbital 60 mg/kg/pc v.ip. for obtaining skin samples for histopathological analysis. Results: Groups IV and VI showed a higher percentage of wound closure on day 14, and in histopathological analysis, effect was greater in Group VI with the presence of fibroblasts and abundant collagen and elastic fibers. Conclusion: M. charantia gel and cream showed wound healing activity on induced wounded mice; the most effective treatment was M. charantia 1% cream formulation.

Traditionally, there are some medicinal plants believed to treat diabetes, as they have been proven in research studies to possess antidiabetic properties, such as improved insulin sensitivity and hypoglycemic activities, due to their high level of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, and glycosides. We conducted a systematic review to identify potential medicinal plants used during human clinical trials in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries on prediabetic or type 2 diabetic individuals and to potentially identify any bioactive compounds involved in effectively treating symptoms of diabetes such as lowering of blood glucose. A total of 1209 reference titles were retrieved from four selected databases (Science Direct, Scopus, Springer Link, and PubMed) and only three met the inclusion criteria. Upon evaluation of the selected articles, four medicinal plants were identified: turmeric (Curcuma longa), garlic (Allium sativum L.), bitter melon (Momordica charantia), and Rosella flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.). Of these, only the bitter melon study did not show any significant change in the blood glucose of participants after intervention. This review demonstrates the limitations in published articles of human clinical trials for medicinal plants’ intervention for diabetes. Upon further investigations on the four identified medicinal plants included in the animal studies, the findings showed positive effects in the management of diabetes, such as hyperglycemia. Hence, further testing and standardization of the methods in the studies can be suggested for human clinical trials for reliable data collections such as methods of extract preparation, duration of intervention, and conditions set for the study design.

The experiment of the present research work was conducted during summer season of 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Horticulture Research Farm-I, Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Vidya-Vihar, Rae Bareli Road, Lucknow (U.P.), India. The analysis of variance clearly reveals significant differences among the genotypes for all characters. The observations recorded on various characters showed that the estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were higher than genotypic coefficient variation (GCV) for all characters. The high phenotypic as well as genotypic coefficient of variation were observed in marketable fruit yield per plant (39.36%) followed by average fruit weight (29.73%) and number of branches per plant (27.18%). High estimates of heritability were recorded for different characters viz., average fruit weight (98.6%) followed by total soluble solids (97.8%), total sugars (97.7%) and days to anthesis of first pistillate flowers (97.2%). The parameters which observed were found to be very high estimate value of genetic advance in per cent of mean of (60.14%) average fruit weight (60.14%) followed by titratable acidity (53.73%), number of branches per plant (53.47%), total soluble solids (52.81%) and marketable fruit yield per plant (47.87%).

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) has traditionally been used in the management of diabetes in many countries and territories. However, standardized information on the use of this vegetable as an ...

Momordica charantia L. and Cucumis sativus L. are excellent fruit vegetables in nature having iron content, as an essential constituent required for good health of humans. The iron content of the vegetables may vary from place to place depending on the soil, rainfall and other climatic conditions prevailing in that place. It was thought necessary to find out whether the environmental conditions in the nine agro-climatic zones of Maharashtra have any impact on the iron content of these fruit vegetables. The fruit vegetables were collected from various places from nine agro-climatic zones of Maharashtra classified based on rainfall, soil type and the vegetation. It was found that fruits of Momordica charantia L. showed comparatively more nutraceutical content than the fruits of Cucumis sativus L. collected in same season. It was also observed that in the nine agro-climatic zones of Maharashtra studied, the fruits of Momordica charantia L collected from Karjat of North Konkan Coastal Zone showed maximum Iron content, while fruits collected from Igatpuri of Western Ghat Zone and Nashik of Western Maharashtra Plain (Transaction 2) zone showed minimum iron content. In case of Cucumis sativus L., fruits collected from Wardha of Central Vidarbha (Moderate rainfall) zone region showed maximum iron content, while fruits collected from Surgana of Sub-montane (Transition 1) Zone showed minimum iron content. Keywords: Nutraceuticals, Momordica charantia L., Cucumis sativus L. Environmental factors, Iron content, Agroclimatic zones of Maharashtra.

Diabetes mellitus type-2 is a transformation of insulin function in peripheral tissues or disorders of pancreatic β cells. The combination of glycation and glucose oxidation in type 2 DM patients results in the formation of AGEs which can result in oxidative stress. One of the efforts to reduce oxidative stress is the use of natural ingredients as a source of antioxidants. For example, bitter melon (Momordica Charantia) and snakehead fish (Channa Striata) extracts. The combination of bitter melon and snakehead fish extracts against AGEs levels is still limited and has only been tested on Wistar rats and mice. This study aims to determine how much effect the combination of bitter melon and snakehead fish extracts has on AGEs levels in type-2 DM patients. This study was clinical experimental randomized double blind control trial. The experiment conducted at Purwosari Public Health Center, Surakarta and the examination of AGEs levels was in the Clinical Pathology Laboratory of Dr Moewardi Surakarta from July to August 2020. Comparative analysis if the results were normally distributed, in pairs, numerical data and consists of 2 groups then use the paired sample t-test. The results were significant if p

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in tropics and subtropics region with Nigeria accounting for the highest proportions in Africa. This is accompanied with emerging resistance to available drugs, posing it a public health concern. This study is aimed at determining the invivo activity of the individual ethanolic leaf extracts of the Azadirachta indica, Senna occidentalis and Momordica balsamina. The leaves of A. indica, S. occidentalis and M. balsamina were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. Ethanolic extraction of leaves of plants was carried out and invivo evaluation of the individual activity of extracts determined using standard procedures. 55 mice were randomly divided into 11 groups lettered A – K; positive group, negative group and 9 extract groups. Results showed that M. balsamina had the highest yield of 7.6%, followed by A. indica with 6.5% and S. occidentalis with 5.7%. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presences of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, phenolics and tannin in all plants. The comparison of the individual study groups showed that Senna occidentalis is more effective at 600mg/kg dosage and prolonged survival of the mice in its group in the study period. This plant possessed significant (P-value

VSA-2 is a recently developed semisynthetic saponin immunostimulant. It is prepared by incorporating a terminal-functionalized side chain to the branched trisaccharide domain at the C3 position of

Our lab investigates the anti-HIV-1 activity in

Bitter gourd, Momordica charantia L., is a vegetable with one of the highest nutrition values in the world. Despite this, limited research has been conducted on bitter gourd cultivars; thus, the efficient use of genetic resources for bitter gourd improvement remains a challenge. Here, we performed restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing for 133 bitter gourd cultivars, including three types of bitter gourd (Smooth, Pearl, and Dading bitter gourd). We found that the genetic diversity of bitter gourd cultivars was very narrow with nucleotide diversity (π) values of 6.79 × 10− 4 (Pearl), 6.06 × 10− 4 (Smooth), and 3.99 × 10− 4 (Dading). It is possible that the commercial cultivars have almost exhausted the genetic diversity of bitter gourd resources in China. We found that Smooth and Pearl cultivars had more mixed genetic backgrounds, whereas Dading cultivars were more distinct. In addition, we had a try to use this cultivar population to conduct GWAS on seed coat color and identified one significant determined region that spanned ~ 300 kb on chromosome 3. The results of this study will help to broaden our capacity to monitor the genetic diversity of bitter gourd cultivars.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify phytochemicals from Momordica tuberosa (M. tuberosa) leaves and it’s in silico larvicidal potential compounds against Anopheles. Further, to analyze their inhibitory mechanisms against the Anopheles angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). In view of the above fact, we made an attempt to discover potential and novel natural mosquito larvicidal compounds with least impact on human health. Method: The GC-MS analysis confirmed the phytoconstituents from the methanol extracts of M. tuberosa through GC-MS and selected compounds were submitted to docking studies on Anopheles angiotensin-converting enzyme as possible targets. Findings: GC-MS analysis of the extract showed the presence of 20 compounds with Limonene dioxide, Neophytadiene and Palmitic acid as main constituents. Three Selected compounds (Limonene dioxide, Neophytadiene and palmitic acid) specifically binds the binding site of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). The binding energy Limonene dioxide (- 6 kcal/mol), Neophytadiene (- 6.5 kcal/mol), Palmitic acid (- 5.7 kcal/mol) and interaction were analyzed. The present study displays better docking binding energy in the selected compounds. The results further substantiate that the 3 compounds of the M. tuberose found to be model candidates for the design and development of potential larvicidal. Novelty: The study helps to pave the first way to develop the promising larvicidal compound from plants. This result visibly suggests that compounds (Limonene dioxide, Neophytadiene and Palmitic acid) from M. tuberosa could act as potential larvicidal agents – to control Anopheles. Keywords: Phytochemical; Molecular docking; anangiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE); larvicidal; Chromatography

Aim: Leaves of plants have been useful in the treatment of various diseases and infections. The study aims at determining the nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and hematological effect of Momordica charantia, Xylopia aethiopica, and Entandrophragma angolense on the Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Study Design: The plants’ leaves were air-dried and extracted. Forty-two Swiss male mice, 18 to 25 g, were grouped into six of seven mice each. Group I was uninfected but were administered with normal saline for four days, Group II to VI were all infected with P. berghei and administered with normal saline, 300 mg/b.w. of M. charantia leaf extract, 300 mg/b.w. of E. angolense leaf extract, 300 mg/b.w. of X. aethiopica leaf extract and 40 mg/b.w. of chloroquine injection for four days, respectively. Results: The treatment groups showed a lower level of toxicity when compared with chloroquine treatment. X. aethiopica has the greatest positive impact on the PCV level of the experimental animals of its treated group compared with other groups. Conclusion: Our findings confirmed the antimalarial potential of X. aethiopica and thus can be used to treat malaria without anemia as a side effect.

Many chemical substances in plants have the potential to be toxins, which may induce harm by altering physiological mechanisms. Allium cepa L. assay is a sensitive test used for the determination o...

Aim: This study aims to evaluate and characterise the Momordica charantia and Ocimum gratissimum leaf powder. Methodology: The quantitative analyses for proximate, phytochemicals, minerals, and antioxidant activities of Momordica charantia and Ocimum gratissimum leaf powder were carried out using standard procedures. Results: The result of the proximate analysis showed that both plants contain an appreciable amount of moisture, ash, crude fibre, crude fat, crude protein and nitrogen-free extract content, with M. charantia leaf powder having higher moisture (5.49 ± 0.03%) content than O. gratissimum leaf powder (5.02 ± 0.01%) (P < 0.05). Ocimum gratissimum had higher crude fibre content (25.03 ± 0.25%) than M. charantia leaf powder (20.86 ± 0.12%) (P < 0.05). The protein, ash, crude fat and nitrogen-free extract contents were not significantly different (p> 0.05) between the two leaf powders. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannin, flavonoid, phenol, alkaloids, saponin and phytate. Except for alkaloid content, M. charantia leaf powder had higher tannins (1.20±0.02 mg/g), flavonoids (225.64±14.61 mg/g), phenol (21.04±0.57 mg/g), saponins (57.36±0.08 mg/g) and phytate (7.79±0.25 mg/g) content compared to O. gratissimum leaf powder. The antioxidant activity of the plants showed that M. charantia leaf powder possessed higher DPPH scavenging free radical activity than that of O. gratissimum leaf powder. The mineral constituents revealed that both plants contain a significant amount of zinc, calcium, iron and phosphorus, with M. charantia leaf powder having higher zinc and calcium concentration than O. gratissimum leaf powder (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study shows that the leaf of M. charantia and O. gratissimum plants are rich sources of nutrients and phytochemicals and can be used as natural feed additives in animal nutrition.

In many insect species including fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), the behavioral responses to volatiles emitted by their host plants can be modulated by environmental conditions and by the physiological state of the insect. Here, we quantified (1) the effects of female age on the attraction of female melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) to volatiles emitted by intact and mechanically damaged tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), eggplant (S. melongena), zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), bitter melon (Momordica charantia), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit, and (2) the influence of time elapsed since fruit damage on the outcome. The investigations were conducted under semi-natural conditions in Hawai’i. Results from the first experiment revealed that, for freshly damaged tomato, eggplant, and zucchini, the level of female response was comparatively low and was not affected by female age. For bitter melon and cucumber, higher levels of response to freshly damaged fruit were documented, and the response levels gradually increased as female age increased from 1 to 4 weeks, reaching 70% for 4-week-old females exposed to cucumber odor. Results from our second experiment indicated that, on average, 56% of the females released responded in 20 min when cucumbers were freshly sliced, and the level of response was reduced 6-fold within a couple of hours. Females did not respond to tomato and cucumber odor when fruits were damaged >8 h before testing. Fruit volatiles involved in female Z. cucurbitae attraction seem to be released shortly upon mechanical damage and they are short-lived. The plasticity of the olfaction-driven behavior observed in Z. cucurbitae depending on female age and on the strength of the olfactory cues associated with preferred and less preferred hosts, adds another dimension to our understanding of the host-seeking behavior of this invasive species.

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) has compounds that repel insect pests. Unlike conventional pesticides, these compounds are eco-friendly and beneficial for human health. However the mechanisms by which these compounds repel insects and affect their physiology remains poorly known. Here we used Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) to address these issues. We tested a wild strain, and a laboratory bred Canton S strain. Bitter gourd extract reduced the viability of developing flies, but did not affect survival in adults. Flies avoided bitter gourd extract in a food choice assay, and consumed a significantly low amount of food mixed with bitter gourd – indicating that it acts as an antifeedant. Transgenic flies with impaired aversive taste sensitive neurons showed a reduced aversion towards bitter gourd extract showing that these compounds act through the bitter sensitive gustatory neurons. Finally, flies also retained the memory of consuming bitter gourd extract for at least 24 hours, suggesting an additional cognitive mechanism for long term aversion. Our study provides the first evidence of bitter gourd compounds acting as antifeedants and also as potent reinforcers of aversive memory in drosophilids. We suggest that flies can be used to understand the physiological and neural mechanisms underlying the mode of action of other such phyto-extracts with the goal of developing potent but less harmful pest control formulations.

Twenty nine genotypes including four checks (Pusa Do Mausami, Pusa Vishesh, Pusa Rasder and Co-1) of bitter gourd were grown in Augmented Block Design to assess correlation coefficient and path co-efficient analysis during late Kharif 2018–19. The correlation coefficient indicated that there was a highly significant and positive correlation between fruit yield per vine and fruit yield per hectare (0.998), average fruit weight (0.827) and fruit length (0.627) while the association was significant for number of fruits per vine (0.412). The path analysis indicated that average fruit weight (0.615), number of fruits per vine (0.442), fruit length (0.227), days to opening of first male flower (0.089), days to first fruit harvest (0.060), number of primary branches (0.019) and node at which first female flower appeared (0.016) had direct positive effects on fruit yield per vine. Based on overall findings of the present study, it was concluded that for selecting superior genotypes primary emphasis should be given on fruit yield per vine followed by number of fruits per vine, average fruit weight and fruit length.

Rhyzopertha dominica (Bostrichidae: Coleoptera) is one of the most serious devastating insect pests attacking stored wheat grains in Nigeria. The most common strategy adopted in controlling this insect pest is the application of synthetic pesticides which is costly, toxic to non-target organisms and is non eco-friendly. Botanical pesticides are recently used as alternatives to synthetic pesticides due to their non-hazardous effect on the environment and non-target organisms, cost effectiveness and direct impacts on the target organisms. This study was carried out to determine the toxicity of leaf powders obtained from three species of plants: Ageratum conyzoides, Momordica charantia and Tephrosia vogelii in the control of R. dominica infestation on stored wheat grains. Five doses (0.50, 1.00, 2.00, 4.00 and 8.00 g) per 20.00 g were measured from the powdered leaves of the tested plants with ethanol treatment as the control (0.00 g 20.00 g-1). The powdered doses were applied onto wheat grains before the insects were introduced. The experiment was laid down in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The data obtained was analyzed using analysis of variance at 5% probability level with Least Significant Difference used to separate the means. The results showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences in the magnitude of toxicity imparted by various doses of the powders on R. dominica. The treatments influence high rate of mortality, reduced number of laid eggs and emerged adults when compared with the control. The toxicity of the powders increased with increase in dosage. It was concluded that 8.00 g 20.00 g-1 of the powders were more toxic to R. dominica, inducing 28.00-77.30% insects’ mortality thereby protecting grain damage to as low as 1.04% at 6th month of storage. T. vogelii leaf powders were recommended for use against R. dominica in stored wheat grains. Key words: botanicals, dose, lesser grain borer, wheat

Carp (C. carpio) in intensive production causes fish to be susceptible to disease, one of which is caused by A. hydrophila bacteria. Prevention is often done by giving synthetic chemical antibiotics that can be left in fish meat. Another alternative is to offer natural ingredients, one of which is bitter melon. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of bitter melon extract (M.charantia) on differential leukocytes (lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils) in carp (C. carpio) infected with A. hydrophila bacteria. This research method used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 3 replications. The treatments used were the administration of different extract doses, namely: treatment A (550 ppm), treatment B (650 ppm), treatment C (750 ppm), and treatment D (850 ppm). positive (K+) with bacterial infection of 107 cells/ml and administration of antibiotics chloramphenicol 0.03 mg/L and negative control (K-) with bacterial infection of 107 cells/ml. Blood collection when the fish are healthy, after offering the bitter gourd extract and after being infected. The results showed that bitter melon extract had a significantly different effect on leukocyte differential. The highest value obtained from treatment D (850 ppm) with the percentage of lymphocytes (18.67-28)%. neutrophils (2.32 = 6.0)% and monocytes (21-26.67)%. In conclusion, treatment with D dose of 850 ppm used as an immunostimulant can increase the differential leukocytes.

Inhibition of α-glucosidase can slow carbohydrate metabolism, which is known as an effective strategy for diabetes treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of thermal treatment (50, 60, and 70℃) for 15 days on the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of bitter melon. The results show that the bitter melon heated at 70℃ for 12 days had the best α-glucosidase inhibitory effect. However, the amount of free polyphenols, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (5-HMF), and the browning degree of bitter melon generally increased with the time (15 days) and temperature of the thermal treatment, which is positively related to their antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. In conclusion, aged bitter melon shows great α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, which may be related to the increased free form of the involved phenolic compounds and Maillard reaction products. This suggests that thermal processing may be a good way to enhance the application of bitter melon for diabetes treatment. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The thermal processing of bitter melon provides an application for diabetes treatment. This study demonstrated that heat-treated bitter melon can lower the blood glucose level; therefore, it can be used as a potential anti-hyperglycemic and functional food.

not available Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 31(1): 109-114, 2021 (June)

The Momordica charantia is a vegetable crop used worldwide due to its biological activities. Investigations into the pharmacological activities of the M. charantia revealed that it presented a wide range of properties, including antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity. Over the years, the M. charantia compounds have been identified and studied. In this study, we highlighted the Kuguacin, a triterpenoid isolated from any M. charantia parts. Thus, we aimed to synthesize the scientific knowledge about the Kuguacin biological activities and identify gaps in this area. We performed a scoping review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) to design the study’s protocol, with search in PUBMED, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Science Direct, and SciFinder databases. Most of the studies used in vitro methods, and the Kuguacin were isolated from leaves, vines, fruits, and roots. Studies reported the anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-influenza, anti-HIV, and anti-tuberculosis activities of the Kuguacin.

Cucumber moth, Diaphania indica (Saunders) is a polyphagous insect, becoming one of the major constraints in cost-effective cultivation of bitter gourd. As the detailed knowledge of the biology of insect-pest is essential for the application of control methods, the biometrics of cucumber moth, D. indica was studied on bitter gourd in laboratory conditions during 2019 at Insect Culture Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana. Gravid females laid 93.6 ± 44.14 eggs having the morphometrics of 0.7 ± 0.02 and 0.42 ± 0.02 mm in terms of length and breadth, respectively. The mean larval duration of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th instar was observed to be 1.49, 2.41, 3.59, 2.54 and 3.3 days, respectively with the total mean larval period of 13.33 days, while length and breadth varied from 1.75 to 21.65 and 0.26 to 2.94 mm for 1st to 5th instar. The pupal period of D. indica lasted for 7.93 ± 1.06 days which further accounted for the average total life cycle of 26.91 ± 1.01 days. The pre-oviposition, oviposition and post-oviposition periods were recorded as 1.5 ± 0.53, 3.9 ± 0.74 and 1.9 ± 0.74 days, respectively with sex ratio of 1:1.1 (male: female). The longevity of male and female moths was 6.1 ± 0.71 and 7.69 ± 1.22 days, respectively.

Diabetes mellitus is a typical life threatening of disease, which generate due to the dysfunction of β cells of pancreas. In 2014, WHO stated that 422 million people were infected with DM. The current pattern of management of diabetes included synthetic or plant based oral hypoglycemic drugs and insulin but drug resentence is become a very big issues in antidiabetic therapy. Thus, it's very earnest to discover now medication for this disease. Now the days, it is well acknowledged that diabetic patients are more prone towards covid and related complications. Thus, medical practitioners reformed the methodology of prescribing medication for covid infected antidiabetic therapy and encouraging the medication contains dual pharmacological properties. It is also well know that polyphenols specifically hold a significant role in oxidative stress and reduced the severity of many inflammatory diseases. Cucumis melo has rich history as ethano-pharmacological use in Indian subcontinent. The fruit and seed are well-known for the treatment of various diseases due to the presence of phenolics. Therefore, in this study, the combined mixture of flower and seeds were used for the extraction of polyphenolic rich extract and tested for antidiabetic activity through the antioxidant and in vivo experiments. The antioxidant potential measurement exhibited that the selected plant extract has the significant competence to down-regulate oxidative stress (DPPH scavenging IC

Wild bitter melon (Momordica charantia var. abbreviata Ser.) is a type of vine that growswildly in the mountains and plains in Vietnam. The main use parts of the tree are fruit, stem,and leaf that can be eaten as vegetables. This study aims to (1) identify several bioactive chemicalcompounds in the stems and leaves of bitter melon trees in the forests in the district of Mang Yang,Gia Lai province; (2) evaluate the nutrient composition, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobialability of fresh juice and extract with ethanol 70°. The results indicated that fresh juice and ethanol70° extract currently inhibited the growth of experimental strains of microorganisms, in whichethanol 70o extract gives the highest antimicrobial effect. The qualitative results determinedthat the chemical components of wide bitter melon consist of flavonoids, saponins, tannins,free reducing sugar, organic acids, starch, and fatty acids as the basis for the standardization ofexploitation of medicinal resources this material.

Objective: To investigate In vitro anticancer activity of ethanolic extract of pericarp and seed parts of Momordica charantia on colon cancer cell line.Materials and Methods: In vitro anticancer activity was carried out by 3 (4,5 dimethylthiazol 2 yl) 2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Different concentrations of the ethanolic extracts were tested on cell lines HT29.Results and Discussion: IC 50 value were determined by measuring absorbance at 570nm. The IC50 value of seed and Pericarp was found to be 62.84 µg/ml and 143.75µg/ml respectively. The Momardica charantia showed moderate to potent anticancer activity. The above results showed Momardica charantia seed was better therapeutic activity than pericarp in the treatment of colon cancer. The Therapeutic activity may be due to the phytoconstituents present in the seed extract and further the seed have to be evaluated for GCMS studies.

Estimating the Specific Combining Ability (SCA) of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) inbred lines for breeding F1 hybrid cultivars was performed at the Research and Development Center for Hi-tech Agriculture in Ho Chi Minh City from September to December 2019. The objective of the study was to select the outstanding hybrid combinations from diallen method to produce F1 hybrid cultivars. The results from estimating the SCAs based on the productivity characteristic of 28 hybrid combinations produced from eight bitter gourd I6 inbred lines (Q16, Q65, Q80, Q86, Q75, Q06, Q81 and Q87) following diallen method showed that four promised hybrid combinations (Q65/Q80, Q86/Q75, Q06/Q81 and Q81/Q87) performed over 10% higher SCA values and heterosis than the control, and they were less susceptible to infectious diseases. Fruit characteristics and yield of four hybrid combinations included fruit length of 16.0 to 17.6 cm; fruit width of 6.2 to 6.8 cm; 132.2 to 151.7 g/fruit and average yield of 4.1 to 4.3 tons/1000 m2.

Background: Pain is one of the common experiences which is unpleasant feeling that originates from any part of the body, is associated with real or possible tissue damage and linked to human past experiences. Momordica Charantia (MC) or bitter melon mainly is used all around the world for the treatment of diabetes, cancer and inflammation- associated conditions due to the existence of many bioactive ingredients which have vigorous biologic effect. The aim of our study is to investigate how low and high doses of MC plant affect foot inflammation and animal's behavior. Materials and Methods: Sixteen male rats randomly divided into 4 experimental groups. Formaldehyde was (hind-paw formalin injection) administered for inducing pain model. After 24 hours MC (50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) was administered every day for five days. During the experiment, the pain thresholds, motor cortex measurements and inflamed foot volume, Locomotor Activity Test and Water Overflow Method in sequence. Results: According to our result, when we consider the foot volume, pain threshold and motor cortex data of our control group, there is no significant difference between the beginning and the last day, while On the 7th day, the pain threshold continues to decrease as the foot volume of our animals in our positive control group does not decrease. 200 mg concentration of MC has provided a great treatment by reducing the increasing foot volume at the same time pain threshold and motor activity was in highest level at 4th day. Conclusion: Our experiment shows that MC (200 mg/ml MC ) has high analgesic activity provides significant pain reduction and improvement in symptoms

Aedes aegypti is a vector mosquito of dengue haemorrhagic fever, chikungunya, yellow fever, zika, filariasis and other viral infectious disease-causing pathogens. We tested ethanol extracts of the six plant species viz., Cassia fistula, Curcuma amada, Manilkara zapota, Momordica charantia, Sansevieria trifasciata and Solanum indicum at dosages of 25, 50, 75 and 100% for their larvicidal effect against the third instar larva of A. aegypti. We observed maximum larval mortality and minimum LC50, LC90, and LC99 in C. amada (LC50 = 0.14, LC90 = 9.28 and LC99 = 277.97) among the tested plant extracts. All the extracts caused moderate to high larval mortality, and hence, these plant extracts could be a substitute source for A. aegypti control as they comprise a potential source of bioactive chemicals and generally free from toxicants. Applications of these natural derivatives in A. aegypti control could reduce the cost of control methods and environmental contamination.

In the context of tremendous changes in the world community, one of the main factors is introduction of new plant varieties for reliable development of agriculture. To improve the quality of adaptive capabilities of thermophilic pumpkin crops in the Middle Urals, grafting on resistant stocks can be used. The studies were carried out in 2018-2020 on protected ground, at Udmurt Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the city of Izhevsk. The soil is organo-mineral, humus content is 5.0 %, pH - 5.8. The total plot area is 24 m2, the record area is 16 m2. The repetition was fourfold, the placement of the plots was randomized. The experiment is one-factor. Experimental variants are: 1. Momordica charantia L. without grafting (control), stocks - 2. Cucurbita pepo L., 3. Cucurbita maxima Duch., 4. Cucurbita moschata Duch., 5. Cucurbita ficifolia Bouche., 6. Lagenaria siceraria Molina , Standl. This work presents the stages of the study on compatibility of Momordica charantia when it was grafted onto various types of stocks, based on the analysis of the characteristics of growth and development, survival and productivity of plants. Conclusions were made about the prospects of growing Momordica charantia indoors. The data obtained indicate a high survival rate of Momordica charantia - over 72 % of the studied stocks. At the same time, it should be noted that the highest survival rate among grafts had Cucurbita maxima variant. The dry matter and total sugar content in the fruits of Momordica charantia increased in all variants with grafting (to 26.8 % by dry matter and to 16.2 % by total sugar, respectively) compared to the control, and the accumulation of nitrates was maximum - 384.6 mg / kg in the variant of grafting on Lagenaria siceraria, while there was no excess of MAC.

Production of transformed bitter gourd plants through in vitro regeneration is a laborious practice, which may also result in somaclonal variations. Thereby, in the current study, we have established a less tedious in planta protocol for more efficient genetic transformation of bitter gourd var. NBGH-470 (Apurva) using the seed as a target material. Bitter gourd seeds were transformed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 bearing the pCAMBIA1301 binary vector, and the transformed plants were selected against hygromycin B. The putatively transformed bitter gourd (To) plants were examined by GUS assay. Two parameters, including vacuum infiltration and sonication improving the in planta transformation, have been investigated in the present work. Amongst several time durations examined, the highest transformation rate (37%) was achieved upon subjecting the pre-cultured bitter gourd seeds to sonication for 15 min, followed by vacuum infiltration for 6 min in LBA4404 culture suspension. The transformed bitter gourd (T1) plants were selected against hygromycin B, and the transgene integration was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern hybridization, and reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). The developed protocol in the current study is suitable to genetically engineer the bitter gourd plants with disease and pest-resistant traits.

Diabetes mellitus is the most common chronic disorder and leading cause of renal, neurological, and gastrointestinal manifestations in developed and developing countries. Despite of many drugs and combinational therapies, the complications of diabetes are still listed due to severe consequences of those drugs. In past few years, plant-derived drugs draw special attention due to their higher efficacy and fewer side-effects. Momordica charantia also known as bitter melon is referred as an antidiabetic and hypoglycemic plant in native populations of Asia and East Africa. In current study, an in silico approach was used to evaluate the interactions and binding patterns of plant-derived peptides devised from a hypoglycemic protein adMc1 of M. charantia as potential inhibitor of DPP-IV, SGLT1, and GLUT2 receptor proteins. The study has described a novel approach to investigate hypoglycemic peptides to cure diabetes. A total of eighty tetra-, penta-, and hexapeptides were devised from conserved regions of adMc1 homologs. The molecular docking approach using MOE software was employed to reveal inhibiting potentials of devised peptides against three selected proteins. Out of 30 shortlisted ligands six peptides (i.e. SMCG, DECC, TTIT, RTTI, ARNL and TVEV) accomplished the criteria of being good drug candidates against selected receptor proteins following the drugability assessment test. The overall results are acceptable on the basis of ADMET profiling for being good drug candidates against selected proteins.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition that disturbs the body's blood sugarregulation. This disorder is characterized by a decrease in the ability of bodycells to intake glucose into cells. Due to the failure of cells in glucose intake,glucose buildup occurs in the extracellular, namely in the plasma. Thesemedicinal plants contain quite varied secondary metabolites, where theseplants are rich in flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes and glycosides. The contentof these secondary metabolite compounds is believed to be rich in antioxidanteffects so that it has the effect of being able to suppress various oxidativestress conditions that cause damage to various organs due to blood sugardysregulation. The effect of Tinospora crispa, Andrographis paniculata,Cinamomum burmanii, Syzygium polyanthum and Momordica charantiaextracts on blood sugar levels and GLUT4 protein expression in muscle tissueshows the potential of the test extract's ability to improve blood glucose intaketo cells so as to maintain blood sugar regulation.

Tinospora crispa, Andrographis paniculata, Cinamomum burmanii, Syzygiumpolyanthum and Momordica charantia contain phenolics and flavonoidswhich are rich in benefits. Phenolic compounds are compounds that have anaromatic ring with one or more hydroxy groups, compounds derived fromplants that have the same characteristics, namely aromatic rings containingone or more hydroxyl groups. Herbal plants, which are rich in phenoliccompounds, have the efficacy, among others, as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-fungal and prevents tumor growth. Theacute toxicity test is a procedure designed to determine the median lethal doseof a substance and its possible mechanism of action and target organs. Insimple terms, toxicity can be defined as the ability of a compound that cancause harmful effects or deviate from the biological mechanism in anorganism.

Medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine since the prehistoric period. They are considered a rich resource for developing single drugs and formulations due to a wide variety of bioactive phytochemicals present. Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an important tropical and subtropical medicinal plant commonly cultivated in Asian and African countries for its health and nutritional properties. The bitter gourd fruits possess antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-obesity, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-helminthic, and anti-HIV properties. In this study, we extracted the phytochemicals from the rind, pulp, and seeds of the two botanical varieties of bitter gourd, Momordica charantia var. charantia and Momordica charantia var. muricata in methanol, and subjected them to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Phytochemical analysis revealed several important bioactive compounds such as n-Hexadecanoic acid, Linolenic acid, Vitamin E, Sitosterol, Stigmasterol, and Phytol. Biological activities were reported for some of these compounds. Identification of these compounds validates the medicinal value of bitter gourd. Further studies are to be carried out to isolate, characterize, and study the individual compound's mechanism of action.