Antifungal activity of Momordica charantiaseed extracts toward the pathogenic fungus Fusarium solaniL.

Momordica charantiaL., a vegetable crop with high nutritional value, has been used as an antimutagenic, antihelminthic, anticancer, antifertility, and antidiabetic agent in traditional folk medicine. In this study, the antifungal activity of M. charantiaseed extract toward Fusarium solaniL. was evaluated. Results showed that M. charantiaseed extract effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of F. solani, with a 50% inhibitory rate (IC50) value of 108.934 μg/mL. Further analysis with optical microscopy and fluorescence microscopy revealed that the seed extract led to deformation of cells with irregular budding, loss of integrity of cell wall, as well as disruption of the fungal cell membrane. In addition, genomic DNA was also severely affected, as small DNA fragments shorter than 50 bp appeared on agarose gel. These findings implied that M. charantiaseed extract containing α-momorcharin, a typical ribosome-inactivating protein, could be an effective agent in the control of fungal pathogens, and such natural products would represent a sustainable alternative to the use of synthetic fungicides.