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Review
. 2017 Nov 28;18(12):2555.
doi: 10.3390/ijms18122555.

Recent Advances in Momordica charantia: Functional Components and Biological Activities

Shuo Jia  1 , Mingyue Shen  2 , Fan Zhang  3 , Jianhua Xie  4
Affiliations
Review

Recent Advances in Momordica charantia: Functional Components and Biological Activities

Shuo Jia et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Momordica charantia L. (M. charantia), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It has been used in folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, and its fruit has been used as a vegetable for thousands of years. Phytochemicals including proteins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpenes, saponins, ascorbic acid and steroids have been found in this plant. Various biological activities of M. charantia have been reported, such as antihyperglycemic, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, immunomodulation, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anthelmintic, antimutagenic, antiulcer, antilipolytic, antifertility, hepatoprotective, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. However, both in vitro and in vivo studies have also demonstrated that M. charantia may also exert toxic or adverse effects under different conditions. This review addresses the chemical constituents of M. charantia and discusses their pharmacological activities as well as their adverse effects, aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the phytochemistry and biological activities of M. charantia.

Keywords: Momordica charantia; biological activities; chemical components; phytochemistry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The above two pictures show the morphological characteristics of the M. charantia: (a) leaf and flowers (b) unripe fruits.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Articles published in Web of Science with M. charantia as a keyword in the last decade.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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