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The Pharmacological Properties and Therapeutic Use of Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L.)

  • Cancer Chemoprevention (R Agarwal, CV Rao and S Yu, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

Momordica charantia L., a typical vegetable with multiple medicinal properties, is widely culti-vated around the world.

Research contents

Anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, hypotensive, antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anthelmintic, and protective properties have been well clarified both in vitro and in vivo, which might be due to various phytochemicals, such as carbohydrates, protein, fatty acids, amino acids, phenolic acids, minerals, essential oils, alkaloids, vitamins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids.

Significance

This review summarizes the active components and medicinal properties of different parts of M. charantia, especially the anti-diabetic and anti-cancer properties, aiming to highlight the medicinal usage of M. charantia and provide valuable references for the development of M. charantia as multifunctional food and medicine.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by research grants from Huanggang Normal University (2014022203) and Foreign Cooperation Project of Hubei Science and Technology Department (2014BHE036).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubei Key Laboratory of Economic Forest Germplasm Improvement and Resources Comprehensive Utilization, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for the Characteristic Resources Exploitation of Dabie Mountains, College of Life Science, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, 438000, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China

    Zhiliang Li, Aolei Xia, Guliang Yang, Weibin Jin, Mingju Zhang & Shuzhen Wang

  2. Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, 65 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901-8520, USA

    Shiming Li

  3. Hubei Research Institute of Industrial Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China

    Shuzhen Wang

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  1. Zhiliang Li
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  2. Aolei Xia
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Correspondence to Shuzhen Wang.

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Li, Z., Xia, A., Li, S. et al. The Pharmacological Properties and Therapeutic Use of Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L.). Curr Pharmacol Rep 6, 103–109 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40495-020-00219-4

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