Emerging Antitumor Activities of the Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia)

Evandro Fei Fang, Lynn Froetscher, Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, Vilhelm A Bohr, Jack Ho Wong, Tzi Bun Ng

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Bitter melon or bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is a common vegetable in Asia and it is distinctive for its bitter taste. As an ingredient in folk medicine, research from different laboratories in recent years supports its potential medicinal applications with anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-HIV activities in both in vitro and animal studies. In this short review, we summarize herein the recent progress in the antitumor aspect of bitter melon with a focus on the underlying molecular mechanisms. Further mechanistic studies as well as clinical trials are necessary to further verify its medicinal applications.

Original languageEnglish
JournalCurrent Protein and Peptide Science
Volume20
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)296-301
Number of pages6
ISSN1389-2037
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes

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