The Effect of Momordica charantia in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus: A Review

Abstract

In recent years, many studies of Momordica charantia (MC) in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications have been reported. This article reviewed the effect and mechanism of MC against diabetes, including the results from in vitro and in vivo experiments and clinical trials. The common side effects of MC were also summarized. We hope that it might open up new ideas for further mechanism exploration and clinical application as well as provide a scientific theoretical basis for the development of drugs or foods derived from MC.

Managing Type 2 Diabetes: Beliefs and Daily Practices in First Generation Asian Indians in the United States

“…Participants believed that bitter melon, daily herbal and flour blends had beneficial effects. Bitter melon was used for its hypoglycemic effects ( Liu et al, 2021 ) and fennel and fenugreek to reduce hyperglycemia ( Pereira et al, 2019 ). If allopathy and Ayurveda did not work, they blamed their fate.…”

Bioactives of Momordica charantia as Potential Anti-Diabetic/Hypoglycemic Agents

“…M. charantia has received considerable attention in biological and biomedical research due to its remarkable biological activities, especially its antidiabetic/hypoglycemic effects. M. charantia is usually served in one of four dosage forms (fruit juice, entire fruit, freeze-dried powder, or capsule), the preparations are mainly crude extracts (extracted with water, ethanol, or methanol) and the effective monomer components are extracted from fruit, seeds, and leaves [ 89 ]. In particular, the typical hypoglycemic activities are mainly attributed to proteins/peptides, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and charantins [ 90 , 91 ].…”

¿Es útil la Momordica charantia (melón amargo) para el tratamiento de la Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2?

“…6 Se han identificado diferentes componentes bioactivos como saponinas, alcaloides, triterpenos, esteroles y pequeñas proteínas, muchos de ellos asociados con actividad antidiabética como es el caso de las moléculas charantina, vicina y polipéptido-p. En diversos estudios han mostrado que la calabaza amarga aumenta la secreción de insulina del páncreas, disminuye la captación intestinal de glucosa y aumenta la captación y utilización de glucosa en los tejidos periféricos. 7 Con base en los hallazgos reportados se han realizado diversos estudios en pacientes con DMT2 que permitan elucidar la seguridad y eficiencia de las diversas preparaciones a base de M. charantia para el control glicémico, dichos resultados son analizados en las revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis reportados por Peter et al…”