Three Selected Edible Crops of the Genus Momordica as Potential Sources of Phytochemicals: Biochemical, Nutritional, and Medicinal Values

Abstract

Momordica species (Family Cucurbitaceae) are cultivated throughout the world for their edible fruits, leaves, shoots and seeds. Among the species of the genus Momordica, there are three selected species that are used as vegetable, and for medicinal purposes, Momordica charantia L (Bitter melon), Momordica foetida Schumach (Bitter cucumber) and Momordica balsamina L (African pumpkin). The fruits and leaves of these Momordica species are rich in primary and secondary metabolites such as proteins, fibers, minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc), β-carotene, foliate, ascorbic acid, among others. The extracts from Momordica species are used for the treatment of a variety of diseases and ailments in traditional medicine. Momordica species extracts are reputed to possess anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anthelmintic bioactivity, abortifacient, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and play chemo-preventive functions. In this review we summarize the biochemical, nutritional, and medicinal values of three Momordica species (M. charantia, M. foetida and M. balsamina) as promising and innovative sources of natural bioactive compounds for future pharmaceutical usage.

A gastro-resistant peptide from Momordica charantia improves diabetic nephropathy in db/db mice via its novel reno-protective and anti-inflammatory activities

“…M. charantia fruits are rich in proteins and proteins account for 18.02% of their dried weight. 3,4 Our previous studies have identified a novel insulin receptor-binding protein mcIRBP from M. charantia . 5,6 mcIRBP is a 68-amino-acid-residue polypeptide that would be cleaved into small fragments after ingestion.…”

“…It has been used in many traditional and folk medicines for a wide range of medical applications, such as diabetes, obesity, and inflammation. 1–4 Several nutritional and nutraceutical components with anti-hyperglycemic activities have been identified from M. charantia . For example, the M. charantia insulin receptor-binding protein (mcIRBP) interacts with an insulin receptor and modulates glucose homeostasis in diabetic mice.…”

Momordica balsamina: phytochemistry and pharmacological potential of a gifted species

“…For these reasons, this species has been regarded as a gifted plant by some rural populations. Some reviews have been published about Cucurbitaceae and Momordica species, particularly focusing on Momordica charantia , the most studied species of the genus (Dhiman et al 2012 ; Bharathi and John 2013 ; Shah et al 2014 ; Omokhua-Uyi and Van Staden 2020 ; Muronga et al 2021 ). Different aspects of M. balsamina have also been reported in these reviews, mostly covering its nutritional and medicinal properties.…”

Metabolomics and Molecular Networking to Characterize the Chemical Space of Four Momordica Plant Species

“…Previously, Momordica species have been reported to contain a wide variety of compounds, including triterpenoids, saponins, oils, steroids, glycosides, and flavonoids. These compounds were mostly described in M. charantia, M. balsamina and M. foetida [4,14,48,49] but chemical insights on M. cardiospermoides are still lacking. The computational tools used herein, assisted in the unravelling of the metabolome of this species, reported here for the first time.…”

“…The Momordica genus comprises 59 species, geographically distributed across the globe (47 in Africa, 12 in Australia and Asia) [2,3]. Momordica species are cultivated not only for their nutritional purposes but also for traditional use in the treatment of various ailments [4]. These include diabetes-related conditions [5], cancer [6] and inflammatory diseases [7].…”