Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity of Crude Flavonoid Fraction from the Fruits of Hybrid Variety of Momordica charantia (Bitter Gourd)

Aims: The study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of crude flavonoid fraction from hybrid variety of Momordica charantia (L.) (Bitter gourd) fruit.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in 2011 in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Methodology: In vitro assay for Antioxidant activity test was determined by means of 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method, using ascorbic acid as standard. The Brine shrimp lethality test was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the extract with Gallic acid as positive control. Data were analysed by statistical software BIOSTAT 2009 and Excel.
Results: The fractionated crude flavonoid of Momordica charantia (L.) fruits showed moderate antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 75.21 µg/ml. Compared to Gallic acid (with LC50 of 4.40 µg/ ml), fractionated flavonoid demonstrated a significant cytotoxic activity (having LC50 of 12.38 µg/ml) which indicates that fractionated flavonoid is promisingly cytotoxic.
Conclusion: The study indicates the moderate antioxidant and potent cytotoxic activities of flavonoid fractionated from Momordica charantia (L.) fruits which can be used as a source of pharmacological references although specific flavonoids are responsible for such actions are unknown.