AStudy to Identify the Effect of Momordica Charantia on Smooth Muscle Activity in Isolated Guinea Pig Ileum

ABSTRACT

Background: Momordica charantia (M. charantia), bitter melon is commonly used in traditional medicine forits wide variety of medicinal properties.Aim and objectives: To study the effect of successive extract of M. charantia on smooth muscle contractilityof the isolated guinea pig ileum compared to that of standard drugs and to evaluate the receptors mediatingthe effects of M. charantia on intestinal smooth muscle using appropriate antagonists.Materials and methods: An adult albino male guinea pig of weight 700 g was euthanased and the ileumwas dissected out for isolated tissue experiment in organ bath using tyrode as physiological salt solution,aerated with air, maintained at pH of 7.4 and temperature 37°C. Successive extract of M. charantia wasprepared in soxhlet apparatus using petroleum ether, methanol, ethanol and water. 100 mg of this extractwas diluted in 10 ml of water to get a stock solution of 10 mg/ml w/v which was used after appropriatedilutions to obtain the working standard solutions. Experimental procedures were done in accordance to thestandard principles of isolated tissue experiments.Results: Contractile response was noted for M. charantia and its dose response curve was obtained followingthose of standard drugs, acetylcholine and histamine. The receptor actions were studied using atropine(muscarinic antagonist) and pheneramine maleate (histamine antagonist) and adrenaline (adrenergic agonist)which are gut smooth muscle relaxants and we found that all the three drugs did not alter the response ofM. charantia proving that none of these three receptors systems, muscarinic, histaminic or adrenergic wereinvolved in mediating the contractile actions of M. charantia.Conclusion: This study has evaluated the contractile effect and the underlying receptor mechanismscontributing to this effect of M. charantia on the intestinal smooth muscle of guinea pig using isolated tissueexperiment