Original article: Cardio-protective properties of Momordica charantia in Albino Rats

Momordica charantia, commonly known as bitter gourd, is used as a vegetable by the Asian communi-ty in Africa. It is frequently used as an anti-diabetic herb for the management of disease in the Ayurvedic system of Medicine. This present study was aimed at evaluating possible cardio-protective properties of M. charantia by determining its effect on blood cholesterol levels in albino rats. The study involved 25 rats and they were divided into 5 groups each comprising of 5 rats. The aqueous extract of M. Charantia was administered orally with syringes and cannula to 4 groups at different doses (80mg/kg, 100mg/kg, 120mg/kg and 140mg/kg body weights per day, respectively) and the last group served as the control and were given drug vehicle (normal saline) only. After two weeks of administration, the 25 rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected and assayed for total blood cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein levels. Results indicated that M. charantia plant extract increased significantly (P<0.05) the low density lipoprotein levels in the experimental group B (100mg/kg), and significantly reduced low density lipoprotein levels (P<0.05) in the experimental group A (80mg/kg), when compared to the control group. This study showed that M. charantia plant extract has cardio-protective properties by its dose-dependent effects on blood cholesterol. Key Words: momordica charantia, cardio-protective, orally, dose-dependent, cholestero