Molecules 2013, 18(3), 3241-3249; doi:10.3390/molecules18033241
Antioxidant Activity of Extracts of Momordica Foetida Schumach. et Thonn.
1
Department of Drug Science—Biochemistry Section, University of Catania, Catania 95125, Italy
2
Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Section of Microbiology, University of Catania, Catania 95125, Italy
3
Department of Health Sciences, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro 88100, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 31 December 2012 / Revised: 16 January 2013 / Accepted: 6 March 2013 / Published: 13 March 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidants 2012)
Abstract
Momordica foetida Schumach. et Thonn. (Cucurbitaceae) is a perennial climbing herb with tendrils, found in swampy areas in Central Uganda. Antidiabetic and antilipogenic activities were reported for some Momordica species, however the mechanism of action is still unknown. Oxidative stress may represent an important pathogenic mechanism in obesity-associated metabolic syndrome. The present study evaluated free radical scavenging capacity of different concentrations of aqueous, methanolic and dichloromethane leaf extracts of Momordica foetida Schumach. et Thonn. and the ability of these extracts to inhibit in vitro plasma lipid peroxidation; in addition, healthy human adipose mesenchymal stem cell cultures were used in order to test the hypothesis that these extracts may affect adipocyte differentiation. Results obtained in this study suggested that aqueous extract might be useful in preventing metabolic syndrome.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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MDPI and ACS Style
Acquaviva, R.; Di Giacomo, C.; Vanella, L.; Santangelo, R.; Sorrenti, V.; Barbagallo, I.; Genovese, C.; Mastrojeni, S.; Ragusa, S.; Iauk, L. Antioxidant Activity of Extracts of Momordica Foetida Schumach. et Thonn.. Molecules 2013, 18, 3241-3249.
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