Bitter gourd [Momordica charantia] induces apoptosis in HL60 human leukemia cells and suppresses the production of inflammatory cytokine in RAW264.7 macrophage like cells

We previously demonstrated that bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) ethanol extract induced apoptosis in HL60 human leukemia cells. To examine the effect of different bitter gourd cultivars on cancer cell growth, we determined the effect of nine bitter gourd cultivars grown in Miyazaki prefecture on the growth of HL60 cells. Although growth inhibitory effect of seed extracts was stronger than that of pericarp or placenta extracts, all the extracts inhibited the growth of HL60 cells at concentrations of 25-200 mug/ml. The extracts of pericarp, placenta and seeds of bitter gourds cultivars induced apoptosis in HL60 cells after 24 h incubation. Suppression of inflammatory responses is expected to reduce inflammatory disease and development of cancer. Therefore, we determined the effect of the major bitter gourd cultivar 'Sadowara 3' on the bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNFalpha production from RAW264.7 mouse macrophage-1ike cells. Placenta extract inhibited the TNFalpha production induced by LPS; however, it did not have any effect on the growth of RAW264.7 cells. The bitter gourd placenta is suggested to possess the suppressive effect on inflammatory responses.