In vitro antioxidant, 𝛼-amylase and 𝛼-glucosidase activities of methanol extracts from three Momordica species

Antioxidant based drug preparations are used in the prevention and management of complex diseases which include atherosclerosis, stroke, diabetes, alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder of glucose metabolism. The management of blood glucose level is the hallmark in the treatment of this ailment, which may be achieved through the use of oral hypoglycemic drugs such as biguanides, insulin secretagogues, and 𝛼-amylase and glucosidase inhibitors. Although several biological activities had been reported for  Momordica foetida and Momordica charantia; it appears there is limited information on the  biological activity of Momordica cissoides. The purpose of this study is to compare the antioxidant, 𝛼-amylase and 𝛼-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Momordica charantia (M1), Momordica foetida (M2), and Momordica cissoides  (M3) to establish a chemotaxonomic relationship between them. The antioxidant activities measured by DPPH scavenging properties, metal ion chelation, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and ABTS revealed that M. foetida had the highest inhibition potential, followed by M. charantia and the least being M. cissoides. In contrast, the antioxidant activities measured by FRAP,  the total phenolic content , flavonoids and tannins revealed that M. cissoides had the best antioxidant potential, while M. foetida had the least activity. The comparative α-amylase and glucosidase inhibitory studies performed demonstrated that the extracts of M.cissoides had the highest inhibitory potentials. Thus, the plant can be used in the management of diabetes.