Momordica charantia L., known as bitter melon (BM), is a plant that belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. Aims of this study are to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of crude BM extract on 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced experimental colitis model in rat. It was also aimed to determine the content and bioaccessibility of carotenoids of BM. BM was purchased from local markets in Izmir, Turkey. Fruits of BM were lyophilized, powdered, and used in the experiment. Carotenoids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. To determine the bioaccessibility of β-carotene, in vitro digestion was performed. Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: group A (BM+TNBS), group B (BM), group C (TNBS), and group D (control). BM solution was given 300 mg/(kg·day) for 6 weeks orally. Colitis was induced by 0.25 mL of a solution containing 100 mg/kg 5% (w/v) TNBS in 50% ethanol (w/v) intrarectally after 6 weeks. After sacrification, macroscopic and microscopic evaluations were performed. Myeloperoxidase, cytokines levels (interleukin-17 [IL-17], TNF-alpha, and interleukin-10 [IL-10]) were measured in serum and colonic samples by ELISA test. Institutional Animal Ethics Committee approval was obtained. Total carotenoid content of BM was determined 11.7 mg/g dry weight as β-carotene equivalents. Bioaccessibility of total carotenoids was determined as 2.1% with in vitro digestion. Pretreatment with crude BM extract significantly reduced weight loss, macroscopic, and microscopic colitis damages in colonic samples (P = .000), (P = .015), and (P = .026), respectively. Serum anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 increased significantly in both treatment groups (P = .000). BM is a rich source of carotenoids, but the bioaccessibility of its carotenoids is low. This study displays that BM has protective anti-inflammatory effects on TNBS-induced colitis.

中文翻译：

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苦瓜提取物对2,4,6-三硝基苯磺酸诱导的大鼠结肠炎模型的抗炎作用及其类胡萝卜素含量的生物可及性。

苦瓜（Morordica charantia L.）被称为苦瓜（BM），是一种属于葫芦科的植物。这项研究的目的是研究粗制BM提取物对2,4,6-三硝基苯磺酸（TNBS）诱导的大鼠实验性结肠炎模型的抗炎作用。它还旨在确定BM类胡萝卜素的含量和生物可及性。BM是从土耳其伊兹密尔的当地市场购买的。将BM的果实冻干，粉化并用于实验中。类胡萝卜素通过高效液相色谱法测定。在体外测定β-胡萝卜素的生物可及性进行消化。Wistar白化病大鼠分为四组：A组（BM + TNBS），B组（BM），C组（TNBS）和D组（对照组）。口服BM溶液300 mg /（kg·day），持续6周。6周后，通过0.25 mL含100 mg / kg 5％（w / v）TNBS的50％乙醇（w / v）溶液诱导结肠炎。牺牲后，进行宏观和微观评估。通过ELISA测试测定血清和结肠样品中的髓过氧化物酶，细胞因子水平（白介素17 [IL-17]，TNF-α和白介素10 [IL-10]）。已获得机构动物伦理委员会的批准。以β-胡萝卜素当量确定BM的总类胡萝卜素含量为11.7mg / g干重。在体外测定总类胡萝卜素的生物可及性为2.1％消化。用粗制BM提取物进行预处理可分别显着减少结肠样品的体重减轻，宏观和微观结肠炎损害（P  = .000），（P  = .015）和（P  = .026）。在两个治疗组中，血清抗炎细胞因子IL-10均显着升高（P  = .000）。BM是类胡萝卜素的丰富来源，但其类胡萝卜素的生物利用度较低。这项研究表明，BM对TNBS诱发的结肠炎具有保护性抗炎作用。