A final-year Biochemistry and Molecular Biology student at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has completed laboratory research suggesting that extracts from bitter melon leaves possess antioxidant activity and measurable effects on cell viability, adding scientific evidence to the plant’s long-standing traditional use.
The study, conducted by Ambrose Zuotaa under the supervision of Dr Adjoa A. Boakye of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at UHAS, investigated the biological properties of Momordica charantia, popularly known as bitter melon and called “nyanya” in parts of Ghana.
The research comes amid growing interest in affordable, plant-based sources of bioactive compounds, particularly as cancer continues to place a major health and economic burden on communities. The study notes that prostate cancer alone accounted for an estimated 1.46 million new cases and 396,000 deaths globally in 2024, while projections indicate that the global cancer burden could increase substantially by 2040.
Against this background, Zuotaa focused on the leaves of bitter melon, a part of the plant that is less commonly studied than its fruit but remains readily accessible in Ghanaian communities.
In the laboratory, dried bitter melon leaves were processed using a water-ethanol solvent to extract their bioactive compounds. Phytochemical screening detected saponins, tannins, steroids and reducing sugars, while alkaloids and cardiac glycosides were not detected.
Further analysis measured the extract’s total phenolic content at 1,265.54 micrograms per millilitre. Phenolic compounds are widely associated with antioxidant activity and were therefore of interest in assessing the extract’s ability to neutralise free radicals.
Two standard antioxidant assays were used to evaluate the extract. In the DPPH assay, free-radical inhibition increased from 28.07 percent at a lower concentration to 63.66 percent at the highest concentration tested. In the ABTS assay, inhibition increased from 36.58 percent to 77.79 percent across the same concentration range.
Vitamin C, which was used as the benchmark antioxidant, showed stronger activity than the bitter melon extract. However, the concentration-dependent increase observed in both assays indicates that the leaf extract possesses measurable free-radical-scavenging activity.
The study also assessed the effect of the extract on cell viability using the MTT assay, a laboratory method commonly used to evaluate cell viability. Viability fell to as low as 71.16 percent at the lowest concentration tested, compared with 100 percent viability in untreated cells, indicating a measurable effect of the extract under the experimental conditions.
The findings, however, should not be interpreted as evidence that bitter melon leaves can currently treat or cure cancer. The research was conducted under laboratory conditions, and further investigations are required to establish the mechanisms involved and determine whether the observed effects can translate into safe and effective medical applications.
The study is consistent with earlier research reporting antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities associated with bitter melon. However, the biological activity of plant extracts can vary according to factors such as growing conditions, extraction procedures and the part of the plant examined.
For Ghana, the research highlights the potential value of investigating locally available plants as possible sources of bioactive compounds. Such research could contribute to the scientific understanding of traditional medicinal plants and provide a foundation for future studies into affordable therapeutic candidates.
Zuotaa said the research was motivated in part by the need to investigate plants that are readily available in Ghana and to examine their biological properties using established laboratory methods.
Dr Boakye also emphasised the importance of continued research into locally available plant resources, particularly where laboratory evidence can help guide future investigations.
Researchers caution that additional studies, including more extensive laboratory investigations and, where scientifically justified, animal and human studies, would be necessary before any medicinal product could be developed or therapeutic claims could be made.
The findings form part of Zuotaa’s undergraduate thesis at UHAS and contribute to the growing body of research examining bitter melon and other locally available plants for potentially useful biological properties.
By Ambrose Zuotaa
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
