In vitro Thrombolytic Potential of a Nutritive Vegetable-Momordica dioica Roxb. Ex Willd.

Background and Objective: Cardiovascular diseases can be caused due to abnormal thrombolysis and are one of the major causes of death worldwide. Standard thrombolytic drugs have certain restrictions and adverse effects. In this context, plant-based therapeutic dietary modifications are becoming a choice of treatment nowadays. Fruits of Momordica dioica Roxb. ex Willd. (family-Cucurbitaceae) are consumed as vegetables all over India. The plant is known as a small bitter gourd and recommended in Ayurveda and Ethnomedicine for the treatment of various human ailments and hence, used for assessment of its in vitro thrombolytic potential for the first time. Materials and Methods: Fruits of Momordica dioica were collected, dried and powdered. The 2 types of methanolic extracts (MDME-I and MDME-II) and fresh aqueous extracts were prepared to evaluate the presence of phytochemicals along with in vitro thrombolytic potential. Data were expressed as Mean±SEM for three replicates and statistical comparisons were considered to be significant when p-value was less than 0.01. Results: Qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of saponins, carbohydrates, amino acids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, steroids, coumarins and hydrolysable tannins. In vitro, thrombolytic assessment of methanolic fruit extract (MDME-II) has demonstrated significant (p<0.001) percent clot lysis activity of 34.01±1.31 in comparison to the positive control of streptokinase (52.87±1.14) and negative control of distilled water (4.05±0.46). Conclusion: The present findings are helpful in recommending its use as a dietary health supplement to prevent thrombotic cardiovascular disorders. However, in vivo, long-term studies are warranted assessing its thrombolytic potential along with isolation and characterization of bioactive anti-thrombotic molecules.