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ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES OF PHYTOCOMPOUND POLYPEPTIDE-K AND ESSENTIAL OIL FROM MOMORDICA CHARANTIA (BITTER GOURD) SEEDS

ATIKAH KAZIMAH AHMAD 1, MOHD. SOFIAN OMAR FAUZEE 2, FONG LAI YIEN 3, NG CHIN THENG 4 , YONG YOKE KEONG 5 , ZURAINI AHMAD 1, MUHAMMAD NAZRUL HAKIM 1,6*

1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
2 INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
3 Department of Pre-clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
4 Department of Physiology, Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology, Kedah, Malaysia
5 Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
6 Halal Product Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia

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Momordica charantia (MC), or bitter gourd, grows in tropical regions and has documented anti-diabetic, anti-ulcerogenic, antimicrobial, anti-tumour, anti-leukemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of polypeptide-K (PPK) and essential oil isolated from MC seeds in rat models of carrageenan-induced paw oedema and car- rageenan-induced air pouch inflammation. In the paw oedema model, PPK and MC oil significantly reduced paw oedema volume, with effects comparable to indomethacin. In the air pouch model, PPK and MC oil suppressed total and absolute leukocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte counts, while PPK significantly reduced nitrite concentration. These findings suggest that PPK and MC oil inhibit acute inflammation by reducing leukocyte recruitment and nitrite production, and MC oil may addi- tionally contribute through increased IL-10 during the late phase of inflammation. The results support the therapeutic potential of PPK and MC seed oil as candidate anti-inflammatory agents.