Germplasm Enhancement with the First Medicinal Crop-Varieties for Prevention and Management of Cancer and Diabetes in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia)

Incidence of chronic diseases including cancer and diabetes is increasing globally. Fruits and vegetables are potential sources of functional phytochemicals for prevention and management of these diseases. Bitter gourd, Momordica charantia , a popular cucurbit crop, is known to contain a number of anticancer and antidiabetic phytomedicines but the popular cultivars in the available germplasm are poor in the content of these phytomedicines. We explored a wild bitter gourd germplasm and developed eight varieties including CBM3, CBM6, CBM10, CBM12, CBM13, CBM18, CBMH10 and CBMH12 with a view to broaden the genetic resources for nutraceuticals. We report here on the comparative contents of one anticancer phytomedicine, Cucurbitacin-B and two antidiabetic phytomedicines, Charantin and Plant Insulin in fresh fruits of 25 varieties in the enhanced germplasm constituting these eights medicinal varieties and 17 popular horticultural cultivars. We also report on their comparative performance with regard to fresh fruit weight, and correlation of the content of these three phytomedicines inter se and with fruit weight. Finally, we report on the identification of five varieties including CBMH10, CBMH12, CBM12, CBM10 and CBM13, in that order, for consumption of their fruits of as a source of functional foods for prevention and management of cancer and diabetes from the nutraceutically enhanced germplasm.