Anti-Hairy Cell Leukaemia Effect of Aqueous Extract of Momordica dioica
Author(s): Sanjeev Mittal*, Kapil Hazarika, Hare Krishna, Krishna Raj Singh, Manisha Rastogi
Abstract
The unique feature of Hairy Cell Leukaemia (HCL) is that it’s prone to relapse once treatment stops. As it’s a rare form of leukaemia, most of its mechanism and the mode of treatment are still shrouded in mystery. Nowadays, a lot of focus has come on the role of common vegetables as a panacea for various diseases including cancer. Momordica dioica or Spiny gourd is common Indian vegetable which is rich in phytochemicals and some medicinal uses have attributed to it as well. In this paper, the anti-HCL property of Momordica dioica was investigated. Firstly, the aqueous extract of Momordica dioica was prepared and its anti-HCL activity was observed on a HCL cell line; Mo-B on a concentration or dose dependent manner. An IC50 value of 38.46 µg/ml was obtained after 24 hours on Mo-B cells but no effect was seen on the normal Human Embryonic Kidney cells (nHEK). It implies that the aqueous extract of Momordica dioica can be used as an anti-HCL agent. As Momordica dioica is a common vegetable found in India, thereby the anti-cancer components of the plant can be easily isolated and subsequently produced at an industrial level, making the anti-cancer medicines affordable to the common person.