Abstract
Prior to the availability of chemotherapeutic agents, dietary measures, including traditional medicines derived from plants, were the major forms of cancer treatment. One such plant is M. charantia (Family: Cucurbitaceae), whose fruit is known as Karela or bitter gourd. M. charantia is believed to posse's anti-carcinogenic properties and it can modulate its effect via xenobiotic metabolism and oxidative stress. Different concentration (200 mu g - 800 mu g) of the crude water soluble fruit extract were treated (24 hrs incubation) separately with six different cancer cell lines 1321N1, Gos-3, U87-MG, Sk Mel, Corl - 23, Weri Rb-1 and normal L6 muscle cell line. The results also show that combining either temozolomide (240 mu M) or vinblastine (40 mu g) with (800 mu g) of the crude water-soluble extract of M. Charantia, result in significant decreases in cell viability for each cell line, these effects were additive compared to the individual effect of temozolomide or vinblastine.