# Potential of the bitter melon Momordica charantia as a source of anthelmintics

> **NIH NIH R21** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $201,652

## Abstract

Abstract: Parasitic nematode (PN) infections remain a major threat to human health globally. More than 1.5
billion people are infected with PNs, with children, pregnant women, and the elderly especially susceptible to
morbidity from nematode infection. Control strategies are restricted to periodic de-worming of infected
individuals, which is limited by rapid re-infection rates and the inevitable development of drug resistant worm
populations. There are currently no vaccines available for human PN infections. Therefore, there is a clear and
pressing need for new drugs to treat PN infections to forestall the emergence of resistant isolates. Of the PNs
infecting humans, hookworms are arguably the most important due to their voracious blood feeding activities.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that hookworm currently infects 576-740 million
people worldwide. Infection may cause anemia and protein deficiency, causing gastrointestinal health
problems generally and retarded growth and cognitive development in children. The bitter melon Momordica
charantia is widely grown in areas where hookworm is endemic, and has been used as a traditional medicine
for parasitic infections and other disease in developing countries. Aqueous extracts of M. charantia (MCE)
have been shown to inhibit feeding of infective hookworm larvae (L3) and to kill adult and L4 hookworm in
vitro, as well as several other nematodes. Chemical identification and characterization of the biologically active
component(s) may lead to development of a drug to treat hookworm and other PN infections. Here we propose
to isolate the active anthelmintic compound(s) from M. charantia using mortality of the hookworm
Ancylostoma ceylanicum to screen fractions. In Aim 1, we will use natural product chemistry to separate the
active component(s) from the rest of the plant material and a bioassay to identify the active anthelmintic
compund(s) within MCE. In Aim 2, we will determine if the isolated anthelmintic can successfully treat
hookworm infections in vivo. Identifying the active components of MCE that are responsible for the plant’s
remarkable anthelmintic activity and confirming its in vivo activity may lead to the development of a new
anthelmintic for the treatment of hookworm and other PNs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10765700
- **Project number:** 5R21AI176230-02
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN M HAWDON
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $201,652
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-01-18 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10765700

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10765700, Potential of the bitter melon Momordica charantia as a source of anthelmintics (5R21AI176230-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10765700. Licensed CC0.

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