Method: The degree of cytotoxicity of the extract was analyzed according to cell adherence (CA) and nitric oxide (NO) production. Cells were collected from bronchoalveolar lavage of male Wistar rats. The cells were resuspended in RPMI 1640 culture medium and placed in 6-well dishes at a concentration of 106 cell/mL. The samples were then kept in an incubator at 37oC and 5% CO2. The groups were divided as follows: Negative control group (CT): unstimulated cells; Positive control group (LPS): Cell stimulation by the addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS); Group EXT: adição do extrato etanólico a 13μg/μL.; Grupo ACT: adição de acetona; Grupo EXT LPS: adição do extrato etanólico a 13μg/μL e LPS. After 10 μL aliquots of cell suspension were collected and used to evaluate CA. After 24 hours, NO production was evaluated in culture supernatant
Result: In the CA bioassay was verified that 50 µL of Momordica charantia L. extract at a concentration of 13 µg/µL resulted in lower cell adherence than that in LPS group. When it was compared EXT and CT groups by Mann-Whitney test, no statistical different between them was observed (p=0.225). Thus, Statistical difference was observed between CT and LPS groups (p=0.004) and CT and EXT-LPS groups (p=0.002) also by Mann-Whitney test. In NO bioassay, the mean values of NO production in the EXT and CT groups were similar and not statistically different by t-student test (p=0.113). The results showed statistical difference when compared CT and LPS groups (p=0,017) and CT e EXT-LPS groups (p=0,014), by Mann-Whitney test.
Conclusion: Ethanolic extract of Momordica charantia L. was not cytotoxic for the macrophages under test.