The antipyretic effect of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) leaf in male white mice

Abstract

Abstract. Ermawati EF, Samigun, Hadjanti ES. 2011. The antipyretic effect of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) leaf in male white mice. Biofarmasi 9: 7-11. The potential antipyretic effect of flavonoids in bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) leaf is one of the traditional medicines used. This research aimed to determine the antipyretic effect of the extract of bitter melon leaf in male white mice. This experimental research was arranged as a post-test-only controlled group design. Thirty Wistar furrow white mice at 2 months of age and 100 grams in body weight were used as animal models. Those mice were grouped equally into five groups, consisting of the negative control group (2 ml water), the positive control group (6.3 mg paracetamol/100 g body weight of mice/2 ml water), the first dose of the extract of the bitter melon leaf (0.756 mg/100 g body weight of mice/2 ml water), the second dose of the extract (1.512 mg/100 g body weight mice/2 ml water) and the third dose of the extract (2.268 mg/100 g body weight mice/2 ml water). The measurement of mice temperature was conducted before and 2 hours after being treated with the DPT vaccine and every 30 minutes post-treatment until 180 minutes. The result of this research was analyzed by using Anova statistical test and posthoc test. The result of the ANOVA statistical test showed significant differences among groups of variances, but there was no significant difference among times of variance. The result of the post-hoc test showed significant differences between the negative control group, the positive control group, and the extract of the bitter melon leaf group. This research concluded an antipyretic effect in the extract of bitter melon leaf in male white mice, but the effect was lower than the paracetamol effect.