Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Award
Spring 4-16-2025
Abstract
Breast cancer has become one of the deadliest cancers to affect women worldwide. Although treatments have been developed, no cure has been found for this disease. An emerging field with cancer treatments shows how isoflavones can be critical to limiting hormone-related cancers. In this study, the effects of Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) extracts will be investigated in two separate cell lines. These cell lines include MCF-7 and G1P3 with the G1P3 cell line being the more aggressive cancer. Bitter gourd, which is mainly harvested in Asia, has been shown to display apoptotic features when contracting cancer. Although it is unknown how apoptosis is caused, a possible explanation could be due to their isoflavone composition. Bitter gourd is a diverse plant with many strains, specifically, this experiment deals with the observation of the Indian, Mara, and Hybrid strains. Despite each of these being a type of bitter gourd, their effects when being in the presence of breast cancer vary. The experimentation will deal with treating both cell lines with varying amounts of bitter gourd concentration across all three strains. After experimenting with these different strains, there is a conclusion that the Indian composition proves to be the most effective. Therefore, closer observation of the composition of isoflavones in Indian in comparison to the other strains must be made. As of now, it can be concluded that the Indian extract is the most effective in treating breast cancer cells. However, further research must be conducted to understand why this specific strain is more effective and how it could lead to the development of new cancer therapies.
Advisor
Venu Cheriyath
Recommended Citation
Colmenero, Eder, "The Effects of Diverse Bitter Gourds on Newly Formed MCF-7/G1P3 and MCF-7/Vector Cancer Cells" (2025). Honors Theses. 275.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/honorstheses/275
