Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,

I plan to do a science fair project that will investigate whether or not Momordica charantia, or more commonly known as bitter melon, lowers blood glucose levels in type II diabetics if it is incorporated into a person's daily diet. I was originally planning to perform an experiment where I would test on actual people, but my teacher told me that this might be difficult to do because there are too many variables (i.e. weight, diet, amount of sleep, etc.). She suggested that I possibly test on another organism such as mice or worms, and I was wondering if this would be a better idea or if it would be better to test on humans.

Thanks!

I am considering testing on mice so that I'll be able to have a more controlled environment for my experiment. However, I'm not exactly sure how many mice I would need. Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks!

Hi,

This is a fascinating topic for a science project. I do agree with your teacher that you should not do the project with humans.

If you can obtain diabetic mice for the project, you would need to plan the details of your experiment and get approval in advance from your local scientific review committee in order to proceed. Here is information about that process.


https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... _src.shtml


You would also need a way to measure glucose levels in the mice. Do you know how you would measure glucose levels in mice? Do you have access to facilities for raising mice? Do you have an idea for the experimental design? This project would require a huge commitment of time and resources. It would definitely be worthwhile, so let us know if you want to proceed with this, and we can offer additional advice for background reading and experimental design.

The question about the number of mice is a good question. The answer would be a minimum of at least 3 mice for each test group, and more mice per group (5) would be better. For a really good project, you would need to plan to repeat your experiment twice.

Another possibility would be to do a laboratory experiment on the Momordica charantia lectin that has been shown to have insulin-like properties. Here is an example of an abstract from a recent research paper:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 7808002411

This type of project would require access to a laboratory with tissue culture facilities.

Here’s an example of a research paper that studies the binding of sugars to the Momordica lectin:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 5087.x/pdf

You could also consider studying the chemistry of Momordica. Here’s the composition of this fruit with references from the following website. Your project could entail the purification and analysis of any one of these compounds:

http://www.hkjcicm.org/cm_database/plan ... erb_id=463


The fruit of Momordica charantia L. contains triterpene saponins: momordicosides A, B[1], F1, F2, G, I[2], K, L[3], aglycone of momordicoside Ⅰ[4], goyaglycosides a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, goyasaponins I, II, III[5], momordicin, momordicinin, momordicilin, momordenol[6], karavilagenins D, E , karavilosides VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI[7]; phenolic compounds: gallic acid, gentisic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin[8]; besides, it also contains momordol[6], charine[9], momor-cerebroside, soya-cerebroside, charantin[10].
The seed contains saponins: momordicosides A, B, C, D, E[11-12], momorcharasides A, B13]; it also contains α-, β-momorcharins[14], momordica charantia lectin[15].

For example, you could optimize the method for purifying the lectin from the Momordica using the following paper as a reference. The project would require electrophoresis equipment and chromatography columns, but you might have this type of equipment available in your high school laboratory.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 201251/pdf


Selection of the final experiment will depend on laboratory facilities you have available. I think it would be worthwhile to do more background reading and investigating to determine what resources and laboratory facilities you have available to do this project.

I hope this will help you get started. Do let us know if you need more advice.


Donna Hardy

Thank you for the advice! So, I think I would like to go forward with the mice idea. However, I'm not exactly sure how I could acquire diabetic mice for an experiment.

-Harrison

Hi,

This is a good choice of projects, but you have a lot of work to do before you can get started.

Here is a website that sells diabetic mice. The company has a toll free number, lots of information on caring for mice, and information on measuring glucose levels in mice. Don’t buy any mice until you have approval to do your experiment, but gather all of the information and as many low cost materials as possible. You can ask if the company ever donates mice for high school science projects. Start making a list of all of the materials you will need for your project. Do call the company and find out if they will sell the mice directly to you; some scientific supply companies will not sell directly to individuals.

http://www.jax.org/search/Main.jsp?sg=0&qt=diabetic mice&page=1

The second problem is designing your experiment. What do you want to accomplish with your experiment? You need to identify a standard dose of the bitter melon and this will be difficult because it contains so many different chemicals. It would be good to use a sample that has been analyzed. Perhaps you could find out what component of the Momordica charantia has insulin-like properties and used a purified chemical? You will need to determine a range of doses to use in the experiment and try to measure a dose-related response.

This project has the potential to be a top prize-winning project, but the key to making a significant contribution to this area of study is to read as many research papers as you can find. You need to find out everything that has been done before, and then decide what needs to be done next. You need to ask a question that can be answered with a unique experiment that has not been done before.

Donna Hardy

Hi,

So I contacted the Jackson Laboratory Company, and I think I would run into some issues if I did this project. It might be a hassle to get the mice because they require high school students to have a veterinarian to supervise the experiment. They also do not send mice directly to people or high schools. They will only send to established research institutions, colleges, or universities. They gave me some names of other companies that don't have as many restrictions, but their diabetic mice are much more expensive.

However, I also have another idea for a science fair project where I could investigate if pomegranate has any anti-bacterial effects on E. coli. I'm not exactly sure, though, how to expose the bacteria to the fruit.

Thank you so much for your help!
-Harrison

Harrison,

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair' Scientific Review Committee prohibits studies that using "Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents"
if microorganisms are cultured at home. I can't find it at the moment, but they are especially strict when it comes to the handling of Escherichia coli.

I would suggest that you seek the help of mentor and possibly conduct the experiment described in your original poster. It can be a challenging task but it can be very rewarding. If you want to receive top honors for your project you will want to have conduct your research in a valid laboratory setting especially due to the nature of your study. A friend of mine was disqualified at ISEF due to the fact that he completed the project at his home even though it was relatively safe.

Science Buddies has a lot of information in its' advanced project guide https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml to help you along the way and to find a mentor https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... tors.shtml.

You have a great idea for a project that has a lot of potential, so pursue it!

- Travis Sigafoos

Hi,

In order to find a lab to work in for the bitter melon idea, would you suggest that I maybe email some professors at local colleges? Or do you think it would be ok to work in a high school lab?

One of the reasons I might do the E. coli project instead would be because I actually know for sure that I'd be able to use my high school's lab, and my teacher would be able to supervise me.

Thanks!

Hi Harrison,

Travis has made some excellent comments that will be helpful in planning your project to avoid disqualification. It sounds like there were too many obstacles with the mouse project, so you are smart to be thinking about an alternative.

Working at your high school laboratory would be fine, and there are several strains of E. coli that are suitable for growing in high school laboratories. Does your teacher have a stock strain of E. coli available? You could also consider including other species of nonpathogenic organisms.

What were you thinking about doing with the pomegranate? You need to do background reading on this topic to find a unique experiment to do. What question about antibacterial properties of pomegranate do you want to investigate?

Donna Hardy

Hi,

Sorry to be jumping around between these two ideas, but actually, I would still like to do the bitter melon project. It's just that my main concern has to do with the rules regarding vertebrate animals for ISEF.

http://societyforscience.org/isef/rules/rules10.pdf

6) The final disposition of the animals must be considered and explained on Vertebrate Animal Form (5A). Euthanasia for tissue removal and/or pathological analysis is not permitted for a project conducted in a non-regulated site.

The lab company told me that the diabetic mice would unfortunately need to be euthanized after the experiment unless they are housed in an appropriate facility. If they were to be euthanized by a veterinarian, would this rule prohibit me from working in a high school lab or do I have to work in an approved research institution?

Also, since I am going to be measuring glucose levels and will need to take a small sample of blood from the mice, are there any restrictions regarding this procedure, or can it still be performed in a high school lab?

Thanks!

Harrison,

The mice will definitely need to be euthanized by a professional after the experiment is complete. You may want to contact Society for Science and the Public Scientific Review Committee and ask them yourself for approval. You may be able to complete the experiment at your school and then transport the mice to a animal hospital. You can email SSP at [email protected]. If they don't reply within a week, I would suggest calling them directly at (202) 785-2255. Let them know that you would like to have the contact information for an SRC leader that handles cases that involve vertebrate animals.

Unfortunately, you are not qualified to take the blood samples from the mice. That would have to be done by a professional. The hands on experimentation that will keep you busy is the analysis of the blood samples.

I still recommend that you find a mentor to help you with your project. Also, it is common in research involving mice to inject them with tracer substances before euthanization. Then you may be able to use 1 NMR spectroscopy to examine how the nervous system was affected and you also may be able to take some additional samples. The point that I am trying to make is, there are much more opportunities for higher level analysis in a college laboratory. In addition, it is less likely that you will run into SRC violations when it comes time to compete. The smallest of error in animal management could ruin the entire outcome of your research.

I hope this makes sense--this sounds like a great project!
- Travis Sigafoos