Enzymatic biotransformation of Momordica charantia fruit with enhancement of chemical constituents and anti-adipogenic effects

Momordica charantia fruit extract was subjected to enzymatic oxidation using a mushroom-derived oxidative enzyme preparation obtained from Agaricus bisporus . Subsequent phytochemical investigation led to the isolation of two new furanone derivatives, momordafuranones A ( 1 ) and B ( 2 ), along with five known compounds ( 3 – 7 ). The chemical structures of the new compounds were elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and HRFABMS data. Quantitative HPLC analysis demonstrated that enzymatic oxidation markedly increased the abundance of several constituents in the extract. Notably, compound 2 , the major oxidation product, exhibited potent biological activities, including pancreatic lipase inhibition (IC 50 value: 6.2 ± 0.2 μM) and significant suppression of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Lipid accumulation was markedly reduced even at a low concentration of 5 μM, as confirmed by triglyceride quantification and Oil Red O staining. These findings suggest that mushroom-derived oxidative biotransformation may represent an effective strategy for enriching bioactive metabolites from natural products and that momordafuranone B ( 2 ) may serve as a promising multifunctional lead compound for the development of natural anti-obesity agents