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PubMed2001

Bioavailability trials of beta-carotene from fresh and dehydrated drumstick leaves (Moringa oleifera) in a rat model.

Male albino rats (Charles Foster, n = 40) were fed a synthetic diet deficient in vitamin A for 4 weeks. Six rats died during the depletion period. Of the 34 surviving, 5 rats were continued on the vitamin A deficient diet for 4 more weeks and 24 were repleted with vitamin A (4000 IU/kg diet) in the form of vitamin A acetate (group A, n = 8), fresh drumstick leaves (group B, n = 8) or dehydrated drumstick leaves (group C, n = 8) for 4 weeks. The remaining 10 rats were continued on the vitamin A adequate diet for 4 (n = 5) and 8 weeks, respectively (n = 5). A marked reduction in food intake, body weight, accompanied by clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency and a decline in serum vitamin A (29.2 to 19.1 microg/dL) and liver vitamin A (3.7 to 2.0 microg/dL) were seen at the end of 4 weeks of feeding a vitamin A deficient diet. On repletion significant improvements in clinical signs, food intake and body weights were noted in the three groups compared to the baseline (n = 5) and at the end of 4 weeks of depletion. The gain in body weight was highest for the group repleted with dehydrated drumstick leaves. Among the repleted groups, the serum vitamin A was highest for group A (34.7 microg/dL) given synthetic vitamin A, compared to group B (25.8 microg/dL) and group C (28.2 microg/dL) given drumstick leaves. All these were significantly higher than the serum vitamin A values seen at the end of 4 weeks of depletion (19.1 microg/dL). A significant improvement was also observed in the liver retinol levels on repletion for 4 weeks in the three groups, compared to the vitamin A depleted rats. These results imply that beta-carotene from drumstick leaves was effective in overcoming vitamin A deficiency although serum vitamin A levels remained somewhat lower compared to the group repleted with vitamin A acetate. In terms of growth parameters, the fresh and dehydrated drumstick leaves were better than the synthetic vitamin A. It is therefore concluded that in the developing countries like India, sources of vitamin A such as drumstick leaves are valuable in overcoming the problem of vitamin A deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Evaluation of hematological and hepatorenal functions of methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. root treated mice.

Methanolic extract of M. oleifera root was found to contain some alkaloids (total alkaloid 0.2%). Effects of multiple weekly (35, 46, 70 mg/kg) and daily therapeutic (3.5, 4.6, 7.0 mg/kg) i.p. doses of the crude extract (CE) on liver and kidney functions and hematological parameters in mice were studied. No alteration in hematological and biochemical parameters at low and moderate dose level of daily and low dose level of weekly treatment of the extract was observed. However, the extract at moderate dose level in weekly treatment changed serum aminotransferase and plasma cholesterol levels significantly. High dose in addition to the above parameters changed total bilirubin, non protein nitrogen, blood urea and plasma protein. High dose of daily treatment and moderate and high dose of weekly treatment of CE increased WBC count and decreased clotting time significantly. The results indicate that the weekly moderate and high dose (> 46 mg/kg body wt.) and daily/therapeutic high dose (7 mg/kg) of CE affects liver and kidney functions and hematological parameters whereas the weekly dose (3.5 mg/kg) and low and moderate daily/therapeutic dose (3.5 and 4.6 mg/kg) did not produce adverse effects on liver and kidney functions.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Role of 5-hydroxytryptamine in Moringa oleifera induced potentiation of pentobarbitone hypnosis in albino rats.

The role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in pentobarbitone (PB) sleeping time, gross behaviour, electrical activity of the brain and serum 5-HT level was studied in Holtzman strain adult albino rats following treatment with M. oleifera (MO). MO (350mg/kg) caused inhibition of awareness, touch response, motor activity, righting reflex, and grip strength. It significantly increased the PB sleeping time, serum 5-HT level (P<0.001) and alpha-wave activity. These observations indicate that the aqueous extract of MO potentiated PB induced sleeping time and increased the alpha-wave activity through 5-HT.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biochemical and physiological alterations in female reproductive organs of cyclic rats treated with aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera Lam.

Biochemical and physiological alterations have been observed in the genital tract of female cyclic rats treated with aqueous extract of M. oleifera Lam. Its administration caused a significant increase in the glycogen contents, protein concentration, activity of acid and alkaline phosphatase and the level of total cholesterol in all the organs at initial days of treatment. However, at longer days of treatment the values revealed a significant depletion. Initially its administration stimulated the uterine structures, caused metaplastic changes in the cervical epithelium and provoked considerable cornification in the vaginal epithelium. At later durations significant inhibition in the histoarchitecture was observed. Biochemical observations supplemented with the histological findings have been correlated with the anti-implantation action of the aqueous extract in the light of its hormonal properties.

Abortifacient Agents↗
PubMed2006

Using heterochrony to detect modularity in the evolution of stem diversity in the plant family moringaceae.

Organisms are made up of semiautonomous parts or modules, but identifying the limits of modules is not straightforward. Covariation between morphological features across the adults of a clade can identify suites of characters as putative modules. We contrast such an approach for delimiting modules with one that includes inferences of heterochrony, evolutionary change in the timing of developmental events. That two features show differing types of heterochrony is a strong indication that they are ontogenetically dissociated and belong to differing modules even though these features may covary across adults. We focus on xylem vessels (wood water conduits) and phloem fibers (bark support cells) in the stems of the 13 species of the plant genus Moringa (Moringaceae), which vary from massive bottle trees to tiny tuberous shrubs. Across adults, vessel diameter and number of phloem fibers scale positively and significantly with stem size and with respect to one another. This covariation across adults suggests that these features may be members of the same ontogenetic module, a finding that might be expected given that these cells both derive from the same tissue ontogenetically and are tightly functionally integrated in the stem. In contrast, ontogenetic data in the context of a phylogenetic hypothesis suggest that vessel elements and phloem fibers have undergone different types of paedomorphosis, heterochronic alteration to ontogeny producing adults of descendant species that resemble the juveniles of their ancestors. Vessels and phloem fibers would be expected to show differing types of paedomorphosis only if they are not ontogenetically coupled, and therefore it is likely that they are part of different modules; this ontogenetic independence was invisible to inference based only on adult covariation. Finally, we show reasons to implicate paedomorphosis in the diversification in life form of Moringa across the Old World dry tropics.

Evolution, Molecular↗
PubMed1998

Nutrient content of the edible leaves of seven wild plants from Niger.

Wild plants play an important role in the diet of the inhabitants of Niger. These plants tend to be drought-resistant and are gathered both in times of plenty as well as times of need. Used in everyday cooking, famine foods may be an important source of nutrients. The goal of this study was to investigate the nutritional role of wild plants in the nigérien diet. To this end, leaves of seven plants species were analyzed for their mineral, amino acid and fatty acid contents: Ximenia americana, Amaranthus viridus, Corchorus tridens, Hibiscus sabdarifa, Maerua crassifolia, Moringa oleifera, and Leptadenia hastata. Ximenia americana contained large amounts of calcium. Large quantities of iron were present in Amaranthus viridus. All seven plants contained significant amounts of selenium and phosphorus. Corchorus tridens contained the most protein (19-25% dry weight), and its composition compared favorably to the World Health Organization's standard for essential amino acids. Moringa oleifera contained 17% protein and compared favorably with the WHO standard. Corchorus tridens contained the largest amounts of the two essential fatty acids linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids. These results reinforce the growing awareness that wild edible plants of the Western Sahel can contribute useful amounts of essential nutrients, including amino acids, fatty acids and trace minerals, to human diets.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2005

Bangladeshi medicinal plant extracts inhibiting molecular interactions between nuclear factors and target DNA sequences mimicking NF-kappaB binding sites.

Several medicinal plants can be employed to produce extracts exhibiting biological effects. The aim of this work was to verify the ability of extracts derived from different medicinal plants of Bangladesh in interfering with specific DNA-protein interactions. The rationale for this study is based on the observation that alteration of gene transcription represents a very promising approach to control the expression of selected genes and could be obtained using different molecules acting on the interactions between DNA and transcription factors (TFs). We have analysed the antiproliferative activity of extracts from the medicinal plants Hemidesmus indicus, Polyalthia longifolia, Aphanamixis polystachya, Moringa oleifera, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Paederia foetida, Cassia sophera, Hygrophila auriculata and Ocimum sanctum. Antiproliferative activity was assayed on different human cell lines, including erythroleukemia K562, B-lymphoid Raji, T-lymphoid Jurkat and erythroleukemia HEL cell lines. We employed the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) as a suitable technique for the identification of plant extracts altering the binding between transcription factors and the specific DNA elements. We found that low concentrations of Hemidesmus indicus, Polyalthia longifolia, Moringa oleifera and Lagerstroemia speciosa, and very low concentrations of Aphanamixis polystachya extracts inhibit the interactions between nuclear factors and target DNA elements mimicking sequences recognized by the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB). On the contrary, high amount of extracts from Paederia foetida, Cassia sophera, Hygrophila auriculata or Ocimum sanctum were unable to inhibit NF-kappaB/DNA interactions. Extracts inhibiting both NF-kappaB binding activity and tumor cell growth might be a source for anti-tumor compounds, while extracts inhibiting NF-kappaB/DNA interactions with lower effects on cell growth, could be of interest in the search of compounds active in inflammatory diseases, for which inhibition of NF-kappaB binding activity without toxic effects should be obtained.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2003

Drumstick leaves as source of vitamin A in ICDS-SFP.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study is about to assess the feasibility and acceptability of introducing dehydrated drumstick leaves, (DDL) (Moringa oleifera), as a source of vitamin A, into the salty recipes provided by the supplementary food (SF) component of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) along with nutrition communication (NC). METHODS: An integrated approach was adapted in this study which included comprehensive training sessions for the staff of the ICDS and Non-government organization (NGO) involved in the SF preparations. Prior to the acceptability trials, data were elicited on the socio-economic profile and knowledge about vitamin A, from 60 children of 1-5 year of age attending two anganwadi centres of the ICDS. RESULT: From these, 40 children attending one anganwadi were supplemented with pre-tested DDL incorporated recipes (5-7 g DDI/100 g product) along with NC for one month. Spot observations and organoleptic evaluation results indicated high compliance of the DDL-recipes by the children. The results also indicated that the recipes were highly acceptable to the ICDS authorities as well as the NGO staff. CONCLUSION: The pilot study indicated that integration of NC along with the introduction of unconventional DDL, into the ICDS-SF, was feasible and can be endeavoured for a longer duration in the existing national programmes.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2005

Arsenic removal from the aqueous system using plant biomass: a bioremedial approach.

Metal species released into the environment by technological activities tend to persist indefinitely, circulating and eventually accumulating throughout the food chain, thus becoming a serious threat to the environment. Environment pollution by toxic metals occurs globally through military, industrial, and agricultural processes and waste disposal. Bioremediation processes are the target of recent research and are considered low-cost, ecofriendly methods to alleviate the current problems of water decontamination, particularly for remote and rural areas. The present piece of work reports the unexploited sorption properties of the powdered seed of the plant Moringa oleifera (SMOS) for the removal of Arsenic [As(III) and As(V)] from aqueous solutions. Sorption studies, using standard practices, result in the standardization of optimum conditions such as biomass dosages (2.0 g), metal concentrations (25 ppm), contact time (60 min) and volume of the test solutions (200 ml) at pH 7.5, for As(III) and pH 2.5 for As(V). Maximum sorption for As(III) and As(V) species is 60.21 and 85.6%, respectively. Protein/Amino acid-Arsenic interactions are found to play an important role in the biosorption process using plant biomass SMOS.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2006

Sorption of lead from aqueous solution by chemically modified carbon adsorbents.

An indigenously prepared, steam activated and chemically modified carbon from husk and pods of Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera), an agricultural waste, was comparatively examined as an adsorbent for the removal of lead from aqueous solutions. Studies were conducted as a function of contact time, initial metal concentration, dose of adsorbent, agitation speed, particle size and pH. Maximum uptake capacities were found to be, 98.89, 96.58, 91.8, 88.63, 79.43% for cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), phosphoric, sulfuric, hydrochloric acid treated and untreated carbon adsorbents, respectively. Bangham, pseudo-first- and second-order, intra-particle diffusion equations were implemented to express the sorption mechanism by utilized adsorbents. Adsorption rate of lead ions was found to be considerably faster for chemically modified adsorbents than unmodified. The results of adsorption were fitted to both the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Satisfactory agreement between the metal uptake capacities by the adsorbents at different time intervals was expressed by the correlation coefficient (R(2)). The Langmuir model represented the sorption process better than the Freundlich one, with R(2) values ranging from 0.994 to 0.998.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2003

An in vitro evaluation of some unconventional ruminant feeds in terms of the organic matter digestibility, energy and microbial biomass.

In vitro organic matter apparent digestibility (IVOMAD), true digestibility (IVOMTD), metabolizable energy (ME), net energy lactation (NEL), microbial nitrogen (MN) and synthesis of microbial biomass (MBM) were estimated to predict the nutritive values of some agricultural by-products, drought-tolerant range plants and browses. The relationships between in vitro gas production (GP), and true or apparent digestibility. MN and MBM were studied utilizing an in vitro incubation technique. The values of IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME, NEL, GP, MBM and MN varied with the studied experimental materials. The true fermentation of the outside part of Atriplex leucoclada produced a higher volume of gas than the middle or the inside parts, and this was associated with an increase in the values of IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME and NEL. However, screening off the wood from olive cake to obtain olive cake pulp increased the IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME, NEL and the volume of gas production from the true fermented material. One ml of gas was generated from the true degradation of 5 mg of wheat straw, Moringa oleifera, Alhagi camelorum, Eucaliptus camaldulensis and A. leucoclada, from 11 mg of Prosopsis stephaniana and olive cake pulp, and from 20 mg of olive cake or olive cake wood. The amount of MN or MBM produced from 100 mg of truly fermented organic matter depended on the kind of the fermented material and amounted to 0.7-2.9 mg or 8-34 mg, respectively. Crude fibre was negatively correlated to IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME and NEL. Gas production was positively correlated to IVOMAD and IVOMTD but negatively correlated to MBM and MN.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of natural coagulants for direct filtration.

In the present study surjana (Moringa oleifera) seed, maize (Zea mays) and chitosan were used in direct filtration of Bilaoli lake water and evaluated for their efficiency in removing turbidity and microorganisms from water. The experiments with these natural coagulants gave filtered water turbidity less than or almost equal to 1NTU and thereby met the turbidity criteria for drinking water as per WHO guidelines. Bilaoli lake water had low ionic strength and low turbidity which represents one of the most difficult raw waters to treat, but natural coagulants in direct filtration achieved good filtrate quality. The head loss development across the filter bed with chitosan was more than that of alum, while with maize it was comparable to that of alum. With M. oleifera seeds the head loss was much less in comparison to alum. The average most probable number (MPN) reductions obtained with M. oleifera seeds, maize and chitosan were 97.35%, 95.4% and 87.1% respectively, whereas, with alum it was only 7.7%.

Chitin↗
PubMed2005

Structure-function characterization and optimization of a plant-derived antibacterial peptide.

Crushed seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree have been used traditionally as natural flocculants to clarify drinking water. We previously showed that one of the seed peptides mediates both the sedimentation of suspended particles such as bacterial cells and a direct bactericidal activity, raising the possibility that the two activities might be related. In this study, the conformational modeling of the peptide was coupled to a functional analysis of synthetic derivatives. This indicated that partly overlapping structural determinants mediate the sedimentation and antibacterial activities. Sedimentation requires a positively charged, glutamine-rich portion of the peptide that aggregates bacterial cells. The bactericidal activity was localized to a sequence prone to form a helix-loop-helix structural motif. Amino acid substitution showed that the bactericidal activity requires hydrophobic proline residues within the protruding loop. Vital dye staining indicated that treatment with peptides containing this motif results in bacterial membrane damage. Assembly of multiple copies of this structural motif into a branched peptide enhanced antibacterial activity, since low concentrations effectively kill bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes without displaying a toxic effect on human red blood cells. This study thus identifies a synthetic peptide with potent antibacterial activity against specific human pathogens. It also suggests partly distinct molecular mechanisms for each activity. Sedimentation may result from coupled flocculation and coagulation effects, while the bactericidal activity would require bacterial membrane destabilization by a hydrophobic loop.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Home water treatment by direct filtration with natural coagulant.

Seeds of the plant species Strychnos potatorum and Moringa oleifera contain natural polyelectrolytes which can be used as coagulants to clarify turbid waters. In laboratory tests, direct filtration of a turbid surface water (turbidity 15-25 NTU, heterotrophic bacteria 280-500 cfu ml(-1), and fecal coliforms 280-500 MPN 100 ml(-1)), with seeds of S. potatorum or M. oleifera as coagulant, produced a substantial improvement in its aesthetic and microbiological quality (turbidity 0.3-1.5 NTU, heterotrophic bacteria 5-20 cfu ml(-1) and fecal coliforms 5-10 MPN 100 ml(-1)). The method appears suitable for home water treatment in rural areas of developing countries. These natural coagulants produce a 'low risk' water; however, additional disinfection or boiling should be practised during localised outbreaks/epidemics of enteric infections.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2003

Expression of a plant-derived peptide harboring water-cleaning and antimicrobial activities.

Drinking water is currently a scarce world resource, the preparation of which requires complex treatments that include clarification of suspended particles and disinfection. Seed extracts of Moringa oleifera Lam., a tropical tree, have been proposed as an environment-friendly alternative, due to their traditional use for the clarification of drinking water. However, the precise nature of the active components of the extract and whether they may be produced in recombinant form are unknown. Here we show that recombinant or synthetic forms of a cationic seed polypeptide mediate efficient sedimentation of suspended mineral particles and bacteria. Unexpectedly, the polypeptide was also found to possesses a bactericidal activity capable of disinfecting heavily contaminated water. Furthermore, the polypeptide has been shown to efficiently kill several pathogenic bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant isolates of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Legionella species. Thus, this polypeptide displays the unprecedented feature of combining water purification and disinfectant properties. Identification of an active principle derived from the seed extracts points to a range of potential for drinking water treatment or skin and mucosal disinfection in clinical settings.

Amino Acid Sequence↗