Moringa Oleifera in Malnutrition: A Comprehensive Review

Recent Perspectives on the Pharmacological, Nutraceutical, Functional, and Therapeutic Properties of Moringa oleifera Plant

The "miracle tree," Moringa oleifera, has gained so much attention because of its spectacular nutritional profile and potential health benefits, making it one of the candidates for functional food product creation. The health benefits of M. oleifera are presented here in this review alongside its antioxidant conformation, bioactive constituents, and macro- and micronutrient conformation. Moringa is rapidly becoming a key and effective component in formulating healthy foodstuffs because of its outstanding anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activities. Investigation into the usage of moringa products in functional foods like dairy substitutes, powders, supplements, drinks, and even snacks is also part of the review. Notwithstanding the auspicious benefits, there are also contests with product development such as issues with sensory perception, active ingredient constancy, and budget constraints. Maintainable plant-based and healthy food demand across the sphere is pushing the novelty in the moringa industry. To improve the current contests and the scalability and suitability of moringa-based functional foods, this review concludes with a call for additional investigation.

Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract Improves Cognitive Function in Rat Offspring Born to Protein-Deficient Mothers

Background: Malnutrition during pregnancy and the first 1000 days of life can impair brain function and hippocampus development. Research has shown that protein deficiency (PD) in pregnant and lactating mothers can lead to neurocognitive issues from early life into adulthood. Moringa oleifera has been used as a dietary supplement for malnutrition; however, its neuroprotective effects on offspring with PD are unclear. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects of ethanol leaf extract of Moringa oleifera (EEMO) on rat offspring born to mothers who experienced protein deficiency during pregnancy and lactation. Methods: Female Sprague Dawley rats were given low (9% protein) or normal protein diets (18% protein) during pregnancy and lactation. Afterward, EEMO was administered to the offspring starting from the end of lactation for 5 weeks. Results: Offspring from mothers with protein deficiency showed low birth weight, slow weight gain, low BMI, low albumin levels, and anemia compared to those born with mothers fed with a standard protein diet. However, pups treated with EEMO showed higher cognitive improvement and a decrease in the ratio of abnormal to normal cells in the cornu ammoni (CA) CA1, CA2, CA3, and CA4 regions of the hippocampus. Conclusions: The present study suggests that EEMO supplementation could improve conditions of protein deficiency and cognitive function, making it a cost-effective dietary supplement for addressing these issues.

Augmenting phyto-chemical and phyto-mineral profiling of moringa leaf extract: A contrastive study of solid-liquid extraction methodologies

The global food system is plagued by legitimacy and stability issues due to climate and ecosystem disruptions, contributing to widespread malnutrition. A significant portion of the global population experiences undernourishment, overweight, and micronutrient deficiencies from unhealthy diets. Addressing these challenges necessitates regular consumption of essential nutrients from plant sources. Among various crops, Moringa oleifera leaves are highly nutritious, offering essential vitamins, minerals, and medicinal properties. Whence research was conducted to inquire the proximate phytochemical composition and extraction efficiency of moringa leaf extracts across four extraction methods: maceration (E1), Soxhlet (E2), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) (E3), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) (E4) using 70 % hydro-ethanolic solvent. The study detected the presence of phytocompounds and phytonutrients at higher levels in UAE and MAE extracts. Recovery yield was highest for UAE (21.81 ± 0.32 %) than conventional extraction methods (6.24 ± 0.08 %). Both advanced extraction methods resulted in higher TPC (148.86 ± 1.92 mg GAE/g and 137.65 ± 4.49 mg GAE/g, respectively) and TFC (23.18 ± 0.44 mgQE/g and 22.12 ± 0.61 mg QE/g, respectively). Protein and ascorbic acid contents followed a similar trend, with UAE achieving 148.66 ± 3.74 mg/ml and 620.25 ± 1.42 mg/100g, respectively. Antioxidant activity measured by DPPH assay was highest in UAE (86.25 ± 1.58 %) along with the lowest IC50 values (11.62 ± 1.58 μg/ml) in UAE. Furthermore, ICP-OES analysis revealed higher concentrations of essential phyto-minerals in moringa leaf extracts. Moreover, SEM analysis revealed significant morphological disruptions in the leaf samples, correlating with higher phytomolecules recovery. The outcome of the research is that novel extraction methods significantly enhanced the extraction efficiency and quality of bioactive compounds from moringa leaves, suggesting their potential in the development of nutraceutical and biofortified food products to expunge malnutrition.

Harnessing carboxymethyl cellulose and Moringa oleifera seed husks for sustainable treatment of a multi-metal real waste

This study aimed to evaluate effective treatment strategies for laboratory waste with an initial pH of 1.0, containing Cr6+, Mn2+, Co2+, Fe3+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Sr2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ ions, focusing on flocculation, precipitation, and adsorption techniques. The study utilized microparticles derived from Moringa oleifera seed husks (MS), cryogels of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and hybrid cryogels combining CMC and MS (CMC-MS25 and CMC-MS50) as adsorbents. The optimal strategy involved raising the pH to 7 using NH4OH, leading to the partial precipitation of metal ions. The remaining supernatant was then passed through columns packed with the aforementioned adsorbents. Utilizing CMC-MS25 and CMC-MS50 adsorbents resulted in the simultaneous removal of over 90% of the targeted metal ions. The adsorption of Cu2+ ions onto the adsorbents was facilitated by electrostatic interactions between Cu2+ ions and carboxylate groups, as well as Cu-OH chelation, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Under optimized conditions, the fixed-bed column adsorption capacity was determined as 88.2 mg g-1. The CMC-MS25 adsorbents proved reusable at least 5 times, with the recovered Cu2+ ions potentially suitable for other processes. The scalability and feasibility of producing these novel adsorbents suggest a promising, cost-effective solution for treating complex matrices and recovering high-value metals, as copper.

Moringa oleifera leaves ethanolic extract counteracts cortical neurodegeneration induced by aluminum chloride in rats

Background

Aluminum, a well-recognized neurotoxin, is implicated in various neurodegenerative disorders. Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera), known as a miracle tree, is utilized as a functional food and nutritional supplement. This study investigates the potential preventive effects of M. oleifera extract on aluminum chloride (AlCl3)-induced cortical neurodegeneration in rats.

Materials and methods

Therefore, 24 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four distinct groups: negative control, M. oleifera extract (MOE), AlCl3, and AlCl3 + MOE. Treatments were administered orally for 28 consecutive days. Cognitive performance, brain oxidative/nitrosative stress, neuroinflammation, apoptotic-cell death, and associated histopathological alterations were assessed.

Results

Our results showed that MOE improved spatial learning and memory, enhanced antioxidant superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, antagonized nitrosative stress, reduced inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6), decreased caspase-3, increased Bcl-2, and facilitated repair of cortical and hippocampal structures.

Conclusions

We concluded that MOE exhibits protective effects against cortical neurodegeneration, making it a promising supplement to counteract aluminum-induced neurotoxic effects.

The Impact of Moringa oleifera Supplementation on Anemia and other Variables during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: A Narrative Review

Moringa is a plant commonly used for its medical properties. However, studies have shown contradictory results. The aim of this review is to evaluate the possible association between the use of Moringa during pregnancy and breastfeeding in relation to the health status of both the mother and the baby. A search of the PubMed and EMBASE databases on the literature published during the period 2018-2023 was conducted up until March 2023. The population/exposure/comparison/outcome (PECO) approach was used to select studies on pregnant women, mother-child pairs, and the use of Moringa. Out of the 85 studies initially identified, 67 were excluded, leaving 18 for full-text evaluation. After assessment, 12 were finally included in the review. In the articles included in this work, Moringa is administered during pregnancy or in the postnatal period in the form of leaf powder (MOLP), as a leaf extract (MLE), as an ingredient associated with other supplements or in preparations. It appears to influence several variables during pregnancy and in the postnatal period such as the mother's haematochemical profile, milk production, the child's socio-personal development and the incidence of morbidity during the first 6 months of life. None of the studies analysed reported contraindications to the use of the supplement during pregnancy and lactation.