13-Week repeated-dose toxicity study of optimized aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera leaves in mice

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 2024-12, Vol.335, p.118637, Article 118637
• Main Authors: Galvão Silva, Nathália Regina, Costa, Wêndeo Kennedy, Assunção Ferreira, Magda Rhayanny, Breitenbach Barroso Coelho, Luana Cassandra, Lira Soares, Luiz Alberto, Napoleão, Thiago Henrique, Guedes Paiva, Patrícia Maria, Oliveira, Alisson Macário de
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Drumstick tree; Factorial design; Rutin; Toxicological evaluation; Traditional medicine
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118637

Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae family), commonly known as horseradish or tree of life, is traditionally used for various diseases, such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, neurological disorders, among others. To evaluate the toxicological profile of the oral use of an aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera leaves for 13 weeks in mice. Initially, a factorial design (23) was carried out to optimize aqueous extraction using as variables; the extraction method and proportion of drug. The 13-week repeated-dose toxicity trial used female and male mice, with oral administration of aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera leaves at doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg. The animals were evaluated for body weight, water and feed intake, biochemical and hematological parameters, urinalysis, ophthalmology and histopathology of the liver, spleen and kidneys. The extraction efficiency was evidenced by the extraction by maceration at 5%, obtaining the optimized extract of Moringa oleifera (OEMo). The oral administration of OEMo did not promote significant difference (p > 0.05) in the weight gain, food and water consumption of the control animals and those treated with 250 and 500 mg/kg. However, treatment with 1000 mg/kg promoted a reduction (p