Bioactive Moringa olifera seed extracts attenuates cholesterol gall stones in hyperglycaemic Swiss mice

Abstract

Gallstones (cholelithiasis) are thickened components of the lipid-modulating digestive fluid in the gall bladder. Commonly, cholesterol super saturation from excess cholesterol or inadequate solubilizing bile salts may result in cholesterol gall stone formation, while excess bilirubin because of liver damage or blood disorders may form pigment gallstones. Cholesterol gall stone formation is strongly correlated with diabetes mellitus and both diseases predispose patients to a high hospitalization rate. Recent studies have examined the potential ofMoringa oleifera as a functional food, highlighting the need to test different parts of the deciduous tree for its treatment or adjuvant efficacy. In this study, we report the gall bladder cytoprotective ability ofMoringa oleifera seed extracts and the hepatoprotective potential of the seed cake in hyperglycemic and cholesterol gall stone-induced Swiss mice. We show that the seed cake contains 37% protein and caused a 40% increase in body weight over 5 weeks, but the seed oil caused only a 15% increase in body weight over the same period, which supports the possible use of the seed oil as a functional food for weight loss. Seed cake treatment presented the potential for glycemic control, improved hematological and lipid profile and enhanced liver antioxidant activity. Seed oil increased blood high density lipoprotein content, and all seed extracts reduced hepatic sodium pump activity. Our results highlight the need to extract the active compounds in functional foods, as against using the whole plant parts as adjuvant therapies, and it makes a case for the antihyperglycemic and cytoprotective efficacy of Moringa oleifera seed extracts.