Purpose

Moringa oleifera (MO) is a herbal remedy that is rich in essential amino acids and phytochemicals in the leaves, seeds and pods. It is becoming a famous food in various ethnic groups, and the consumption is increasing worldwide. However, there is no safety profile of the hydroalcoholic MO leaf extracts, or documented teratogenicity aspect. This study was sought to compare the antioxidant activity and the teratogenicity of hydroalcoholic MO leaf extracts in the zebrafish embryo.

Design/methodology/approach

MO leaves were extracted with aqueous alcohols (ethanol or methanol: water, 80:20 v/v) using the Soxhlet method. The antioxidant capacity was determined using DPPH assay. The concentrations of extracts ranging from 3 to 1,000 µg/mL were used to examine the toxicity and teratogenicity on the zebrafish embryo.

Findings

Both hydroalcoholic MO leaf extracts were positive for alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, coumarins, quinones and glycosides, except saponins only absent in aqueous methanol extract. The antioxidant capacity based on lC₅₀, was 15.92 ± 3.62 mg/mL for aqueous methanolic and 25.28 ± 2.89 mg/mL for aqueous ethanolic extract. For acute toxicity, the aqueous methanolic extract has lower LC₅₀ (163.87 ± 12.88 µg/mL) compared to aqueous ethanolic extract (337.48 ± 30.04 µg/mL). The embryo treated with aqueous methanolic extract showed phenotypic defect but not on the aqueous ethanolic extract.

Originality/value

This study suggests that aqueous methanol of MO leaves extract has better antioxidant capacity compared to ethanol, and ethanolic leaf extract is safer (higher LC50 and no teratogenicity) than methanolic extract.

中文翻译：

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水醇辣木叶片提取物的抗氧化活性和斑马鱼致畸性

目的

辣木（MO）是一种草药，在叶子，种子和豆荚中富含必需氨基酸和植物化学物质。它正在成为各个民族的著名食品，并且在世界范围内的消费量正在增加。但是，没有水合MO叶提取物的安全性或有致畸性方面的文件。该研究旨在比较斑马鱼胚胎中抗氧化活性和水合MO叶提取物的致畸性。

设计/方法/方法

使用索氏提取法用含水醇（乙醇或甲醇：水，80:20 v / v）提取MO叶片。抗氧化剂能力使用DPPH测定法测定。提取物的浓度为3至1,000 µg / mL，用于检查斑马鱼胚胎的毒性和致畸性。

发现

两种水醇MO叶提取物对生物碱，萜类化合物，类固醇，单宁，类黄酮，酚，香豆素，醌和糖苷均呈阳性，但仅在甲醇水溶液中不存在皂苷。基于lC ₅₀的抗氧化剂容量，对于含水甲醇溶液为15.92±3.62mg / mL，对于含水乙醇提取物为25.28±2.89mg / mL。对于急性毒性，与乙醇水溶液（337.48±30.04 µg / mL）相比，甲醇水溶液的LC ₅₀低（163.87±12.88 µg / mL）。用含水甲醇提取物处理的胚胎表现出表型缺陷，但是在含水乙醇提取物上没有表现出缺陷。

创意/价值

这项研究表明，MO叶片提取物的含水甲醇比乙醇具有更好的抗氧化能力，而乙醇叶片提取物比甲醇提取物更安全（LC50更高，无致畸性）。