Anti-Allergic Action of Aqueous Extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves in Mice

Aims: The present investigation aimed to evaluate anti-allergic activity of an aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves (AqMOL) in three type I allergy models in mice.

Study Design: Anti-allergic assay of AqMOL was performed using three type I allergy models in mice.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Clinical Pharmacy, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, Nobeoka, Japan, from April 2014 to March 2015.

Methodology: AqMOL (300 mg/kg) was orally administered to mice three times daily from two days before treatments in compound 48/80 (48/80) stimulation and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction models, and scratching frequencies and Evans blue levels in the ears, respectively, after treatments were measured. In an ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization model, AqMOL was continuously ingested ad libitum by mice from day 0 to day 45, and scratching frequencies of OVA-sensitized mice were measured after an intranasal OVA challenge. Histamine and total and OVA-specific IgE levels in the sera were also measured.

Results: AqMOL significantly reduced scratching frequencies in the 48/80 stimulation and OVA sensitization models. In the PCA reaction model, AqMOL reduced Evans blue levels in the ears of mice after specific IgE injection, although not statistically significantly. In OVA-sensitized mice, AqMOL significantly reduced OVA-specific IgE levels in the serum, but histamine and total IgE levels were not significantly affected by AqMOL administration.

Conclusion: AqMOL was suggested to alleviate allergic symptoms through suppression of mast cell activation and/or improving the Th1/Th2 balance to Th1 dominance in allergic mice. The elucidation of mode of anti-allergy action of AqMOL may provide new insights into the usage of AqMOL as a functional food for the alleviation of type 1 allergy.