Phytochemical analysis and pharmacological evaluation of methanolic leaf extract of Moringa oleifera Lam. in ovalbumin induced allergic asthma
Sandhya Suresh, Abu Sufiyan Chhipa, Mansi Gupta, Sunali Lalotra, S. S. Sisodia, Ruma Baksi, Manish Nivsarkar
Abstract
The present study was carried out to evaluate the anti-asthmatic effects of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf extract (MOLE) on ovalbumin-induced asthma in guinea pigs. Extraction, preliminary phytochemical screening and HPTLC fingerprinting analysis of MOLE was carried out. Total phenolics and flavonoids in the extract were determined. Evaluation of anti-asthmatic effect of the extract was done in guinea pigs sensitized with OVA albumin. Dexamathasone was taken as standard drug, while the test extract was administered at two dose levels before challenging the experimental animals with aerosolized 0.5% OVA albumin. Animals were randomized and divided into 5 groups namely normal control (NC), disease control (DC), positive control (PC), Test group 1 (T-1) and Test group 2 (T-2). Bronchoconstriction and lung function tests were performed. At the end of study, blood was collected from animals in each group to take total WBC count. Leucocyte count was also taken from Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) collected from the lungs of animals belonging to each group. Histamine estimation in lung tissues was performed. Changes in lung tissue were observed by histopathological study. Extractive value of MOLE was 24.9%. Phytochemical screening of extract suggested that the extract is rich in broad classes of phytoconstituents including flavonoids, phenolics, glycosides and tannins. Fingerprint analysis was conclusive of the presence of multiple compounds in the extract. Total phenolics in the extract were found to be 9.8 g equivalent of gallic acid while the flavonoidal content was 0.46 g equivalent of Catechin. Administration of standard and test extracts resulted in improved lung functions. Methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaf has beneficial effects against bronchoconstriction, airway inflammation and asthma. Further exploratory studies may lead to identification and isolation of potential anti-asthmatic candidate molecules from the plant.