In vivo anti-arthritic and anti-nociceptive effects of ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves on complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats

Abstract

Background: The medicinal uses of plants are in many cases based exclusively on traditional knowledge without enough scientific evidences. Different parts of Moringa oleifera were traditionally used for the treatment of wide variety of ailments including arthritis and joints pain. The present study had been designed to evaluate the anti-arthritic and anti-nociceptive activities of ethanol extract of Moringa leaves, this being the most abundant plant part suitable for commercial mass production of botanical medicinal products.

Methods: Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats was used as disease model. CFA-induced inflammatory paw edema, body weight, arthritic index, X-ray radiography, hematological parameters, and walk track and locomotion analysis were all evaluated for the assessment of disease progression. In addition to that, anti-nociceptive activity was examined at different dose levels in both normal and arthritic-induced rats using Eddy's hot plate and tail flick thermal analgesia.

Results: The analysis of various arthritic assessment parameters used in this study revealed that Moringa extract has a considerable effect in preventing development or ameliorate arthritis disease severity. Moreover, the ethanol extract of Moringa leaves revealed significant anti-nociceptive activity at in both normal and CFA-induced arthritis rats in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion: Ethanol extract of Moringa leaves appears to be a really promising as analgesic and arthritis medication, but a larger and more detailed preclinical and clinical studies especially in human is highly recommended.

Keywords: Anti-nociceptive; Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA); Moringa and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Fig. 1

Percent increase in paw edema in CFA-induced arthritis in rats of CFA-control (no treatment), indomethacin at dose 2.5 mg/kg/day, E500 and E250 groups that were given Moringa leaves extract at dose 500 and 250 mg/kg/day, respectively. a: significant at p < 0.05 and b: significant at p < 0.001.

Fig. 2

Percent increase in body weight of normal control, disease control, and treatment groups. E500: the animal group that was given Moringa leaf extract at dose 500 mg/kg and E250: the animal group that was given Moringa extract at dose 250 mg/kg. a: significant at p < 0.05.

Fig. 3

Arthritic index for disease control group, indomethacin group, and two animal groups (E500 and E250) that were given Moringa extract at doses of 500 and 250 mg/kg body weight. a: significant at p < 0.05 and b: significant at p < 0.01.

Fig. 4

de Medinaceli walk track analysis of CFA-control rat. (A) Footprints of rat on day 0 and (B) footprints of rat on day 21 post arthritis induction.

Fig. 5

X-ray radiographs for hind paws of CFA-induced arthritis rats on day 22 post induction. 1: CFA-control; 2: animal given indomethacin; 3: animal given Moringa extract at dose 500 mg/kg, and 4: animal given Moringa extract at dose 250 mg/kg.

Fig. 6

Effect of ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves at different dose levels on latency time of normal rats measured using Eddy's hot plate thermal analgesia method. A 750 mg, 500 mg, 250 mg and 125 mg are animal groups given Moringa extract at doses of 750, 500, 250 and 125 mg/kg body weight. a: significant at p < 0.05 and b: significant at p < 0.001.

Fig. 7

Effect of ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves at different dose levels on latency time of normal rats measured using tail flick thermal analgesia method. A 750 mg, 500 mg, 250 mg and 125 mg are animal groups given Moringa extract at doses of 750, 500, 250 and 125 mg/kg body weight. a: significant at p < 0.05 and b: significant at p < 0.001.

Fig. 8

Effect of ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves at doses 500 and 250 mg/kg on latency time of CFA-induced arthritis rats measured using tail flick thermal analgesia method. A 500 mg and 250 mg are animal groups given Moringa extract at doses of 500 and 250 mg/kg body weight. a: significant at p < 0.05 and b: significant at p < 0.001.