Efficacy of Hot Tea Infusion vs. Ethanolic Extract of Moringa oleifera for the Simultaneous Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver, Hyperlipidemia, and Hyperglycemia in a Murine Model Fed with a High-Fat Diet

Abstract

Moringa oleifera (MO) is a native tree of Asia and is cultivated in some areas of Mexico as part of traditional horticulture. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of MO infusion vs. MO ethanolic extract for the simultaneous treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia in a murine model fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). BALB/c mice were fed a balanced diet (healthy control) or an HFD for 6 months. With this, the NAFLD model was established before starting a therapeutic intervention with MO for two months. The phytochemical analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance in ¹H and ¹³C experiments showed signals for pyrrole alkaloids and triterpenes as the main constituents of the extract and infusion preparation. A significant reduction of SGPT, SGOT, lipids, urea, and glucose in blood among NAFLD groups treated with MO (infusion or extract) was found, when compared to the NAFLD-placebo group. Steatosis and liver inflammation were found to be decreased in the MO groups, as infusion or ethanolic extract. Infusion produced a better therapeutic effect than the extract in all parameters, except glycemic control, where the extract was better. As an additional finding, it is noteworthy that treatment with MO, particularly through infusion, resulted in improved motor activity. Moreover, a reduction in anxiety-like behavior was observed exclusively with the administration of infusion. These observations provide valuable insights into the potential broader effects of Moringa oleifera beyond the primary aim of the study.

Figure 1

General diagram of the research. BALB/c mice were fed a balanced diet (healthy control) or a high-fat diet for 6 months. With this, the NAFLD model was established before starting a therapeutic intervention with MO for 2 months.

Figure 2

Food intake and body weight evolution in the groups. (a) Food intake; (b) body weight evolution. All values are expressed as mean ± SEM, (n = 11); the differences of Tukey's post hoc analysis are marked when they are significant: ^Ap ≤ 0.05, healthy vs. NAFLD model genesis, ^Bp ≤ 0.05, healthy vs. NAFLD-placebo, ^Cp ≤ 0.05, healthy vs. NAFLD-MO infusion, ^Dp ≤ 0.05, NAFLD-placebo vs. NAFLD-MO infusion, and ^Ep ≤ 0.05, NAFLD-MO extract vs. NAFLD-MO infusion. The comparisons between NAFLD-placebo vs. NAFLD-MO extract and healthy vs. NAFLD-MO extract did not show statistically significant differences at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05.

Figure 3

Glucose tolerance curve in the groups. (a) Baseline: before starting the treatments, the healthy group obtained significantly lower glucose levels (at all measurement times, basal, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes compared to all NAFLD groups (p < 0.001). (b) After treatment: at the end of the treatment with MO. (c) AUCs of glucose levels (mg^.min/dl) calculated according to trapezoid rules with those from OGTT. All values are expressed as mean ± SEM, and differences from paired t-test analysis are marked when they are significant: ^Ap < 0.05, healthy vs. NAFLD-placebo, ^Bp < 0.05, healthy vs. NAFLD-MO ethanolic extract, ^Cp < 0.05, healthy vs. NAFLD-MO infusion, ^Dp < 0.05, NAFLD-placebo vs. NAFLD-MO ethanolic extract, and ^Ep < 0.05, NAFLD-MO ethanolic extract vs. NAFLD-MO infusion. n = 11 per group.

Figure 4

Histopathological parameters in the groups. It is possible to observe that the liver tissues in the standard diet (SD) group do not show pathological changes. The NAFLD-placebo group shows a greater presence of signs of steatosis and inflammation than the liver tissues of the groups treated with NAFLD-MO. As an example, the black arrow shows an area of steatosis, while the blue arrow shows the presence of inflammatory cells. Microphotographs stained with hematoxylin and eosin at xx magnification, with the framed area presumably at ×200 magnification.