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The leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam possess some potential medicinal value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of M. oleifera leaf powder and its extract against hyperlipidemia in rats. Adult male albino rats were divided into six groups. The first group was fed on a basal diet that served as a negative control, whereas the others were fed on a high-fat diet (HFD) containing moringa leaf powder at 0.737% or 1.475% or administered daily with 200 or 400 mg dry moringa leaf extract/kg bw for 60 days. A positive control group was fed on the HFD. Serum indices related to lipid profile, oxidative status, and liver function were analyzed. Feeding rats on an HFD containing moringa leaf powder at 0.737% or an oral dose of its dry extract at 400 mg/kg bw alleviated the harmful elevation of cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, malondialdehyde, and the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in serum that were induced by the HFD. This is the first study demonstrating the hypocholesterolemic effect of M. oleifera leaf powder.

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The present study was carried out to maintain aromatic extracts of Melissa using different techniques (water distillation, steam distillation and extraction with acetone). The volatile components of these extracts were identified. Likewise, the antioxidative properties and antimicrobial activity of these extracts were determined. Data confirmed that the yield percent of acetone oleoresin extract was higher than both of water distillation and steam distillation extracts. Moreover, fractionation of volatile components using GC/MS technique showed the ability of acetone to extract more components than that of other techniques. In addition to being more effective in extracting higher amounts of sesquiterpene and phenols fractions. Odor threshold level confirmed that the concentration up to 1000 ppm from either water distillation or steam distillation extracts could be mixed with sunflower oil without affecting its odor, while acetone oleoresin extract could be used at concentration up to 800 ppm. Likewise, the different aromatic extracts of melissa exhibited antioxidative properties on sunflower oil. However, acetone oleoresin was markedly superior to that of water distillation as well as steam distillation extracts as antioxidant agents. This could probably attributable to the high content of some active components such as phenolic compounds in the acetone oleoresin extract. Also, antioxidant synergistic effect was observed for a mixture of 200 ppm tested extracts and BHT at 100 ppm. However, a mixture includes acetone oleoresin extract was the most effective as an antioxidant on sunflower oil. In conformity with antimicrobial activity, all tested extracts exhibited antimicrobial activities, however acetone oleoresin extract appeared the most potential antimicrobial spectra.