Effects of Water Crude Leaf Extract of Moringa Oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) on Normotensive Rat Blood Pressure and Isolated Duodenum

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is used in folk medicine for the treatment of many ailments among which, hypertension and intestinal disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypotensive and/or antihypertensive activity of Moringa oleifera leaf extract on normotensive anaesthetized rats by direct measure of the arterial pression and in the other hand, to determine its antispasmodic effects on isolated rat duodenum. Intravenous administration of aqueous leaf extract of Moringa oleifera (EAMO 5mg/kg-75 mg/kg body weight), caused a transitory dose-dependent fail in the mean arterial blood pressure of normotensive anaesthetized rats (p< 0.05). Moreover, hypertensive arterial blood pressure induced by phenylephrine 100µg/kg rat body weight, was completely abolished by aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera 10mg-40mg/kg body weight. The studies on isolated rat duodenum smooth muscles demonstrated that the aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera produced a dose dependent relaxation of these muscles (p<0,05). The extract decreases the contractile effects of Ach on these tissues doses dependently. These results indicate that aqueous leaf extract of Moringa oleifera possesses hypotensive, antihypertensive activity on normotensive anaesthetized rats and antispasmodic effects on isolated duodenum smooth muscle. This result can explain the traditional use of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts in the treatment of hypertensive arterial blood pressure, diarrhea and dysentery.