Therapeutic potential of Moringa oleifera Lam. in metabolic disorders: A molecular overview

Abstract

Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) Lam. (family Moringaceae) possesses anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective properties. The present review aimed to explore the protective effects of M. oleifera Lam. against metabolic disorders and to serve as a guide for future research on this medicinal plant. Research data on the anti-diabetic and anti-obesity properties of M. oleifera Lam. were collected from Science Direct, PubMed, Springer, Google Scholar, Web of Science, etc. M. oleifera has a protective effect against metabolic disorders through the modulation of various signaling pathways involved in glucose and lipid metabolism. Specifically, M. oleifera enhances insulin sensitivity by activating insulin receptor phosphorylation and the PI3K/Akt pathway, which promotes glucose uptake by facilitating GLUT-4 translocation to the cell membrane. In addition, it improves energy homeostasis and lipid metabolism by modulating the AMPK pathway. Inhibition of inflammatory biomarkers (nuclear factor kappa B, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and lipid peroxidation markers (malondialdehyde, F2-isoprostanes), along with enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase), contributes to its anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects. This review suggests that M. oleifera Lam. modulates key signaling pathways involved in glucose and lipid metabolism and holds promise as a potential therapeutic agent for managing metabolic diseases.

Keywords

Moringa oleifera / Metabolic disease / Anti-diabetic / Antioxidant / Anti-inflammatory / Anti-obesity

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding

This study received no extramural funding.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Authors’ contributions

Conception or design of the work and supervision of the project was done by PVT. VVD was responsible for data collection. KR and MIH performed data analysis and interpretation, as well as drafted the article. MD and PVT made critical revision of the article. All authors contributed to the final approval of the version to be published.

Publisher’s note

The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Edited by Liang Q, Tan BJ

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