Malunggay Research

      The seeds of Malunggay, Moringa oleifera, were extracted with distilled ethanol and concentrated under reduced pressure at 40oC.  The resulting extract was partitioned between hexane, ethylacetate, butanol and water.  The solvent fractions were likewise concentrated under reduced pressure.

            The crude ethanol extract of dried seeds inhibited the carrageenan-induced inflammation in the hind paw of mice by 85% at a dosage of 3 mg/g body weight while the mature green seeds by 77%.  The hexane fraction of the crude ethanol extract of the dried seeds also inhibited inflammation by 77% at the same dosage while both butanol and water fractions inhibited inflammation by only 34%.  These results indicate the strong anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanol extract and the hexane fraction.
              
            On the other hand, the ethylacetate fraction caused a 267% increase in inflammation and exhibited toxicity.  The mice died after oral administration of the fraction.  The crude ethanol extract also inhibited the formation of Epstein-Barr virus-early antigen (EBV-EA) induced by 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA).  At a dosage of 100?g/ml, the extract inhibited EBV-EA formation by 100% suggesting its anti-tumor-promoting activity.