Moringa extract reverses pilocarpine-induced hippocampal sclerosis in rats with temporal lobe epilepsy

The horseradish tree "Moringa oleifera" is the most nutritious terrestrial plant around the globe. Although native to India, its fast growth and drought resistance ability enabled the plant to be cultivated worldwide. In the current study, we report on the isolation of a new phenolic methyl ester namely moringinine A (1) along with four other known compounds viz. caffeic acid (2), ferulic acid (3), 4-hydroxybenzonitrile (4), and 4-hydroxy-phenyl acetic acid (5) from Moringa seeds. The later compound was first to be isolated from family Mor-ingaceae. Compounds identification was guided by interplay of NMR and HR-ESI-MS analysis. Anti-epileptic studies conducted in vivo showed that the extract attenuates convulsions by suppressing stress-induced pro -inflammatory markers TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, and IFN-gamma whereas upregulating the anti-inflammatory markers TGF-beta and IL-10 in the hippocampal tissues of epileptic rats. The isolated compounds were subjected to computational studies through docking on lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), where all showed binding modes and interaction energies comparable to those of the reference drug diazepam. ADME investigation revealed good pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness properties. These results show that Moringa oleifera seeds could potentially be used as adjuvant in the management of epilepsy.