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Isothiocyanate‐rich Moringa oleifera extract reduces weight gain, insulin resistance, and hepatic gluconeogenesis in mice
Author(s) -
Waterman Carrie,
RojasSilva Patricio,
Tumer Tugba Boyunegmez,
Kuhn Peter,
Richard Allison J.,
Wicks Shawna,
Stephens Jacqueline M.,
Wang Zhong,
Mynatt Randy,
Cefalu William,
Raskin Ilya
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
molecular nutrition and food research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.495
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1613-4133
pISSN - 1613-4125
DOI - 10.1002/mnfr.201400679
Subject(s) - moringa , insulin resistance , resistin , medicine , endocrinology , lipolysis , gluconeogenesis , adipose tissue , insulin , biology , chemistry , food science , adiponectin , metabolism
Scope Moringa oleifera (moringa) is tropical plant traditionally used as an antidiabetic food. It produces structurally unique and chemically stable moringa isothiocyanates (MICs) that were evaluated for their therapeutic use in vivo. Methods and results C57BL/6L mice fed very high fat diet (VHFD) supplemented with 5% moringa concentrate (MC, delivering 66 mg/kg/d of MICs) accumulated fat mass, had improved glucose tolerance and insulin signaling, and did not develop fatty liver disease compared to VHFD‐fed mice. MC‐fed group also had reduced plasma insulin, leptin, resistin, cholesterol, IL‐1β, TNFα, and lower hepatic glucose‐6‐phosphatase (G6P) expression. In hepatoma cells, MC and MICs at low micromolar concentrations inhibited gluconeogenesis and G6P expression. MICs and MC effects on lipolysis in vitro and on thermogenic and lipolytic genes in adipose tissue in vivo argued these are not likely primary targets for the anti‐obesity and anti‐diabetic effects observed. Conclusion Data suggest that MICs are the main anti‐obesity and anti‐diabetic bioactives of MC, and that they exert their effects by inhibiting rate‐limiting steps in liver gluconeogenesis resulting in direct or indirect increase in insulin signaling and sensitivity. These conclusions suggest that MC may be an effective dietary food for the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.