Targeted in vitro and in silico assessment of Moringa oleifera leaf extract: inhibitory effects on adipogenesis and enhancement of insulin sensitivity.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the medicinal properties of Moringa, a traditional food of the Asian continent, namely India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Based on the effectiveness of moringa extract on metabolic disorders, a novel strategy utilizing indicators of the incretin pathway was investigated. Moringa leaf extract (MLE) at 1 mg/ml concentration demonstrated 85% of radical scavenging activity of DPPH radicals and efficient reduction of F2 + in Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay. MLE was authenticated by HPTLC fingerprinting, and UPLC-MS revealed the potent bioactive list. MLE showed anti-adipogenesis property by reducing the lipid accumulation in the adipocytes in comparison with the standard at 250 μg/ml concentration, which was shown in Oil Red O staining. Anti-adipogenesis property was studied by gene expression analysis of PPARγ, SREBP, and C/EBPα genes. The MLE further showed 60% of lipase inhibition at a 1 mg/ml concentration compared to the control orlistat. MLE action on intestinal neuroendocrine cell line demonstrated 60% of DPP4 inhibition and was justified by suppression of DPP4, AMPK, and NQO1 genes by RT-PCR analysis. Further on L-cell, the MLE stimulated the secretion of GLP-1 by 25% at its efficient concentration. The docking studies of potent ligands against DPP4 and lipase enzymes validated the experimental results. These findings indicate that MLE has inhibitory effects on adipogenesis and insulin sensitivity, making it a potential candidate for preventing insulin resistance-related adipogenesis.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-025-04395-2.