Antihypertensive effect of water extracts from leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam. on spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract

The antihypertensive effect of water extracts from leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam. was studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Extracts (10 g of the dried leaves with 100 ml of water) were given to SHR by a single oral administration at 3 ml/kg body weight or by repeated oral administrations at 3 ml/kg body weight/day for 6 weeks. The water extracts contained 0.3 mg/ml of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Although the single oral administration of the water extract could not reduce systolic blood pressure in SHR, repeated oral administration for 6 weeks resulted in significant decreases compared with the control. These results suggest that the daily intake of Moringa oleifera Lam. was effective for prevention against hypertension.