Extracts of Moringa oleifera leaves from different cultivation regions show both antioxidant and antiobesity activities

Moringa oleifera is rich in nutrients, such as protein, vitamins, and phytochemicals, and has been used as a traditional remedy. In this study, extracts of M. oleifera leaves from South Korea and Cambodia were evaluated for their antioxidant and antiobesity activities and for food and natural medicine use. The extracts were made using water and ethanol with leaves from South Korea and Cambodia, and then, the ethanol extracts were further fractionated with ethyl acetate. The antioxidant and antiobesity activities of fractionated ethanol extracts were higher than those of water extracts. Although the expression of C/EBPα in 3T3-L1 cell differentiation did not have a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on the M. oleifera leaf extracts, the expression of PPARγ, FAS, and ACC was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner with the M. oleifera leaf extracts. This study shows that M. oleifera leaves from South Korea and Cambodia may be an effective candidate for antiobesity prevention. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Antioxidants and antiobesity factors are important for metabolic syndrome including obesity. Recently, natural antiobesity medication containing polyphenol ingredients has been developed to replace synthetic antiobesity medication, which has various side effects. This study evaluates the antioxidant and antiobesity activities of Moringa oleifera leaves from different cultivation regions. The leaves grow rapidly and leaf extracts contain a large amount of nutrients and phytochemicals, which enables commercial production of the leaves as natural antiobesity medications including functional foods and nutraceuticals.