Effects of Moringa oleifera Oil on Adipokine Responses, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Bacterial Burden, and Early Survival in CLP-Induced Septic Rats

Abstract

Moringa oleifera has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but its effects in polymicrobial sepsis are incompletely defined. We evaluated M. oleifera oil (MOO) in female Wistar rats subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Forty rats were randomized to Control, Sham, CLP, CLP + MOO 100 mg/kg, or CLP + MOO 200 mg/kg (n = 8/group). At 24 h, survival, clinical scores, serum apelin, omentin-1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), recoverable bacterial burden, and histopathology were assessed. CLP decreased omentin-1 and increased IL-6, TNF-α, MDA, recoverable Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, clinical severity, and multi-organ injury. At 200 mg/kg, apelin and omentin-1 were 1.15 ± 0.12 and 28.4 ± 3.1 ng/mL, while IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA decreased to 18.4 ± 1.8 pg/mL, 24.1 ± 2.8 pg/mL, and 2.5 ± 0.3 nmol/mL, respectively. Neither organism was recovered above the detection limit. Survival was 62.5% in CLP, 87.5% with 100 mg/kg, and 100% with 200 mg/kg MOO. Within this 24 h model, a single post-CLP oral dose of MOO was associated with lower inflammatory cytokine concentrations and MDA, reduced recoverable bacterial burden, improved clinical and histopathological findings, and higher descriptive survival. Because MDA was the sole oxidative endpoint and no non-septic MOO-only group or molecular redox assays were included, these findings support the attenuation of sepsis-associated lipid peroxidation but do not establish a direct antioxidant mechanism.