Title: Moringa oleifera leaf meal supplementation modulate serum lipid profile of rats fed protein and mineral deficient diets

Abstract

Moringa oleifera leaf meal supplementation modulate serum lipid profile of rats fed protein and mineral deficient diets Globally, malnutrition is the greatest risk factor for illness and death, particularly among pregnant women and young children. Protein deficiency causes severe and chronic infections, decreased nutrient absorption and direct nutrient losses. Micronutrients are central to cellular metabolism, maintenance, growth; support, prevent and cure various disorders in the course of life. Moringa leaves present a high content in micronutrients and macronutrients. Serum lipid profile of rats fed protein and micronutrients deficient diets supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) was evaluated. Male Wistar rats (220g-290g) were randomly assigned into 5 groups of five animals each, Group 1 was control; group 2 was protein-deficient diet without MOLM, groups 3, 4 and 5 protein-deficient diet supplemented with 3,5, 10 % MOLM. This was repeated for micronutrient-deficient rats. All animals were given feed and water ad libitum for 28 days. Serum lipid profile was measured using an automated chemistry analyzer. Protein deficiency led to significant (p<0.05) elevation of serum cholesterol and triglycerides in protein-deficient group compared to the control, which was slightly lowered with MOLM supplementation, but no significant difference (p<0.05) in HDL-C was observed in all the diets. On the other hand, micronutrient deficiency resulted in significant decrease in serum cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL-C compared to control (Table 1). This study revealed that MOLM supplementation mitigated the negative effect of protein and micronutrient deficiencies on serum lipid profiles in rats.