Abstract
BackgroundMoringa oleifera is a plant found in many tropical and subtropical countries. Many different uses and properties have been attributed to this plant, mainly as a nutritional supplement and as a water purifier. Its antibacterial activity against different pathogens has been described in different in vitro settings. However the potential effect of this plant leaf as a hand washing product has never been studied. The aim of this study is to test the efficacy of this product using an in vivo design with healthy volunteers.MethodsThe hands of fifteen volunteers were artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli. Moringa oleifera leaf powder was tested as a hand washing product and was compared with reference non-medicated liquid soap using a cross over design following an adaptation of the European Committee for Standardization protocol (EN 1499). In a second part of tests, the efficacy of the established amount of Moringa oleifera leaf powder was compared with an inert powder using the same protocol.ResultsApplication of 2 and 3 g of dried Moringa oleifera leaf powder (mean log10-reduction: 2.44 ± 0.41 and 2.58 ± 0.34, respectively) was significantly less effective than the reference soap (3.00 ± 0.27 and 2.99 ± 0.26, respectively; p < 0.001). Application of the same amounts of Moringa oleifera (2 and 3 g) but using a wet preparation, was also significantly less effective than reference soap (p < 0.003 and p < 0.02, respectively). However there was no significant difference when using 4 g of Moringa oleifera powder in dried or wet preparation (mean log10-reduction: 2.70 ± 0.27 and 2.91 ± 0.11, respectively) compared with reference soap (2.97 ± 0.28). Application of calcium sulphate inert powder was significantly less effective than the 4 g of Moringa oleifera powder (p < 0.01).ConclusionFour grams of Moringa oleifera powder in dried and wet application had the same effect as non-medicated soap when used for hand washing. Efficacious and available hand washing products could be useful in developing countries in controlling pathogenic organisms that are transmitted through contaminated hands.
Highlights
Moringa oleifera is a plant found in many tropical and subtropical countries
Micro-organism In order to test the efficacy of Moringa oleifera leaf powder, we used an adapted protocol of the European Committee for Standardization (EN 1499) [14] which is designed to evaluate the ability of hand-wash agents to eliminate transient pathogens form volunteers’ hands without regard to resident micro-organisms
Application of 2 and 3 g of dried Moringa oleifera leaf powder resulted in a mean log10-reduction of 2.44 ± 0.41 and 2.58 ± 0.34, respectively
Summary
Moringa oleifera is a plant found in many tropical and subtropical countries. Many different uses and properties have been attributed to this plant, mainly as a nutritional supplement and as a water purifier. The vast majority of diarrheal diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses and protozoa, Moringa oleifera is a plant that can grow to 5–10 meters in a year and it is cultivated in many countries from South Asia to West and East Africa [5] (Figure 1). While it grows best in dry, sandy soil, it tolerates poor soil, including coastal areas. Over the past two decades, many reports have appeared in mainstream scientific journals describing the nutritional and medicinal properties of Moringa oleifera, including treatment for malaria and intestinal worms, antifungal properties, malnutrition and as a water purifier [6,7,8,9,10]
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