Moringa oleifera improves skeletal muscle metabolism and running performance in mice

Abstract

Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is a subtropical plant routinely used to treat inflammation and chronic disease. However, the mechanism of action of M. oleifera has not been fully elucidated. Thus, this study aims to evaluate its role as a novel ergogenic aid to improve exercise performance by driving signaling pathways implicated in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism in skeletal muscle tissue. To accomplish this, adult male C57BL/6 mice were treated with 1.0 g of M. oleifera (N = 20) per day or vehicle control (N = 20) for five weeks. Following three weeks of supplementation, half of each group (RUN) was given access to running wheels every night for two weeks (Remaining half = SED). After treatment protocols were complete, the gastrocnemius muscles were excised and assayed for markers of mitochondrial biogenesis, angiogenesis, endurance capacity, and capillary density using immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Our results showed a significant increase in average distance run in the M. oleifera + RUN compared to SED mice. In addition, key metabolic markers such as PGC-1α, PPARγ, SDHB, SUCLG1, VEGF, PGAM-2, PGK1, and MYLPF were increased in the M. oleifera treated groups compared to vehicle + SED. Moreover, M. oleifera also increased CSA and decreased markers of protein degradation. This data suggests that M. oleifera has the potential to be an ergogenic aid that enhances energy metabolism in adult skeletal muscle by increasing the expression of key metabolic markers.