Acute Toxicity and Reproductive Effects of Cooked Moringaoleifera Leaf Extracts in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Moringa oleifera leaves are widely consumed for their nutritional and therapeutic properties, yet limited
data exist on the safety of their cooked extracts. Despite their frequent use in traditional medicine and diets,
the toxicological effects of solvent-extracted preparations after cooking remain unclear. This study aimed
to evaluate the acute toxicity and reproductive effects of cooked M. oleifera leaf aqueous and ethanolic
extracts using Drosophila melanogaster as a biological model, to establish solvent-dependent differences
in toxicological profiles. Fresh leaves were boiled at 90 °C for 60 minutes, air-dried, powdered, and
extracted using water & 60% ethanol. Extract yields were calculated, and serial doses (250–1250 mg/10 g
diet) were administered to adult D. melanogaster. Acute toxicity (LD₅₀) was determined by probit analysis,
and reproductive performance was evaluated through eclosion assays. Extraction yields were 9.50%
(aqueous) and 4.02% (ethanolic). The aqueous extract exhibited higher toxicity (LD₅₀ = 154.3 mg/10 g diet)
compared with the ethanolic extract (431 mg/10 g diet). Eclosion assays showed a numerical but
statistically non-significant increase in emergence for aqueous extract treatments, while ethanolic extracts
caused a dose-dependent decline in eclosion. These solvent-dependent variations suggest that watersoluble saponins and alkaloids may cause acute toxicity, whereas ethanol-soluble phenolics could disrupt
development. The doses tested approximate ~200–560 mg/kg/day human-equivalent levels. Overall, cooked
M. oleifera leaves display distinct solvent-specific toxicological profiles, emphasizing the need for dose
optimization and phytochemical characterization before dietary or medicinal use.