Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Aegle marmelos fruit and Moringa oleifera leaf extracts on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV2 microglial cells

Purpose: To determine the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Aegle marmelos fruit and Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) Lam leaf extracts on LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cells. Methods: BV2 cells were incubated with LPS for 24 h in the presence or absence of A. marmelos fruit extract or M. oleifera leaf extract. Subsequently, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor a (TNF alpha), and interleukins (IL) 6 were assessed. Thereafter, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydraz (DPPH), 2,2 '-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) antioxidant assays were performed. Results: The levels of ROS, NO, TNF alpha, and IL 6 in LPS-treated BV2 cells were significantly higher when compared to those in control group (p < 0.05). However, exposure of LPS-treated BV2 cells to either A. marmelos or M. oleifera leaf extract led to significant decrease in the levels of ROS and inflammatory mediators, when compared with LPS-treated group (p < 0.05). Decrease in the levels of ROS and inflammatory mediators in M. oleifera leaf extract-treated cells was also significantly larger when compared with A. marmelos-treated group (p < 0.05). The DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays revealed that M. oleifera leaf extracts had greater antioxidant capacity than A. marmelos extracts. Conclusion: Aegle marmelos fruit and M. oleifera leaf extracts exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on LPS activated BV2 cells in an in vitro model. Therefore, A. marmelos fruit and M. oleifera leaf extracts may be agents in the development of novel anti oxidative and anti-neuroinflammatory herbal medicines, or as food supplements.