Effects Of Moringa Oleifera On Mucosal Immunity During Malnutrition In Plasmodium Chabaudi Infected Mice

Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal species of the Plasmodium parasites, is commonly found in the Sub-Saharan African region, where more cases of malnutrition occur due to food insecurity. While it’s known that malaria affects gut microbiota, the contribution of malnutrition to this effect and mucosal immunity is not well studied. Due to drug resistance and sometimes limited resources, use of natural plant products for treatment of malaria is encouraged in these areas. One of the commonly used plants is Moringa oleifera, which has been used for hundreds of years as tea or in curries and other foods. Despite its widespread use, little is known about the beneficial effect of this plant to the immune system. We hypothesized that food containing Moringa would increase functionally activated immune cells during moderate malnutrition. Therefore, we investigated the effects of Moringa on gut immunity during malaria infection in a moderate malnourished murine model. We utilized a food-restriction diet to induce moderate malnutrition and investigated the adaptive immune response in the gut mucosal tissues. We observed that malnourished mice receiving moringa supplementation had increased expression of effector T cells, germinal center B cells, and slight increase in secretory IgA in the small intestine. Our data suggests that Moringa supplementation may have immune benefits during moderate malnutrition.