Evaluation of effective lactogenic doses of Moringa oleifera ethanol extract in Swiss Albino Rats

Abstract

Introduction Breastfeeding is a foundation of child development health and survival, women with insufficient milk use Moringa oleifera in enhancing breast milk without standard doses and dosage forms. Literature review. Previous researchers evaluated single doses of crude extracts and demonstrated that they enhance milk production both in vivo and in human clinical trials, however, no researcher evaluated multiple doses to establish the most effective therapeutic dose. Materials and methods An experimental completely randomized parallel-group placebo controlled design which studied the effect of an increasing dose of Moringa oleifera on breast milk volume, serum level of prolactin and proteins in mammary gland of lactating rats three days after postpartum was used. Results The mean volume breast milk produced and the percentage concentration of proteins in mammary gland in the interventions groups did not differ significantly from control group i.e. p-value of 0.214 and 0.313 respectively. While doses of 13mg/kg to 42mg/kg produced a mean serum concentration of prolactin that was significantly different from the control i.e. p-value 0.025 to 0.00. A dose of 500mg/kg was associated with adverse effects and lead to a reduction in the volume breast milk produced in comparison to the baseline. Conclusion and recommendations. A dose of 100mg/kg produced highest increase in breast milk in comparison to the control, may be used as a benchmark dose in human clinical trials. Moringa increases serum concentration of prolactin, further research to determine the mechanism of action is necessary to identify the population that will benefit from this treatment.