Química Medicinal

Mini Review on Antimicrobial Activity and Bioactive Compounds of Moringa oleifera

Abstract

Lei Wang, Xiaoyang Chen and Aimin Wu

Moringa oleifera is a kind of woody tree traditionally used as a nutritional source and as a medicinal plant. It grows wild in the tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In China, Moringa oleifera trees are planted at a large scale in Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces. As a nutritional and medicinal plant, Moringa oleiferais a rich source of bioactive compounds with diverse pharmacological activities. It has been widely used in the treatment of certain diseases as a traditional medicinal herb. Antimicrobial activity is the most studied property of Moringa oleifera. Many studies have shown that the leaf, flower, bark, root, seed, and nearly all types of Moringa oleiferatissues exhibit antimicrobial activity including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic activity. This review describes progress on research conducted to understand the antimicrobial activity and related bioactive properties of Moringa oleifera compounds, and discusses the potential use of Moringa oleiferain the control of pathogenic microbes.