Phytochemical Analysis and Antihyperuricemic Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Moringa oleifera Seeds

Background: Moringa oleifera is a popular plant that has been known to have several importance biological activities. Objectives: To perform phytochemical analysis, to in vivo evaluate the antihyperuricemic activity and to measure the inhibition of ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera seed on xanthine oxidase enzyme. Materials and Methods: The seed were collected from Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Extraction was performed by maceration method with ethanol 96% as a solvent. Thin layer chromatography (TLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometric UV-Vis were used to determine the phytochemical contents. The antihyperuricemic activity was evaluated by using in vivo model of rat induced by potassium oxonate. The xanthin oxidase inhibitory activity was also determined by spectroscopic method by measuring the catalytic rate of xanthin oxidase enzyme. Results: Phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, saponin and tannin. Quantitative determination of total flavonoids and quercetin concentration found the values of 82.17 ± 0.684 mg QE/g and 0.5131 ± 0.0022 mg/g dried extract, respectively. Ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera seed have potential antihyperuricemic activity in which it can significantly reduce the serum uric acid level on potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic rat model with the effective dose of 125 mg/ kg BW. Xanthin oxidase inhibitory activity showed the moderate activity with IC₅₀ of 88.39 μg/ml. Conclusion: This study confirmed the potential of Moringa oleifera seed ethanolic extract, growing in Sigi, Central Sulawesi to be developed as herbal medicinal source for antihyperuricemic drug.