Background: Typhoid fever, a severe febrile illness prevalent in tropical regions, remains a significant cause of mortality. Drug-resistant pathogens have spurred research into medicinal plants as alternative treatments. While previous studies have focused on the inhibitory effects of Moringa oleifera leaf extract, limited attention has been given to M. oleifera seed oil and its effects on Gram-negative bacteria. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-typhoidal activity of M. oleifera seed oil against both typed and clinical Salmonella typhi isolates.
Methods: The anti-typhoidal activity of M. oleifera seed oil was assessed using agar diffusion and disk diffusion methods. Phytochemical screening of the seed oil was also conducted to identify its constituents.
Results: M. oleifera seed oil exhibited negligible or weak inhibitory effects on clinical and typed S. typhi strains (p>0.05), in contrast to the substantial inhibition observed with commercial antibiotics. Ciprofloxacin demonstrated the highest zones of inhibition (≥30 mm) against S. typhi, while tetracycline showed the least pronounced inhibition (≤16 mm). Phytochemical screening of M. oleifera seed oil identified terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, tannins, and flavonoids, with terpenoids being the most abundant and flavonoids the least abundant.
Conclusion: M. oleifera seed oil lacks significant therapeutic potential for the treatment of typhoid fever. Its antibacterial constituents are minimal or absent, resulting in insignificant inhibition against S. typhi.
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