Moringa oleifera Lam.: A Rich Source of Phytoactives for the Health of Human Being

This chapter aims at providing an update on the multiple uses of the extracts of one of the richest and promising natural sources ever considered in the field of chemistry of natural products: Moringa oleifera Lam. The first part of this review will supply a full description of the phytochemicals that are present in organs of the plant and may contribute to the health of human beings. A special focus will be placed on its glucosinolates and their derivative products, ITCs. The latter are increasingly catching the attention of researchers because they were found to be active against a wide range of human diseases, including cancer. Polyphenols and nutrients of M. oleifera also will be discussed. The purpose is to supply, where available, the techniques of extraction and/or isolation and characterization of these phytochemicals. Furthermore, the techniques available for their quantitative analysis will be analyzed, and the biological, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic properties attributed to each chemical class of phytochemicals will be discussed. The second part will focus on a particular and traditional application of this plant that dates back to ancient times. A detailed update will be given on the use of M. oleifera extracts to promote plant growth and stimulate plant adaptation to environmental stress. Although this traditional use is well documented in research papers from the late 20th century, only more recent studies shed light on the molecular profile that is thought to be responsible for the observed effect. We will provide details, where available, on the formulation and the use of the extracts for stimulating plant growth and, more importantly, we will analyze the content of such preparations in terms of the content of active species, such as the phytohormones. The several chemical classes of phytohormones that are reported to be present in these extracts will be exposed and the analytical techniques employed for their quantification will be discussed. Moreover, a brief update on the use of such extracts for animal feeding will be provided. Thus, this review is intended to be of interest for the medicinal and organic chemist, together with the general expert in the field of natural compounds. To lay the basis for the preparation of the review, we will undertake a detailed literature search using the main scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, Reaxys, and SciFinder) for collecting and organizing the sources, considering both recent patent and scientific literature data.