Effect of Moringa oleifera on Mice Liver Transcriptome Based on High-throughput RNA-seq Technology

Purpose Moringa oleifera Lam. is a nutritious new food or feed resource. However, the effect of M. oleifera on the metabolism mechanism of the body is still unclear.

Method We detected the differentially expressed genes and metabolism pathways between M. oleifera diet group and control group in 18 mice. The tested mice were slaughtered after the test period of 3, 10 and 25 days, and liver tissues were isolated and their mRNA was extracted, respectively. The liver transcriptomes were analyzed by high-throughput RNA sequencing system. All RNA-Seq reads were mapped on the reference mouse genome (GRCm38) using TopHat v2.0.13 software. We calculated the expression level and identified the differentially expressed genes. The genes were annotated using GO and KEGG databases.

Results A total of 1 136 175 196 reads were obtained from the liver of mice. Compared with the control group, there were 1 227 differentially expressed genes that up-regulated or down-regulated in 50% MO group. Using gene ontology analysis, three gene ontologies were found to be enriched in the genes with different expression level: cellular process, cell and binding. The differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched 37 pathway in the KEGG database (P<0.05).

Conclusion There were a certain effect of M. oleifera leaves powder in the peroxisomes, viral myocarditis, steroid biosynthesis and other metabolic pathways in mice.