Moringa isothiocyanate-1 is bioaccessible and bioavailable as a stable unmodified compound

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a widely cultivated subtropical tree with a variety of documented medicinal properties. An ethanolic moringa seed extract (MSE) was shown to contain high concentrations of the stable moringa iso- thiocyanate-1 (MIC-1, 1 ). Compound 1 has anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties but has not been characterized metabolically. The objective of this study was to understand its bioaccessibility using a human intestinal model and bioavailability using serum from treated rats. Bioaccessibility of 1 , using the TNO Intestinal Model (TIM-1), was determined to be 61% and 62% in the fasted and fed states respectively. Compound 1 from the serum of treated animals was measured directly without prior chemical or enzymatic digestion. Bioavailability and pharmacokinetic studies were conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats treated with 50 mg/kg of 1 , either intravenously with pure 1 , or orally gavaged with MSE or 1, Serum levels of 1 were 6 to 12 times higher in animals dosed intravenously than in animals dosed by gavage with a half-life of about 2 h. Serum levels of 1 dropped to zero between 8 and 24 h for all three treatments. These results suggest 1 remains largely unmodified during uptake, unlike other isothiocyanates, and has favorable bioaccessibility and bioavailability characteristics for a potential therapeutic agent.