Sarfraz, M., Baboo, I., Farooq, Z., Khaliq, H., & Palangi, V. (2026). Synergistic protection: Integrating in silico and in vivo evidence for Moringa oleifera flavonoids as potent mitigators of deltamethrin toxicity. Research in Veterinary Science, 206, 106187.

Modern agriculture depends heavily on pesticides to protect crops and improve food production. Among the most widely used is deltamethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide valued for its effectiveness against agricultural pests. However, growing evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to this chemical may come at a biological cost, contributing to oxidative stress, liver and kidney damage, and impaired nervous system function. In a recent study published in Research in Veterinary Science, researchers, including Near East University scientist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valiollah Palangi, explored whether a natural plant long recognized in traditional medicine could help protect against these harmful effects.

The answer may lie in Moringa oleifera, often called the “miracle tree.” Native to South Asia and now cultivated worldwide, Moringa is rich in natural antioxidants, vitamins, and plant compounds that have attracted increasing scientific interest. Among its most important bioactive components are the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, molecules known for their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The research team set out to determine whether these compounds could reduce the toxic effects of deltamethrin by combining advanced computer modeling with carefully controlled animal experiments.

One of the strengths of the study is its integration of in silico and in vivo approaches. First, the researchers used molecular docking and computational toxicity prediction to investigate how deltamethrin and Moringa flavonoids interact with proteins involved in oxidative stress, liver injury, nerve function, and programmed cell death. The computer simulations showed that quercetin and kaempferol had stronger and more stable interactions with key biological targets than deltamethrin itself, while also exhibiting lower predicted toxicity and favorable pharmacological characteristics. These findings suggested that Moringa’s natural compounds might interrupt the molecular pathways responsible for pesticide-induced damage.

To determine whether these predictions translated into real biological benefits, the researchers conducted a six-week feeding trial using 250 Japanese quails, an established model in veterinary and toxicological research. Birds exposed to deltamethrin showed clear signs of toxicity, including poorer growth, impaired blood parameters, liver and kidney dysfunction, and a substantial increase in oxidative stress. In contrast, quails receiving diets supplemented with Moringa oleifera demonstrated progressive improvements as the supplementation level increased. The greatest benefits were observed in the group receiving 0.7 g/kg of Moringa, which showed significant recovery in growth performance, healthier blood chemistry, improved organ function, and restoration of antioxidant defenses.

The biological explanation behind these improvements centers on oxidative stress, one of the body’s most damaging cellular processes. Deltamethrin stimulates excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), unstable molecules capable of damaging DNA, proteins, and cell membranes. The researchers demonstrated that Moringa flavonoids help neutralize these harmful molecules while stimulating the body’s own antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). At the same time, they appear to suppress apoptosis—the process of programmed cell death—thereby helping protect tissues from further injury. The computational analyses and laboratory findings consistently pointed to the same underlying mechanism, strengthening confidence in the results.

Importantly, the study illustrates how artificial intelligence-supported computational biology can complement traditional laboratory research. Rather than relying solely on animal experiments, the researchers first used computer models to predict how natural compounds would behave at the molecular level before validating those predictions in living animals. This integrated strategy not only provides deeper mechanistic insight but also has the potential to make future toxicology research more efficient by guiding experimental design and reducing unnecessary laboratory testing.

Although additional research is still needed before these findings can be directly translated into clinical or agricultural practice, the results provide compelling evidence that Moringa oleifera may serve as a valuable natural strategy for reducing pesticide-induced toxicity. As concerns continue to grow over environmental contaminants and their impact on both animal and human health, identifying safe, plant-based interventions has become an increasingly important scientific priority. This study demonstrates that naturally occurring compounds can play an important role in protecting biological systems from oxidative damage while opening new opportunities for research in veterinary medicine, environmental toxicology, and functional nutrition.

To learn more about the study or explore potential research collaborations, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valiollah Palangi can be contacted at [email protected].

About the researcher

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valiollah Palangi is a faculty member in the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture at Near East University. His research focuses on animal nutrition, ruminal methane emissions, sustainable livestock production, functional feed additives, oxidative stress, and the application of natural phytogenic compounds to improve animal health and productivity. He actively contributes to interdisciplinary research integrating nutrition, veterinary science, and computational biology to develop innovative strategies for enhancing animal welfare and production systems.

Disciplines: Animal Science, Animal Nutrition, Poultry Science, Veterinary Science, Environmental Toxicology, Functional Feed Additives, and Computational Biology.

For collaboration and inquiries, he can be reached at [email protected].

Abstract

Deltamethrin (DM), a highly effective synthetic pyrethroid, has been associated with neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and pronounced oxidative stress, primarily through the generation of reactive oxygen species that damage cellular components. The present study integrates in silico molecular modelling with in vivo experimentation using a Japanese quail model to evaluate the toxic effects of DM and the protective potential of Moringa oleifera (MO) flavonoids, namely quercetin and kaempferol. In silico analysis revealed that DM possesses high predicted toxicity, whereas MO flavonoids exhibited favorable pharmacokinetic properties, lower toxicity, and strong binding affinities (up to −9.7 kcal/mol) toward key targets including acetylcholinesterase (AChE), caspase-3, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), suggesting their potential to modulate oxidative stress and apoptosis. Functional enrichment and protein–protein interaction analyses further highlighted oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species metabolism, and apoptotic signaling as central mechanisms underlying DM toxicity. For in vivo evaluation, Japanese quails were fed a basal diet supplemented with 30 mg/kg DM as a positive control (PC) group, along with diets containing MO (0.3–0.7 g/kg) for 42 days. The PC group exhibited significant impairment in growth performance and hematological parameters, severe hepato-renal injury (elevated AST, ALT, creatinine, and urea), and marked oxidative stress (increased MDA with decreased SOD and CAT activities). Dietary supplementation with MO, particularly at 0.7 g/kg, resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) and dose-dependent improvement in growth performance, normalization of hematobiochemical parameters, and restoration of antioxidant defense systems. These findings corroborate computational predictions and demonstrate that MO flavonoids effectively mitigate DM-induced toxicity by reducing oxidative stress, enhancing antioxidant defenses, and inhibiting apoptosis. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of MO at 0.7 g/kg acts as a potent natural phytogenic intervention against DM-induced oxidative damage, organ dysfunction, and performance decline, supporting its application in environmental and clinical toxicology.

Keywords: Moringa oleifera; Deltamethrin; Japanese quail; Oxidative stress; Growth performance; Hematology; Phytobiotic; Molecular docking