Mistletoe infested and leaves supplemented diet enhances antioxidant and insulin-like peptide mRNA levels in .

Moringa and Almond are common plants of medicinal and economic value which are often infested with mistletoe. Host plants' infestation could result in major differences in their phytoconstituents and biological activities. Thus, effects of mistletoe infestation on Moringa and Almond host plants supplemented diets on mRNA expression levels of insulin-like peptide-2 (), heat shock protein-70 () and superoxide dismutase () in diabetic-like flies were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR system. Mistletoe infestation on host leaves caused significant upregulation of and significant downregulation of and genes. Hence, we opined that infestation of Moringa and Almond trees with mistletoe resulted in improved expression level of antioxidant and insulin-like peptide genes. This may be the mechanism by which host plants caused enhanced regulation of circulating glucose and oxidative stress. Therefore, consumption of mistletoe infested Moringa and Almond host leaves could possibly offer better antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects.