Abstract
BackgroundNoni fruit is widely consumed in tropical regions of Indonesia to the Hawaiian Islands. The noni plant has a long history of use as a medicinal plant to treat a wide variety of ailments including CNS disorders. The present investigation was designed to evaluate the antipsychotic effect of noni fruits (Morinda citrifolia Linn.) using mouse models of apomorphine-induced climbing behaviour and methamphetamine-induced stereotypy (licking, biting, gnawing and sniffing).MethodsIn acute study, the methanolic extract of Morinda citrifolia (MMC) at different doses 1, 3, 5, 10 g/kg was administered orally one hour prior to apomorphine (5 mg/kg, i.p) and methamphetamine ( 5 mg/kg, i.p) injection respectively in Swiss albino mice. In chronic studies, (TAHITIAN NONI® Juice, TNJ) was made available freely in daily drinking water at 30, 50 and 100% v/v for 7 days; 30 and 50% v/v for 21 days respectively. On the test day, an equivalent average daily divided dose of TNJ was administered by oral gavage one hour prior to apomorphine treatment. Immediately after apomorphine/ methamphetamine administration, the animals were placed in the cylindrical metal cages and observed for climbing behaviour/ stereotypy and climbing time.ResultsThe acute treatment of MMC (1, 3, 5, 10 g/kg, p.o) significantly decreased the apomorphine-induced cage climbing behaviour and climbing time in mice in a dose dependent manner. The MMC also significantly inhibited methamphetamine-induced stereotypy behaviour and climbing time in mice dose-dependently. The 7 and 21 days treatment of TNJ in drinking water at 50 and 100%v/v significantly alleviated the apomorphine-induced climbing behaviour and climbing time in mice.ConclusionsThe present study results demonstrated the antidopaminergic effect of Morinda citrifolia Linn. in mice, suggesting that noni has antipsychotic-like activity which can be utilized in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. However further studies are warranted to identify the active principles responsible for the antipsychotic activity of noni.
Highlights
Noni fruit is widely consumed in tropical regions of Indonesia to the Hawaiian Islands
The results indicated that an aqueous extract of noni fruit at the dose equivalent to crude drug 10–20 g/kg body weight and at the dose equivalent to crude drug 40 g/kg body weight, might contain a weak antidopaminergic agent responsible for its prokinetic in mice and an antiemetic effect observed in humans respectively [25]
The behavioural responses observed in animals after administration of the dopamine agonist, apomorphine are attributed to activation of D1 and D2 receptors [31,32]
Summary
Noni fruit is widely consumed in tropical regions of Indonesia to the Hawaiian Islands. The noni plant has a long history of use as a medicinal plant to treat a wide variety of ailments including CNS disorders. Noni juice has been used by the people of the South Pacific Islands for the past 2,000 years to aid a wide range of health illness. The fruit juice is in high demand as alternative medicine for different kinds of ailments such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, muscle aches and pains, menstrual difficulties, headaches, heart disease, AIDS, cancers, gastric ulcers, sprains, mental depression, senility, poor digestion, atherosclerosis, blood vessel problems, and drug addiction [3,4]. There have been only a few reports on the use of noni for CNS disorders such as anxiolytic and sedative [20], nootropic [21], antiepileptic [22], neuroprotective effect against stress-induced cognitive impairment [23] and some neuropharmacological effects [24]
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