Therapeutic Effects of Morinda citrifolia Linn. (Noni) Aqueous Fruit Extract on the Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in High-Fat/High-Fructose-Fed Swiss Mice.

Aline Carla Inada,Joaquim Corsino,Marcel Arakaki Asato,Priscila Aiko Hiane,Rita De Cássia Avellaneda Guimarães,Patrícia De Oliveira Figueiredo,Laleska Pâmela Rodrigues Da Silva,Rosangela Aparecida Dos Santos-Eichler,Flávio Macedo Alves,Wilson Hino Kato Junior,Renée De Nazaré Oliveira Da Silva,Wander Fernando De Oliveira Filiú,Fernanda Rodrigues Garcez,Karine De Cássia Freitas,Walmir Silva Garcez,Gabriela Torres Silva

doi:10.3390/nu12113439

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of two different doses (250 and 500 mg/kg) of Morinda citrifolia fruit aqueous extract (AE) in high-fat/high-fructose-fed Swiss mice. The food intake, body weight, serum biochemical, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as well as histological analyses of the liver, pancreatic, and epididymal adipose tissue, were used to determine the biochemical and histological parameters. The chemical profile of the extract was determined by ultra-fast liquid chromatography–diode array detector–tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC–DAD–MS), and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate the gene expressions involved in the lipid and glucose metabolism, such as peroxisome proliferative-activated receptors-γ (PPAR-γ), -α (PPAR-α), fatty acid synthase (FAS), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P), sterol regulatory binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP), and fetuin-A. Seventeen compounds were tentatively identified, including iridoids, noniosides, and the flavonoid rutin. The higher dose of AE (AE 500 mg/kg) was demonstrated to improve the glucose tolerance; however, both doses did not have effects on the other metabolic and histological parameters. AE at 500 mg/kg downregulated the PPAR-γ, SREBP-1c, and fetuin-A mRNA in the liver and upregulated the PPAR-α mRNA in white adipose tissue, suggesting that the hypoglycemic effects could be associated with the expression of genes involved in de novo lipogenesis.

Highlights

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are considered one of the major health risks of modern society and are increasing in morbidity and mortality in developed and undeveloped countries [1].Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is among these NCDs [1], and, MetS started in the Western world, it has become a global problem
To assess whether M. citrifolia fruit displays nutraceutical properties to improve metabolic disturbances present in MetS, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a crude aqueous extract from M. citrifolia Linn. fruit in the biochemical and histological parameters and in the expression of genes involved in the lipid and glucose metabolism in white adipose tissue and liver in high-fat/high-fructose-fed Swiss mice
The identification of the components in the aqueous extract of the fruits of M. citrifolia was based on analyses of ultraviolet (UV), mass spectrometry (MS), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS2 )

Summary

Introduction

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are considered one of the major health risks of modern society and are increasing in morbidity and mortality in developed and undeveloped countries [1].Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is among these NCDs [1], and, MetS started in the Western world, it has become a global problem. MetS is not considered a single pathological condition, but a cluster of metabolic abnormalities, including abdominal obesity, insulin resistance (or type 2 diabetes mellitus), systemic hypertension, and atherogenic dyslipidemia [2] and the hepatic component, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [3]. The two main factors that may be responsible for spreading MetS are the adherence to the Western lifestyle that is characterized by the consumption of non-healthy food known as the Western-type diet, which is composed of high-calorie/low-fiber fast food, in association with a sedentary lifestyle [1]. Fructose, which is considered the sweetest of all naturally occurring carbohydrates, is found as a hexose in fruits and honey [4] and is used commercially in juice, soft drinks, high-fructose corn syrup, and baked goods [5]; the consumption of fructose has increased considerably in everyday diets [5]

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