Morinda Elliptica Research Articles

Mechanism of Damnacanthal Induced Apoptosis in CEM-SS Cell Line

Leukaemia, is cancer of organs that is responsible to produce blood specifically the lymphatic system and bone marrow. Due to the harsh effects of currently used cancer drugs, damnacanthal, an anthraquinone obtained from the roots of Morinda elliptica is tested as a potential anticancer agent. This study reports on the participation of the p53, Bcl-2 and Bax in the apoptosis induced by of damnacanthal, on T-lymphoblastic leukaemia (CEM-SS) cell. Cell viability and morphology was tested with trypan blue assay, flow cytometry analysis detected the apoptotic activity of damnacanthal, caspase colorimetric protease assay tested the Caspase 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9’s involvement and Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was carried out to quantify the Human p53, Bcl-2, and Bax expression levels. Damnacanthal exhibited cytotoxicity at doses 10 and 30 µg/mL after 72 h of incubation. This study reports that damnacanthal arrested the cell at G2/M phase and initiates the apoptotic activity in the cells treated with 30 µg/mL of damnacanthal for 72 h through caspase 2 and 6 activation and not caspases 3, 8, and 9. Furthermore, this anthraquinone induces apoptosis via p53-independent pathway. Damnacanthal also lowered Bcl-2 and increased Bax activity in CEM-SS cell lines. These anticancer properties of damnacanthal makes it a potential agent to treat T-lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Study on the Profile of Noni (Morinda sp.) Leaves as an Ingredient in Herbal Drinks

Two typical noni trees grow in locations close to each other in Keputih Permai, Surabaya City, and have certain characteristics that can be investigated further. From phytochemical testing of the leaves of both types of plants, the results showed that both gave positive values to be declared as plants containing antioxidant compounds. The antioxidant compound content of noni leaves was then compared with dry green tea from the local market. The design was completely randomized design, with 3 levels of treatment factors based on the type of ingredients used, namely green tea, narrow-leaf noni (Morinda officinalis), and wide-leaf noni (Morinda elliptica). From the experimental results, it is known that the total phenol, total flavonoids, the ability to counteract DPPH, and the ability to reduce iron ions of green tea are higher than Morinda sp. Whereas when compared between each type of Morinda, it is known that M. officinalis is superior to M. elliptica with total phenol 73.37± 1.87 mgGAE/Kg extract, total flavonoids 0.92± 0.1 mgEQ/L extract, DPPH free radical scavenging ability 228.58± 2.19 mgGAE/L extract, and iron ion reducing ability 815.17± 16.85 mgGAE/L extract. Noni leaves can be used as a promising herbal drink ingredient.

Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Leaf Extract of Morinda elliptica

This work was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of Morinda elliptica by determining the zone of growth inhibition of the leaf extract against selected bacterial and fungal strains. Antifungal and antibacterial properties of the extract at different concentrations (25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 μg/ml) were investigated after successive maceration in four solvents in order of increasing polarity [hexane (180 g), dichloromethane (342 g), ethyl acetate (471 g), and methanol (384)]. The agar disc diffusion method was used against selected human bacteria Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhii, Staphylococcus aureus, and the antifungal activity of the extract against Aspergillus brasiliences and A. flavus. Zones of growth inhibition of the extract were then compared with the standard antibiotic chloramphenicol (500 μg/ml) for the antibacterial activity, and against nystatin (500 μg/ml) for antifungal activity. The result of the study showed a remarkable bactericidal activity of the plant extract against the test organisms E. coli (14.667 + 0.577) and S. typhii (13.667 + 0.577) with a weak activity against the growth of S. aureus as compared to standard (21.667 + 0.577) at 500 μg/ml. The result of the antifungal activity showed considerable activity of the plant extract against the growth of A. brasiliences (11 + 0.1000) and weak activity against the growth A. flavus at 500 μg/ml. The findings of the study indicated that the leaf extract of M. elliptica is a reservoir of bioactive compounds. The compounds can be useful in the development of new pharmaceutical products that can be effective against human pathogenic strains E. coli and S. typhii. This could serve as a lead for understanding a novel mechanism of action in future research activities.

Ultrastructural and Morphological Effects in T-Lymphoblastic Leukemia CEM-SS Cells Following Treatment with Nordamnacanthal and Damnacanthal from Roots of Morinda elliptica.

Background: Morinda elliptica (family Rubiaceae), locally known as ‘mengkudu kecil’, has been used by the Malays for medicinal purposes. Anthraquinones isolated from the roots of Morinda elliptica, namely nordamnacanthal and damnacanthal, have been widely reported to exhibit anticancer and antioxidant properties in various cancer models in vitro and in vivo. Aim: This study analyzed the morphological and ultrastructural effects of damnacanthal and nordamnacanthal on T-lymphoblastic leukemia CEM-SS cells. Method: Light microscopy, Giemsa staining, Wright’s staining, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were carried out to determine apoptosis, necrosis, and ultrastructural changes that occurred within the cells. Results: The outcomes showed that these compounds induced cell death by apoptosis and necrosis, specifically at higher doses of 10 and 30 μg/mL. Condensation and fragmentation of the nuclear chromatin, which further separated into small, membrane-bound vesicles known as apoptotic bodies, were observed in the nuclei and cytoplasm. The plasma membranes and cytoskeletons also showed marked morphological changes upon treatment with damnacanthal and nordamnacanthal, indicating apoptosis. Conclusion: Therefore, we report that damnacanthal and nordamnacanthal exhibit anticancer properties by inducing apoptosis and necrosis in CEM-SS cells, and they have potential as a drug for the treatment of T-lymphoblastic leukemia.

In vivo hepatoprotective effect of Morinda elliptica stem extract against liver fibrosis induced by thioacetamide.

Morinda elliptica L. (Rubiaceae) is a phytomedicinal herb, used to treat gastrointestinal complications in Peninsular Malaysia. The study evaluates the in vivo hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract of M. elliptica stem in thioacetamide (TAA) induced liver fibrosis in male Sprague Drawly rats. Thirty adult rats were divided into five groups of six rats each. Rats of the normal control group received intraperitoneal injections (i. p.) of vehicle 10% Tween-20, 5ml/kg, and hepatotoxic group 200 mg/kg TAA three times per week respectively. Three supplementary groups were treated with TAA plus daily oral silymarin (50 mg/kg) or M. elliptica (250 or 500 mg/kg). After 8 weeks of treatment, all rats were sacrificed. Liver fibrosis was assessed by gross macroscopic and microscopic tissue analysis, histopathological, and biochemical analysis. The livers of the TAA treated group showed uniform coarse granules, hepatocytic necrosis with lymphocytes infiltration. Contrary, the livers of M. elliptica treated groups (250 and 500 mg/kg) were much smoother and the cell damage was much lesser. The livers of M. elliptica treated groups rats showed elevated activity of SOD and CAT with a significant decrease in MDA level at p < .0001. The level of liver damage parameters, that is, ALP, ALT, and AST, bilirubin, total protein, and albumin were restored to the normal comparable to silymarin. M. elliptica stem extract significantly promoted normal rat liver architecture with significant perfections in biochemical parameters. The molecular contents of M. elliptica with hepatoprotective influence could be discovered, is the future prospective of this study.

Anticancer Potential of Damnacanthal and Nordamnacanthal from Morinda elliptica Roots on T-lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells

Background: This study reports on the cytotoxic properties of nordamnacanthal and damnacanthal, isolated from roots of Morinda elliptica on T-lymphoblastic leukaemia (CEM-SS) cell lines. Methods: MTT assay, DNA fragmentation, ELISA and cell cycle analysis were carried out. Results: Nordamnacanthal and damnacanthal at IC50 values of 1.7 μg/mL and10 μg/mL, respectively. At the molecular level, these compounds caused internucleosomal DNA cleavage producing multiple 180–200 bp fragments that are visible as a “ladder” on the agarose gel. This was due to the activation of the Mg2+/Ca2+-dependent endonuclease. The induction of apoptosis by nordamnacanthal was different from the one induced by damnacanthal, in a way that it occurs independently of ongoing transcription process. Nevertheless, in both cases, the process of dephosphorylation of protein phosphates 1 and 2A, the ongoing protein synthesis and the elevations of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration were not needed for apoptosis to take place. Nordamnacanthal was found to have a cytotoxic effect by inducing apoptosis, while damnacanthal caused arrest at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Conclusion: Damnacanthal and nordamnacanthal have anticancer properties, and could act as potential treatment for T-lymphoblastic leukemia.

The antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of Morinda citrifolia and Morinda elliptica leaves extracts

Event Abstract Back to Event The antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of Morinda citrifolia and Morinda elliptica leaves extracts Nurulaidah Esa1 and Latifah Saiful Yazan1* 1 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, department of biomedical science, Malaysia Background Cancer is one of the top ten causes of hospitalisation and death in Malaysian hospitals. Standard treatments for cancer patients include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but with several adverse effects. Hence, researchers have shifted their focus on natural resources as potential treatment. Morinda citrifolia and M. elliptica of the Rubiaceae family have been traditionally used to treat diabetes, gastric, ulcer, inflammation and cancer. The plants were found to exert these promising therapeutic effects given their antioxidant properties. This study investigated the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of M. citrifolia and M. elliptica leaves extracts. Methodology Morinda ethanol extracts were prepared by immersing the leaves for one day in 50, 70 or 100% ethanol (1:10, w/v) at room temperature while the aqueous extracts were boiled in distilled water for 0, 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes (1:100, w/v). The extracts were subjected to antioxidant assays - total phenolic content (TPC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, 2,2-azinobis-3-3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The cytotoxicity of the extracts on human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29) were determined using MTT assay. Results The M. elliptica aqueous extract has the highest antioxidant activities among all the extracts. M. elliptica, boiled for 30 minutes has the highest TPC (75.98+4.53 mg GAE/g extract) and while at 0 minute, it has the highest FRAP (176.33+4.4 TEAC/g extract). M. elliptica has the highest DPPH (18.22+0.62 mg TEAC/g extract) and ABTS (219.84+2.93 mg TEAC/g extract) radical scavenging activity when boiled for 5 minutes. The M. elliptica extract in 100% ethanol was the most cytotoxic among all the extracts with IC50 of 105.5 + 1.0 µg/mL at 72 hours. Conclusion The M. elliptica leaves extracts have better antioxidant and cytotoxic properties when compared to the M. citrifolia leaves extracts. Acknowledgements I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my supervisor Associate Professor Dr Latifah Saiful Yazan and co- supervisors; Professor Dr. Suhaila Mohamed, Associate Professor Dr. Mohamad Aris Mohd Moklas, Associate Professor Dr. Zainul Amiruddin Zakaria and Dr. Razana Mohd Ali for their generous input and constructive criticism for this project. Keywords: Morinda citrifolia, Morinda elliptica, antioxidant, cytotoxic, HT-29 Conference: International Conference on Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine 2018 (ICDDTM '18) “Seizing Opportunities and Addressing Challenges of Precision Medicine”, Putrajaya, Malaysia, 3 Dec - 5 Feb, 2019. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Cancer Citation: Esa N and Saiful Yazan L (2019). The antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of Morinda citrifolia and Morinda elliptica leaves extracts. Front. Pharmacol. Conference Abstract: International Conference on Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine 2018 (ICDDTM '18) “Seizing Opportunities and Addressing Challenges of Precision Medicine”. doi: 10.3389/conf.fphar.2018.63.00131 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Sep 2018; Published Online: 17 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: Prof. Latifah Saiful Yazan, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, department of biomedical science, Serdang, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia, latifahsy@upm.edu.my Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nurulaidah Esa Latifah Saiful Yazan Google Nurulaidah Esa Latifah Saiful Yazan Google Scholar Nurulaidah Esa Latifah Saiful Yazan PubMed Nurulaidah Esa Latifah Saiful Yazan Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Standardized Morinda citrifolia L. and Morinda elliptica L. leaf extracts alleviated fatigue by improving glycogen storage and lipid/carbohydrate metabolism.

The antifatigue properties of Morinda elliptica (ME) leaf were compared with Morinda citrifolia (MC) leaf extracts. Sixty Balb/C mice were administered (N=10): control water, standardized green tea extract (positive control 200mg/kg body weight [BW]), either 200 or 400mgMC/kg BW, or either 200 or 400mgME/kg BW). The mice performances, biochemical, and mRNA expressions were evaluated. After 6weeks, the weight-loaded swimming time to exhaustion in the mice consuming 400mgMC/kg, were almost five times longer than the control mice. The gene expressions analysis suggested the extracts enhanced performance by improving lipid catabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, electron transport, antioxidant responses, energy production, and tissue glycogen stores. The MC and ME extracts enhanced stamina by reducing blood lactate and blood urea nitrogen levels, increasing liver and muscle glycogen reserve through augmenting the glucose metabolism (glucose transporter type 4 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4), lipid catabolism (acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenases and fatty acid translocase), antioxidant (superoxide dismutase 2) defence responses, electron transport (COX4I2), and energy production (PGC1α, NRF1, NRF2, cytochrome C electron transport, mitochondrial transcription factor A, UCP1, and UCP3) biomarkers. The MC (containing scopoletin and epicatechin) was better than ME (containing only scopoletin) or green tea (containing epicatechin and GT catechins) for alleviating fatigue.

Anti-gout Potential of Malaysian Medicinal Plants.

Gout is a type of arthritis that causes painful inflammation in one or more joints. In gout, elevation of uric acid in the blood triggers the formation of crystals, causing joint pain. Malaysia is a mega-biodiversity country that is rich in medicinal plants species. Therefore, its flora might offer promising therapies for gout. This article aims to systematically review the anti-gout potential of Malaysian medicinal plants. Articles on gout published from 2000 to 2017 were identified using PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar with the following keyword search terms: “gout,” “medicinal plants,” “Malaysia,” “epidemiology,” “in vitro,” and “in vivo.” In this study, 85 plants were identified as possessing anti-gout activity. These plants had higher percentages of xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity (>85%); specifically, the Momordica charantia, Chrysanthemum indicum, Cinnamomum cassia, Kaempferia galanga, Artemisia vulgaris, and Morinda elliptica had the highest values, due to their diverse natural bioactive compounds, which include flavonoids, phenolics, tannin, coumarins, luteolin, and apigenin. This review summarizes the anti-gout potential of Malaysian medicinal plants but the mechanisms, active compounds, pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and safety of the plants still remain to be elucidated.

Scopoletin-standardized Morinda elliptica leaf extract suppressed inflammation and cartilage degradation to alleviate osteoarthritis: A preclinical study.

The effect of scopoletin-standardized Morinda elliptica leaf extract against osteoarthritis was investigated in ex vivo explant culture and preclinical rodent model. Thirty male rats were grouped (n=6) into untreated osteoarthritis (OA), OA+Diclofenac (5mg/kg), and OA+extract (200 and 400mg/kg) and compared with healthy control. Monosodium iodoacetate were injected into the right intra-articular knee joints to induce OA. The rats were evaluated for OA severity via physical (micro-CT and histological observations), biochemical, ELISA, and mRNA expression analysis (for inflammation and cartilage degradation biomarkers), after 28days of treatment. The extract suppressed glycosaminoglycan release from the cartilage explant in the presence of Interleukin-1β. The 200mg/kg dose appeared better than 400mg/kg dose, at reducing cartilage and subchondral bone erosions in OA-induced rats, by significantly down-regulating the collagenases and aggrecanase. The extract dose-dependently reduced serum inflammation biomarkers and increased bone formation biomarkers to near normal levels in the OA-induced rats. M.elliptica leaf scopoletin-standardised extract alleviated OA progression and articular cartilage structure, by ameliorating cartilage degradation, nitric oxide levels, inflammation, bone /cartilage homeostasis, collagenase/aggrecanase activities, chondrocytes survival, subchondral bone structure and integrity.

Brine Shrimp Cytotoxic Activity of Morinda elliptica Leaves and Root Crude Extracts

This survey was conducted to test for in vivo Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay (BSLA) of Morinda elliptica leaves and root extract after successive maceration in four solvents (n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM) ethyl acetate and methanol) and cytotoxicity was evaluated in terms of LC50 (lethality concentration). 10 nauplii were placed in different concentrations (in three replicates each) of the plant extracts, after 24 hours the surviving brine shrimp larvae were counted and LC50 was assessed. The result of the survey showed a concentration dependent increment in mortality rate of the brine shrimp nauplii and n-hexane and methanol fractions of the leaves and root extracts were more potent against the brine shrimp with LC50 values of 35.483 ppm and 39.259 ppm (μg/ml) respectively, whereas ethyl acetate of both the extracts exhibited lower potent activity with LC50 values 62.250 ppm and 102.250 ppm (μg/ml) in roots and leaves respectively. These findings indicated that bioactive ingredients are present in the plants that could account for its pharmacological effects.

A new anthraquinone from Morinda elliptica Ridl.

A new anthraquinone, morinquinone, together with 18 known anthraquinones were isolated from the stems of Morinda elliptica Ridl. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. They each showed weak inhibitory activity against a susceptible strain of Staphylococcus aureus and a methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Damnacanthal was effective against Microsporum gypseum (MIC 1 μg/mL). Lucidin was active against Entamoeba histolytica (MIC 31.25 μg/mL) and Giardia intestinalis (MIC 7.8 μg/mL).

Effect of selected local medicinal plants on the asexual blood stage of chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

BackgroundThe development of resistant to current antimalarial drugs is a major challenge in achieving malaria elimination status in many countries. Therefore there is a need for new antimalarial drugs. Medicinal plants have always been the major source for the search of new antimalarial drugs. The aim of this study was to screen selected Malaysian medicinal plants for their antiplasmodial properties.MethodsEach part of the plants were processed, defatted by hexane and sequentially extracted with dichloromethane, methanol and water. The antiplasmodial activities of 54 plant extracts from 14 species were determined by Plasmodium falciparum Histidine Rich Protein II ELISA technique. In order to determine the selectivity index (SI), all plant extracts demonstrating a good antiplasmodial activity were tested for their cytotoxicity activity against normal Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cell lines by 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.ResultsTwenty three extracts derived from Curcuma zedoaria (rhizome), Curcuma aeruginosa (rhizome), Alpinia galanga (rhizome), Morinda elliptica (leaf), Curcuma mangga (rhizome), Elephantopus scaber (leaf), Vitex negundo (leaf), Brucea javanica (leaf, root and seed), Annona muricata (leaf), Cinnamomun iners (leaf) and Vernonia amygdalina (leaf) showed promising antiplasmodial activities against the blood stage chloroquine resistant P. falciparum (EC50 < 10 μg/ml) with negligible toxicity effect to MDBK cells in vitro (SI ≥10).ConclusionThe extracts belonging to eleven plant species were able to perturb the growth of chloroquine resistant P. falciparum effectively. The findings justified the bioassay guided fractionation on these plants for the search of potent antimalarial compounds or formulation of standardized extracts which may enhance the antimalarial effect in vitro and in vivo.

English

&nbsp; Mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of freeze dried fruit juices (FDFJ) of&nbsp;Morinda elliptica&nbsp;Ridl. (Rubiaceae),&nbsp;Morinda citrifolia&nbsp;L. (Rubiaceae),&nbsp;Averrhoa bilimbi&nbsp;L. (Oxalidaceae),&nbsp;Phyllantus acidus&nbsp;(L.) Skeels (Phyllantaceae) and&nbsp;Myristica fragrans&nbsp;Houtt. (Myristicaceae) in&nbsp;Allium cepa&nbsp;L were evaluated. Testing the mutagenic activity, onions were suspended in solution of different concentrations of FDFJ alone in tap water for 48 h. Thereafter, root tips were prepared and observed for dividing cells and chromosomal aberrations using a light microscope. Antimutagenicity screening was similar to the mutagenic evaluation, except that the solution of FDFJ was combined with 0.1% cylophosphamide-CP. Free radicals (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhyrazyl) scavenging activity of the FDFJ was tested using butylated hydroxylanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as the standards and their phenolic contents were evaluated by comparing with gallic acid equivalents (GAE). The free radicals scavenging power of&nbsp;M.&nbsp;fragrans&nbsp;at 1 mg/ml was almost similar to that of BHA and BHT and its phenolic content was 21 &plusmn; 6.0 mg GAE/g, the highest among the tested juices.&nbsp;A.&nbsp;cepa&nbsp;cell division was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by the FDFJ of&nbsp;M.&nbsp;fragrans,&nbsp;while the induced chromosomal aberrations were non dose dependent. The cytotoxicity and chromosomal aberrations of CP were suppressed throughout the tested concentrations of&nbsp;M.&nbsp;fragrans, unlike the effects of other four juices. These results suggest that the observed activities of FDFJ of&nbsp;M. fragrans&nbsp;may be due to&nbsp;thequantity and quality of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity, suggesting its use in preventing the DNA-damaging effects of mutagens. &nbsp; &nbsp;Key words:&nbsp;Allium cepa, antimutagenicity, antioxidants, cyclophosphamide, mutagenicity.

Nordamnacanthal induced apoptosis and mitotic-G2/M arrest with downregulation of Bcl-2 in the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7)

Nordamnacanthal, an anthraquinone extracted from the root of Morinda el liptica from Rubiaceae family has cytotoxic properties towards cancer cell lines and antitumor promoting activities. This study was conducted to determine the cytotoxic effect of nordamnacanthal towards MOLT! 4 and MCF!7 cell lines. Nordamnacanthal was foun d to be more cytotoxic towards MOLT!4 than MCF! 7 with the IC50 of 3.8 +g/ml and 54 +g/ml, respectively, as detected by using the trypan blue dye exclusion test. The nordamnacanthal! treated cells showed characteristics of apoptosis such as membrane blebbing , chromatin condensation and formation of apoptotic bodies as observed under an inverted light microscope. Fluorescence analysis of cell death using acridine orange and propidium iodide staining showed that the population of MOLT! 4 and MCF!7 cells underwen t apoptosis at the IC50 value was 32% and 30.4%, respectively. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry indicated that nordamnacanthal did arrest MCF! 7 cells at the G2/M phase. For MOLT!4, no cell cycle arrest was observed. Bcl! 2 and Bax were downregulated in nordamnacanthal!treated MCF! 7 cells. On the other hand, expression of the proteins in MOLT! 4 was not significantly different from the control. In conclusion, nordamnacanthal was more cytotoxic towards MOLT!4 than MCF! 7 cell line. The compound induced apop tosis in both cell lines, but with G2/M arrest and the involvement of Bcl ! 2 and Bax only in MCF ! 7.

Immunomodulatory effects of damnacanthal isolated from roots of Morinda elliptica

Morinda elliptica Ridley (Rubiaceae) has been used traditionally as a medicine to treat various diseases in Malaysia and southeast Asia. In the present study we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of damnacanthal isolated from the roots of Morinda elliptica. The immunomodulatory effect of this compound was evaluated by using the lymphocyte proliferation assay with mouse thymocytes and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In addition, the effect of the compound on PBMC cell cycle progression was studied by using flow cytometry. The production of human interleukin-2 and human inteleukin-12 cytokines was also assessed using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The lymphocyte proliferation assay showed that damnacanthal was able to activate mouse thymocytes and PBMC at a low concentration (0.468 μg/mL). Moreover, the production of human interleukin-2 and human interleukin-12 cytokines in the culture supernatant from damnacanthal activated lymphocytes was markedly up-regulated at 24 h and sustained until 72 h with a slight decrease with time. A positive correlation was found between the level of these two cytokines and the MTT-based proliferation assay. Based on the above results, damnacanthal can act as an immunomodulatory agent which may be very useful for maintaining a healthy immune system.

Enhanced anthraquinones production from adsorbent-treated Morinda elliptica cell suspension cultures in production medium strategy

Continuous removal of anthraquinones (AQ) by Amberlite polymeric adsorbents (XAD-4, XAD-7 and XAD-16) through in situ adsorption in Morinda elliptica cell suspension cultures is studied for product recovery and improvement of the overall titre. Ethanol was the best eluting solvent for effective recovery of AQ from all adsorbents. Pre-treatment of XAD-4 with sodium acetate not only enhanced intracellular AQ, but also AQ release and subsequent recovery from the adsorbent. The addition of sodium acetate pretreated XAD-4 on day 18 for 6-day contact period, achieved comparable cell growth to control (41 g/L), but with 1.3-fold higher intracellular AQ (124 mg/g DW) and two-fold increase in extracellular AQ (14.3 mg/L). High amount of adsorbent and longer contact period for the cultures entering stationary growth phase, stimulated AQ release and recovery but at the expense of cell growth. With 5–8.3 g XAD-4 adsorbent per litre M. elliptica culture in production (P) medium, between 60 and 90% AQ was recovered from extracellular AQ after 24–26 days of culture period.

A new iridoid glucoside from the Thai medicinal plant, Morinda elliptica Ridl

A new plumieride type iridoid glucoside, morinipticoside, was isolated from the leaves and branches of Morinda elliptica together with six known compounds; asperuloside, asperulosidic acid, yopaaoside A, yopaaoside B, benzyl α-l-arabinopyranosyl (1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside and phenyethyl α-l-arabinopyranosyl (1→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside. The structure determinations were based on physical data and spectroscopic evidence.

Effective elicitation factors in Morinda elliptica cell suspension culture

Cell suspension cultures of Morinda elliptica were treated with different types of elicitors (yeast extract, jasmonic acid, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus fungal mycelium homogenates, chitosan and glucan) at different stage of cell growth cycle. Different elicitors depending on concentration and day of treatment exerted different effects on cell growth and anthraquinone (AQ) production. Jasmonic acid (JA) elicitor treatment during early and exponential growth phase showed significant AQ induction than during stationary growth phase. JA addition at 50 μM, on day 12 with cultures harvested on day 15, enhanced AQ content to 39.6 mg g −1 DW, which was 2.1-fold to control, but with cell DW at 35 g l −1 which was comparable to control. With 100 μM JA additions on days 6 and 12, with cultures harvested after 5 days, intracellular AQ contents at 26.6 and 21.9 mg g −1 DW, which were 2.9-fold and 1.4-fold more than control, respectively. With 100 μM JA treatment on day 12 and cultures harvested on day 17, nordamnacanthal, 1-hydroxy-2-methylanthraquinone and lucidin- ω-methyl ether registered at 3.31, 3.02 and 1.84 mg g −1 DW, respectively was 2.3-fold, 3.2-fold and 3.5-fold, respectively, more than control. Alizarin-1-methyl ether at 0.98 mg g −1 DW was only synthesized in 100 μM JA elicited cells, treated on day 6 and cultures harvested on day 11.

Jasmonic acid elicitation of anthraquinones with some associated enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidant responses in Morindaelliptica

Morinda elliptica cell cultures in an intermediary (G) medium treated with jasmonic acid (JA) elicitor, was used as a model system to understand the effects of elicitation on cell growth, anthraquinone (AQ) production, stress levels (lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2)), enzymic (catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APO) and glutathione reductase (GR)) and non-enzymic antioxidant responses (total carotenoids, vitamin C and E). Cultures were elicitor-treated on day 12 with 50 or 100 μM JA, and harvested after 3 and 6 days of elicitation. The highest AQ content (23.6 mg g −1 DW) which was 2-fold to control but with cell growth (35 g l −1) 15% lower, was achieved with 100 μM JA. Prolonged elicitor treatment resulted in the highest level of lipid peroxidation (total MDA of 9 nmol g −1 FW) and H 2O 2 level (5.5 μmol g −1 FW). Total carotenoids, vitamin C and E were induced 200, 10 and 50%, respectively, after 6 days of elicitation. APO though induced between 100–300%, was only half the level in control, while GR was induced less than 100%. CAT on the other hand was reduced 100%.