Effects of Morinda citrifolia extract and its constituents on blood fluidity

Abstract

Functional foods derived from noni (Morinda citrifolia) have been marketed to help prevent lifestyle-related diseases. Many lifestyle-related diseases, such as hypertension and hyperlipemia, are associated with poor blood fluidity. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of 50% ethanolic extracts from noni, and their constituents, on blood fluidity, in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) rat model with a micro channel array flow analyzer (MC-FAN). Oral administrations of the noni leaf extract (MCL-ext) and the noni seed extract (MCS-ext) to DIC rats resulted in a reduction of the passage time of whole blood, as compared to the vehicle control. The MCL-ext and its constituents, namely ursolic acid (1), rutin (2), and kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3) inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation. MCL-ext, as well as MCS-ext and its constituents, namely 1, americanin A (4), and 3, 3′-bisdemethylpinoresinol (5), inhibited polybrene-induced erythrocyte aggregation. Inhibition of erythrocyte aggregation by MCL-ext and MCS-ext was mainly attributable to 1. The euglobulin lysis time (ELT) assay indicated that oral administration of MCL-ext or MCS-ext induces fibrinolysis activity in rats. This is the first report of the effects of noni extracts on blood fluidity. MCL-ext exhibited more in vitro anti-platelet activity, and improvement of blood fluidity and fibrinolysis activity in vivo than MCS-ext. © 2011, Medical and Pharmaceutical Society for WAKAN-YAKU. All rights reserved.