Genotoxicity Comparison between Morinda citrifolia Fruit and Seed Substances

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the genotoxic potential of the fruit and seed powder, fruit puree, and aqueous extracts of Morinda citrifolia (Rubiaceae, noni). The genotoxic potential of the noni substances was evaluated using in vitro Ames, in vitro chromosomal aberration, and in vivo micronucleus tests. All test procedures were conducted per Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines, and good laboratory practice. None of the noni fruit test substances showed genotoxic signs up to 5000 and 2000 μg/plate in the Ames and micronucleus tests, respectively. In the chromosomal aberration test, neither the fruit puree nor aqueous extract showed structural and numerical aberrations up to 5000 and 4650 μg/mL, respectively, irrespective of metabolic activation, in both 6 h and 24 h treatment groups. The safe ranges of noni fruit and seed powders were up to 2500 and 2100 μg/mL, respectively, in the 6 h treatment group and up to 1600-4100 and 370-450 μg/mL, respectively, in both 6 h and 24 h treatment groups in the presence of metabolic activation. Noni fruit and seeds were safe in terms of genotoxicity under our experimental conditions. Our data are the first to provide valuable genotoxic information on Morinda citrifolia.

Keywords: Morinda citrifolia L. (Rubiaceae); aqueous extract; fruit; genotoxicity; noni; powder; puree.

Figure 1

(A) Chromatograms of noni fruit and seed substances; (B) the structures of the major constituents. The reveled signals on chromatograms were detected at 245 nm.

Figure 2

Summary of the Ames test of noni fruit preparations in Salmonella typhimurium (TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537) and Escherichia coli (WP2 uvrA) in the presence or absence of S9 mix. All doses of each substance and the control were analyzed in triplicate.