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. 2025 Oct 30;14(21):3732.
doi: 10.3390/foods14213732.

Analysis of the Bioactive Compounds and Physiological Activities of Commonly Consumed Noni Juice in Republic of Korea

Xiaolu Fu  1 , Min-Hye Kim  1 , Geon Oh  1 , Ji-Hyun Im  1 , June-Seok Lim  1 , Yeon-Seok Seong  1 , Jae-Yeon Lee  2 , Eun Young Park  2 , Do Sang Lee  3 , Im-Joung La  3 , Ok-Hwan Lee  1
Affiliations

Analysis of the Bioactive Compounds and Physiological Activities of Commonly Consumed Noni Juice in Republic of Korea

Xiaolu Fu et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) juice is increasingly recognized for its potential health-promoting properties. In this research, the bioactive compounds and physiological effects of commercial noni juice products in Korea were assessed. Noni juice was found to contain high levels of total phenolics (6.39 ± 1.45 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g) and proanthocyanidins (8.64 ± 6.20 mg catechin equivalents (CE)/g). Furthermore, it exhibited potent antioxidant activities, with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging activities of 44.03 ± 14.88% and 55.91 ± 2.62%, respectively, which exceeded those reported for common fruit juices such as apple, orange, and blueberry. Additionally, noni juice reduced lipid accumulation by 5.92% and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels by 7.23% in 3T3-L1 adipocytes; improved fusion index to 81.44% and restored myotube diameter by 37.24% in dexamethasone-induced C2C12 cells; and suppressed LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production. These results suggested that noni juice has anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-muscle atrophy, and antioxidant properties, supporting its potential as a functional health beverage.

Keywords: bioactive compounds; noni (Morinda citrifolia L.); noni juice; physiological activities.

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Conflict of interest statement

Do Sang Lee and Im-Joung La were employed by Atomy R&D Center. Jae-Yeon Lee and Eun Young Park were employed by NSTBIO Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declare that this study received funding from the 2024 Research Grant from the NSTBIO Co., Ltd. and Atomy R&D Center. The funder had the following involvement with the study: Resources, Validation, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Conceptualization, and Writing—review and editing.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HPLC-PDA determination of bioactive compounds in commercial noni juice. The black and red lines show the median and mean values, respectively, and the black dots represent the outliers. According to Duncan’s multiple range test, different lowercase letters indicate statistically significant differences at p < 0.05. DAA: deacetylasperulosidic acid; AA: asperulosidic acid; Scol: scopolin; Asp: asperuloside; Sco: scopoletin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of noni juice samples on cell viability, lipid accumulation, and ROS production in MDI-treated (A–C) and BPA-induced adipocytes (D–F). (A,D) Cell viability was using the XTT assay; (B,E) lipid accumulation assessed through ORO staining; (C,F) relative ROS production quantified by the NBT assay. The black and red lines show the median and mean values, respectively, and the black dots represent the outliers. Different lowercase letters indicate statistically significant differences at p < 0.05. GAR: garcinia cambogia; BPA: bisphenol A; DEX: dexamethasone.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of noni juice samples on cell viability, lipid accumulation, and ROS production in MDI-treated (A–C) and BPA-induced adipocytes (D–F). (A,D) Cell viability was using the XTT assay; (B,E) lipid accumulation assessed through ORO staining; (C,F) relative ROS production quantified by the NBT assay. The black and red lines show the median and mean values, respectively, and the black dots represent the outliers. Different lowercase letters indicate statistically significant differences at p < 0.05. GAR: garcinia cambogia; BPA: bisphenol A; DEX: dexamethasone.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of noni juice samples on DEX-induced C2C12 myotubes. (A) Cytotoxicity analysis; (B) assessment of cytoprotective effects; (C) measurement of myotube diameter, and (D) calculation of fusion index. The black and red lines show the median and mean values, and the black dots represent the outliers. Different lowercase letters indicate statistically significant differences at p < 0.05. DEX: dexamethasone.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of noni juice on cell viability and NO production in RAW 264.7 cells. (A) Cell viability under immunoenhancing experimental conditions; (B) NO production under immunoenhancing experimental conditions; (C) cell viability under anti-inflammatory experimental conditions, and (D) NO production under anti-inflammatory experimental conditions. The black and red lines show the median and mean values, and the black dots represent the outliers. Different lowercase letters indicate statistically significant differences at p < 0.05. LPS: lipopolysaccharides.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Cytoprotective effects of noni juice against UVB-induced damage in HDF cells. (A) Cell viability following treatment with noni juice alone; (B) cell viability following UVB exposure with noni juice treatment, and (C) MMP-1 activity levels as an indicator of extracellular matrix degradation following UVB exposure. The black and red lines show the median and mean values, and the black dots represent the outliers. Different lowercase letters indicate statistically significant differences at p < 0.05. UVB: ultraviolet B radiation; MMP-1: matrix metalloproteinase-1.
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