Effects of Morinda citrifolia aqueous fruit extract and its biomarker scopoletin on reflux esophagitis and gastric ulcer in rats
Authors: Srirat Kasiwong
Wibool Ridtitid
Sawpheeyah Nima
Pranee Ratanasuwon
Narubodee Phdoongsombut
Sirima Mahattanadul
Journal: Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2011)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: Noni fruit; Aqueous extract; Scopoletin; Gastro-esophageal inflammatory models; Pharmacological properties
Affiliations: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90112, Thailand. 

Abstract:  Aims of the study: The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of dried mature unripe Morinda citrifolia L. (Rubiaceae) fruit, commonly known as "Noni", in an aqueous extract preparation (AFE) as used in Thai traditional medicine and its biomarker scopoletin on gastro-esophageal inflammatory models that are related to the claimed pharmacological properties of AFE and/or resembled the human esophagitis or gastric ulcer. Materials and methods: The powder of dried mature unripe Noni fruit was boiled in water until it became a sticky paste and was then dried into a powder by lyophilization. The pharmacological activity of AFE and pure scopoletin at the same equivalent dose present in AFE was investigated in rat on gastro-esophageal inflammatory models (acid reflux esophagitis, acute gastritis induced by ethanol and serotonin, and chronic gastric ulcer induced by acetic acid); gastric biochemical parameters and gastrointestinal motility. Results: AFE (0.63-2.50 g/kg) significantly prevented the formation of acid reflux esophagitis, reduced the formation of ethanol-induced acute gastric lesions, suppressed the development of gastric lesions in response to serotonin, and accelerated the healing of acetic acid-induced chronic gastric ulcer in rats with equal potency to those obtained by standard antisecretory agents (ranitidine and lansoprazole). AFE also significantly inhibited gastric acid secretion and pepsin activity in pylorus ligated rats. Additionally, AFE strongly increased the gastrointestinal transit of charcoal meal with a higher potency than cisapride. Pure scopoletin, when compared at the same equivalent dose containing in AFE, possessed similar antiulcer and antisecretory properties to that of AFE although it exerted a less prokinetic activity than AFE. Conclusion: The findings indicated that AFE as well as its biomarker: scopoletin may be beneficial as a potential preventive and therapeutic agent for gastro-esophageal inflammatory diseases, mainly through its antisecretory and prokinetic activities including an inhibitory activity on serotonin, free radicals, and cytokine-mediated inflammation. Additionally, scopoletin might be one of the biomarker constituents to use for the quality assessment of Noni fruit products used for treating gastro-esophageal inflammatory diseases. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 image duplication ![file] Disclaimer: These potential image duplications have been detected automatically using ImageTwin http: dx.doi.org 10.1145 3019612.3019875 Although results have been curated, the automatic algorithm may have generated false positive results and cannot take into account all scientific explanations for apparent duplications like stripped and reprobed blots, time series, serial sections and reused controls. , 
 Figure 1D and 4C: Col-0 western blots are the same. I do understand that this is somehow not a big issue, since conditions are the same. However, for the sake of showing to the readers that the experiment was indeed performed **at least twice**, wasnu2019t appropriate (and good scientific practice) to show a second, different blot? Did authors perform exp twice? ![file] , 
 An image in Figure 6A and in 6B appeared to be the same although the lines are described differently (Col-0 vs Oy-0). *** ![file] ,