Antitumor Studies of a Traditional Hawaiian Medicinal Plant, Morinda citrifolia (Noni), In Vitro and In Vivo

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, University of Hawaii, Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology), Dec. 1997
Antitumor Studies of a Traditional Hawaiian Medicinal Plant, Morinda citrifolia (Noni), In Vitro and In Vivo
Hirazumi, A.Y.

The fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia L. (Noni) contains a polysaccharide-rich precipitate (noni-ppt) with antitumor activity in the Lewis Lung (LLC) peritoneal carcinomatosis model. Noni-ppt was capable of stimulating the release of several mediators from murine effector cells. The pattern of release of these mediators suggested that noni-ppt may promote both a non-specific and Th1 cell mediated antitumor response. Therapeutic administration of noni-ppt demonstrated significant suppression of S.180 ascites growth in allogenic animals, without being substantially cytotoxic to these cells in vitro. Improved survival time and curative effects occurred when noni-ppt was combined with sub-optimal doses of the standard chemotherapeutic agents.