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Original Paper

An immunomodulatory polysaccharide-rich substance from the fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia (noni) with antitumour activity

  1. Anne Hirazumi,
  2. Eiichi Furusawa*

Article first published online: 18 AUG 1999

DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199908/09)13:5<380::AID-PTR463>3.0.CO;2-M

Issue

Phytotherapy Research

Phytotherapy Research

Volume 13, Issue 5, pages 380–387, August/September 1999

Additional Information

How to Cite

Hirazumi, A. and Furusawa, E. (1999), An immunomodulatory polysaccharide-rich substance from the fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia (noni) with antitumour activity. Phytother. Res., 13: 380–387. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199908/09)13:5<380::AID-PTR463>3.0.CO;2-M

Author Information

  1. Department of Pharmacology, John A., Burns School of Medicine, 1960 East West Road, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

*Department of Pharmacology, John A., Burns School of Medicine, 1960 East West Road, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 18 AUG 1999
  2. Article first published online: 18 AUG 1999
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 20 OCT 1998
  4. Manuscript Revised: 12 OCT 1998
  5. Manuscript Received: 29 JUL 1998

Funded by

  • State of Hawaii Governor's Agricultural Coordinating Committee
  • University of Hawaii Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development

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Keywords:

  • antitumour;
  • immunomodulator;
  • polysaccharide;
  • Lewis lung carcinoma;
  • fruit juice;
  • Morinda citrifolia

Abstract

The fruit juice of Morinda citrifolia (noni) contains a polysaccharide-rich substance (noni-ppt) with antitumour activity in the Lewis lung (LLC) peritoneal carcinomatosis model. Therapeutic administration of noni-ppt significantly enhanced the duration of survival of inbred syngeneic LLC tumour bearing mice. It did not exert significant cytotoxic effects in an adapted culture of LLC cells, LLC1, but could activate peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) to impart profound toxicity when co-cultured with the tumour cells. This suggested the possibility that noni-ppt may suppress tumour growth through activation of the host immune system. Concomitant treatment with the immunosuppressive agent, 2-chloroadenosine (C1-Ade) or cyclosporin (cys-A) diminished its activity, thereby substantiating an immunomodulatory mechanism. Noni-ppt was also capable of stimulating the release of several mediators from murine effector cells, including tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-10, IL-12 p70, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and nitric oxide (NO), but had no effect on IL-2 and suppressed IL-4 release. Improved survival time and curative effects occurred when noni-ppt was combined with sub-optimal doses of the standard chemotherapeutic agents, adriamycin (Adria), cisplatin (CDDP), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and vincristine (VCR), suggesting important clinical applications of noni-ppt as a supplemental agent in cancer treatment. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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