Atividade antitumoral da Morinda citrifolia sobre o tumor de Ehrlich

Abstract

The Ehrlich tumor is a mammary adenocarcinoma of mice widely used for therapeutic trials. Morinda citrifolia (noni) is used in tradicional medicine as a food supplement for patients with different types of cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumoral activity of M. citrifolia plant drug in vivo. The plant material was collected at Fazenda Escola, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, and processed for preparation of the plant drug and for phytochemical analysis. For the in vivo assays were used 50 Swiss mice, divided into two major groups: in the first group, the ascitic form of the tumor was induced intraperitoneally and in the second group, the solid form was induced on the left footpad. For the treatment, both groups were subdivided into five subgroups, as follows: three groups treated with the plant drug at different concentrations (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg/day, orally), a group treated with phosphate saline buffer – PBS (negative control) and a group treated with cyclophosphamide (positive control). Treatment started 24 hours post- inoculation and lasted seven days, in the animals with the ascitic form, or 14 days, for the ones with the solid form. After the treatment, the animas were euthanized for evaluation of tumor evolution parameters, as well as for histological and immunohistochemistry analyses. Phytochemical analysis of M. citrifolia extract showed the presence of the compounds scopoletin, damnacanthal, ursolic acid, nonioside C, asperulosic acid and deacetyl asperulosic acid. It was observed in all subgroups of the ascitic group, a serous- looking ascites, with no differences regarding the splenic and hepatic index, abdominal circumference and cellularity of the mesenteric lymph nodes, bone marrow and spleen between the subgroups. In short, the plant drug did not present antineoplastic action, but did not induce side effects.