Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry Volume 2013, Article ID 804504, 5 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/804504 Research Article In Vivo Antioxidant Activity of Deacetylasperulosidic Acid in Noni De-Lu Ma, 1 Mai Chen, 2 Chen X. Su, 3 and Brett J. West 3 1 Division of Pharmacology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China 2 Quality Control, Tahitian Noni Beverages Company Ltd., Room A 12F, No. 789, Zhaojiabang Road, Shanghai 200032, China 3 Research and Development, Morinda Inc., 737 East 1180 South, American Fork, UT 84003, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Brett J. West; brett west@tni.com Received 10 September 2013; Accepted 15 October 2013 Academic Editor: Jian Yang Copyright © 2013 De-Lu Ma et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Deacetylasperulosidic acid (DAA) is a major phytochemical constituent of Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit. Noni juice has demonstrated antioxidant activity in vivo and in human trials. To evaluate the role of DAA in this antioxidant activity, Wistar rats were fed 0 (control group), 15, 30, or 60 mg/kg body weight per day for 7 days. Aferwards, serum malondialdehyde concentration and superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were measured and compared among groups. A dose-dependent reduction in malondialdehyde was evident as well as a dose-dependent increase in superoxide dismutase activity. DAA ingestion did not infuence serum glutathione peroxidase activity. Tese results suggest that DAA contributes to the antioxidant activity of noni juice by increasing superoxide dismutase activity. Te fact that malondialdehyde concentrations declined with increased DAA dose, despite the lack of glutathione peroxidase-inducing activity, suggests that DAA may also increase catalase activity. It has been previously reported that noni juice increases catalase activity in vivo but additional research is required to confrm the efect of DAA on catalase. Even so, the current fndings do explain a possible mechanism of action for the antioxidant properties of noni juice that have been observed in human clinical trials. 1. Introduction Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as noni, is a small tree that has been used as a traditional source of food and medicine throughout the tropics [1, 2]. A variety of potential health benefts have been reported for noni fruit juice [3]. Tese include immunomodulation [4, 5] and antioxidant activities in vitro and in vivo [6–8]. Te antioxidant activity of noni juice was found to be associated with increased endurance in athletes [9]. In a human clinical trial involving heavy cigarette smokers, consumption of noni juice resulted in lowered plasma concentrations of superoxide anion radi- cals (SAR) and lipid hydroperoxides [10]. Further, consump- tion of noni juice also decreased the level of lipid peroxi- dation-derived DNA adducts in the lymphocytes of heavy smokers [11]. In vivo research has demonstrated that noni juice increases superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione per- oxidase (GPx) enzyme activities [12]. Te superoxide anion radical (SAR) is a major cellular reactive oxygen species and may be generated via enzymatic and nonenzymatic process or may come from exogenous sources, including cigarette smoke [13]. SOD catalyzes the dismutation of SAR to hydro- gen peroxide and oxygen [14]. GPx is capable of reducing free hydrogen peroxide to water [15]. GPx also reduces lipid hydroperoxides, as well as prevents free radical attack on polyunsaturated fatty acids in cellular membranes [16]. As such, the efect of noni juice on these two enzymes may be at least two of the major antioxidant mechanisms of action through which it protects lymphocyte DNA and lowers plasma concentration of tobacco smoke-induced free radicals and peroxides. Chemical studies of noni fruit have revealed that iridoids are the main phytochemical constituents, with deacetylaspe- rulosidic acid (DAA) comprising the majority of the iridoid content [17]. DAA has anticlastogenic activity, suppressing the induction of chromosome aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells and in mice [18]. DAA is reported to inhibit the