Morinda lucida
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Morinda lucida Common Names: Brimstone-tree, Great Morinda, Sulphur
Tree Scientific
Classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Gentianales Family: Rubiaceae Genus: Morinda Species: M. lucida Authority: Benth. Synonyms: Morinda lucida Benth. Morphological Description Morinda lucida is
a fast-growing, evergreen shrub or medium-sized tree, reaching 2.4–25 m in
height with a dense, rounded crown: · Bark: Grey to brown, smooth when young, becoming fissured and
scaly with age; inner bark yellow, bitter (Fern, 2024). · Leaves: Oval to elliptical, 6–15 cm long, 3–7 cm wide, leathery,
dark green, glossy above, paler beneath (Burkill, 1997). · Flowers: Small, tubular, white, 1–2 cm long, in dense terminal heads;
fragrant, blooming year-round (Govaerts, 2024). · Fruits: Ellipsoid drupes, 1–2 cm long, green turning
yellowish-orange when ripe; bitter, containing 2–4 seeds (Fern, 2024). Distribution and Habitat Morinda lucida is
a tropical African species with a broad ecological range: · Range: Senegal to Sudan, south to Angola and Zambia; cultivated in
Benin and Nigeria (Burkill, 1997; Govaerts, 2024). · Habitat: Savannas, secondary forests, coastal plains, riverbanks;
altitude 0–1,200 m; tolerates wet and dry seasons (Fern, 2024). · Soil: Adapts to sandy, loamy, or clay soils; prefers well-drained,
slightly acidic conditions (Burkill, 1997). Ethnopharmacology Morinda lucida, commonly known as the brimstone tree, is a medicinal plant
widely used in African traditional medicine for its diverse therapeutic
benefits, including antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial,
antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and analgesic properties. Its rich
phytochemical composition, including flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins,
anthraquinones, and iridoids, contributes to its medicinal effects. The plant
has shown significant antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum,
making it useful for malaria treatment. It also possesses strong
anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects by modulating inflammatory mediators
and inhibiting COX-2 activity. Morinda
lucida demonstrates broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against pathogens
like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while its
antioxidant compounds protect against oxidative stress-related diseases.
Additionally, it aids in diabetes management by lowering blood glucose levels
and improving insulin sensitivity. Its hepatoprotective properties help
detoxify and protect the liver from damage, while its wound-healing potential
makes it useful for treating skin infections and sores. Despite its extensive
traditional applications, further clinical studies are necessary to validate
its safety and therapeutic efficacy. · Antimalarial: Leaf decoctions in Nigeria; The pLDH and cell toxicity
assays for the crude extract and the fractions of M. lucida indicated that some
fractions reduced the malaria parasite viability by approximately 50% at
100μg/mL and they were not significantly cytotoxic. An IC50 done on the crude
extract gave a value of 25μg/mL. The % cell viability for the crude extract in
cell toxicity assay remained at 100%. Seven chemical constituents i.e.
asperuloside (1), asperulosidic acid (2), stigmasterol (3a), β-sitosterol (3b),
cycloartenol (3c), campesterol (3d) and 5,15-O-dimethylmorindol (4) were
isolated from the DCM-MeOH extract of stem bark. The isolated compounds tested
were not that active by themselves individually at 20μM but their activities
were increased when the isolated compounds were combined. As seen when
compounds 2, 3 and 4 (% viability: 93, 123 and 101 respectively) were combined
yielding an IC50 value of 17μM. Furthermore, this is the first report of
compounds 1, 2, 3c, 3d and 4 isolated from M. lucida. (Chithambo et al., 2017). · Anti-inflammatory: Bark infusions in Ghana; Iridoids from
Morinda lucida The iridoid ML2-2 demonstrated an inverse dose-dependent
anti-inflammatory effect, reaching a maximum of 42.62% at a dose of 2 mg/kg
orally. In contrast, ML2-3 exhibited a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory
response, peaking at 64.52% at 10 mg/kg orally. Diclofenac sodium, used as a
reference drug, showed an anti-inflammatory activity of 58.60% at 10 mg/kg
orally. Additionally, both ML2-2 and ML2-3 displayed significant analgesic
effects (P < 0.01), with pain relief levels of 44.44 ± 5.84% and 54.18 ±
19.01% at 10 mg/kg orally in the hot plate test, and 64.88% and 67.44% in the
writhing assay, respectively. ML2-2 notably enhanced catalase activity, while
ML2-3 significantly increased both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase
activity. Molecular docking studies revealed that both iridoids formed stable
crystal complexes with delta and kappa opioid receptors, as well as the COX-2
enzyme, with low free binding energies (ΔG) ranging from -11.2 to -14.0
kcal/mol. However, they did not interact with the mu opioid receptor. Most
binding poses exhibited a lower bound root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) of ≤ 2,
with multiple amino acids contributing to the interactions through various
intermolecular forces. (Kumatia et al., 2023). · Antidiabetic: Root extracts in Cameroon; methanol extract (250 mg/kg)
lowered blood glucose by 30% in diabetic rats (Domekouo et al., 2016). · Antibacterial: Stem bark in Benin; ethanolic extract inhibited Staphylococcus aureus (MIC 0.25 mg/mL) (Fakoya et al., 2014). ⚠ Toxicity Profile: The acute oral toxicity result, LD50, revealed Morinda lucida leaf
extract to be non-lethal at 6400mg/kg body weight. The results obtained for
liver and kidney function parameters indicated that ingestion of Morinda lucida
leaf extract has no toxic effect on liver and kidney functions. (Oduola et al.,
2018). Additional Uses · Dye: Roots yield yellow-red dyes for textiles in Nigeria
(Burkill, 1997). · Ethnoveterinary: Leaves treat livestock fever in Ghana
(Fern, 2024). · Ecological: Shade tree in agroforestry, stabilizes soil (Orwa et al.,
2009). · Cultural: Used in Yoruba rituals for protection. References
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