Antioxidant Activity of Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Morinda citrifolia in Caenorhabditis elegans

The ethanol extract of Morinda citrifolia was studied for antioxidative activity using a Caenorhabditis elegans model system. Ethyl acetate fraction of the ethyl alcohol extract showed the strongest DPPH, ABTS, superoxide radical scavenging activity. SOD and catalase enzymes, which confirm antioxidant enzyme activity in Caenorhabditis elegans, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can confirm the degree of oxidative stress resistance, were tested using the ethyl acetate fractions. Furthermore, in order to verify if regulation of stress response gene is responsible for the increased stress resistance of C. elegans which treated by the ethyl acetate fraction, we checked SOD-3 expression using a transgenic strain. Consequently, the ethyl acetate fraction of Morinda citrifolia Linn. increased the SOD and catalase activities in concentration dependent way in C. elegans, reduced ROS accumulation dose dependently. Besides, the ethyl acetate fraction-treated CF1553 worms showed more higher SOD-3::GFP intensity than the control group.