Role of Scopoletin Containing in an Aqueous Morinda citrifolia Fruit Extract on the Gastric Mucosal Integrity and Gastric Ulcer Healing Process

The antiulcer mechanisms of action of scopoletin (SCO), one of the biomarker compounds contained in an aqueous M. citrifolia fruit extract (AMFE), were evaluated and compared with those of AMFE. In vitro studies revealed that AMFE and SCO exhibited a low capacity in scavenging NO radical. Still, SCO possessed a prominent higher anti-inflammatory capacity in inhibiting the NO production in activated macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line. AMFE exerted a high and fast efficacy in accelerating the proliferation and migration of human gingival fibroblast and gastric epithelial cell lines. In contrast, SCO did not exhibit any significant wound-healing activity. The investigation on the mRNA expression of constitutive gastroprotective enzymes (nNOS and COX-1) and gastric pro-inflammatory enzymes (iNOS and COX–2) at the rat gastric ulcerated area induced by acetic acid demonstrated that SCO exerted a comparable efficiency to AMFE in up-regulating COX-1 and nNOS mRNA expression but down-regulating COX-2 and iNOS mRNA expression. Accordingly, the anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective properties of AMFE seemed to relate to the concentration of SCO in AMFE. On the contrary, the property of accelerating ulcer healing of AMFE might be accounted for by other contributions from some sources of ulcer healing activity contained in AMFE.