Screening of Antiaging Active Components of <i>Morinda officinalis</i> and the Mechanism of Enhanced Efficacy After Salt‐Steaming

Aging decreases the function of various organs and cells, accompanied by the loss of physiological functions. In traditional medicine, Morinda officinalis (MO) and its processed products are often used as kidney-reinforcing drugs. This study set out to evaluate the antiaging efficacy of different components of MO in aging rats and determine whether salt-steaming amplifies the pharmacological activity of MO's most potent components. The results showed that total oligosaccharide partial treatment of MO significantly ameliorated the pathological status of the brain tissue, enhanced spatial memory ability, and improved the expression of various oxidative stress-related factors. In addition, this study found that compared with a high dose of the total oligosaccharide MO component, a high dose of salt-steamed Morinda officinalis (SSMO) significantly improved the pathological status of the brain. Additionally, MO and SSMO reduced apoptosis and inflammation in the aging brain via regulating apoptosis-associated proteins and the SIRT1/NF-κB pathway. UPLC/Q-TOF-MS analysis indicated that the compounds with significant differences in total oligosaccharides between MO and SSMO were 1-kestose (GF2), nystose (GF3), 1F-fructofuranosylnystose (GF4), 1,1,1,1-kestohexose (GF5), and fructo-oligosaccharide DP7 (GF6). These results indicated that the total oligosaccharides of SSMO can show vigorous antiaging effects, providing an experimental basis for exploring the processing of MO.