Phytochemical composition and in vitro biological activities of Morinda citrifolia fruit juice

<i>Morinda citrifolia</i> is a plant with broad nutraceutical and therapeutic effects and used in the traditional treatment of several ailments. The objective of this work is to investigate the phytochemistry of the fruit juice of <i>M. citrifolia</i> on one hand and on other hand to evaluate its antiradical and antibacterial activity. The phytochemical investigation was carried out by tube staining tests of the extract of two types of fruit juice of <i>M. citrifolia</i>. The antioxidant activity of these juices was evaluated by reducing the DPPH radical method. Concerning the antibacterial activity, it was tested on the <i>in vitro</i> growth of 10 reference bacterial strains using the well diffusion method. Qualitative phytochemistry of <i>M. citrifolia</i> fruit juices revealed the presence of large groups of secondary metabolites including polyphenols, reducing compounds, mucilage and terpernoids. The antioxidant activity of <i>M. citrifolia</i> fruit juices is dose-dependent and higher than that of ascorbic acid. Antimicrobial activity on other hand revealed that fruit juices inhibit growth inhibitory activity of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, <i>Proteus mirabilis</i>, <i>S. epidermidis</i>, <i>Proteus vulgaris</i>, <i>Streptococcus oralis</i>, <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i>. This observed difference is significant for each juices on the strains (<i>p</i> < 0.001). These results support the use of <i>M. citrifolia</i> in traditional medicine and are the starting points for the development of a new drug to combat both dietary conditions and chronic conditions associated with oxidative stress.