Morinda lucida

Morinda lucida (Rubiaceae) Leaves, bark Malaria and diabetes Aqueous decoction or maceration of fresh plant or dried plant materials is used. Also dried plant materials are extracted with alcoholic beverages and used. 

Similar effects have been observed with anthraqui-nones and lipoquinones in Morinda lucida cell cultures (Schultz et al., 1985). The presence of tissue-specific promoters is linked to expression of secondary compounds in many tissues. All these data indicate the need to understand the basic biochemistry and physiology of the biosynthesis of secondary compounds before it will be possible to initiate synthesis in cell cultures in a controlled manner (Hutchinson, 1986 Rosahl et al., 1986). 

Phylloquinone (37), plastoquinone, ct-tocopherol, and ubiquinone (13) (Fig. 6.2) are produced by a cell suspension culture from Morinda lucida (Rubiaceae). Changes in environmental, hormonal, and other cultural conditions result in accumulation of anthraquinones in cultures of Galium, Morinda, diXidRubia (all Rubiaceae). The addition of o-succi-nylbenzoic acid (38) causes an increase in the amount of anthraquinones produced. 2-Carboxy-4-oxotetralone (43) or l,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (40) appear to be intermediates in the synthesis of both anthraquinones and phylloqui-nones. 

Phylloquinone is also a constituent of a green photosynthetic cell suspension culture of Morinda lucida Benth. (Rubiaceae). ° The amounts of lipoquinones (i.e. phylloquinone, plastoquinone, a-tocopherol, ubiquinone) isolated from the cultured cells are similar to those isolated from the intact leaf. ° This is also true of the chlorophyll content of leaf and culture (Table I). 

Table 1. Alternative formation of phylloquinone and anthraquinones in a photoautotrophic and heterotrophic cell suspension culture of Morinda lucida.

W. HUSEMANN, W. BARZ. 1985. Alternative formation of anthraquinones and lipoquinones in heterotrophic and photoautotrophic cell suspension of Morinda lucida Benth. Planta, submitted. 

Adesogan EK (1979) Oruwacin, a new iridoid ferulate from Morinda lucida. Phytochemistry 18 175-176... 

Demagos G P, Baltas W, Hofle G 1981 New anthraquinones and anthraquinone glycosides from Morinda lucida. Z Naturforsch 36B 1180-1184... 

Until now there has only been one report on the use of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) for the isolation of anthraquinones from rubiaceous plants. Demagos and co-workers (44) used reversed-phase liquid chromatography for the separation of anthraquinone glycosides from Morinda lucida heartwood. For the separation of anthraquinone glycosides reversed-phase high performance (HP) LC seems... 

Ddmnacanthus major Sieb. Zucc. (26) Lasianthus chinensis Benth. 68) Morinda lucida Benth. 1, 2) M roioc L. 101) M, tinctoria Roxb. 49) Prismatomeris tetrandra (Roxb.) K. Schum. 122)... 

Morinda lucida Benth. (2) M. umbellata L. 39) Ploclama pendula Ait. 58) Putoria calabrica Perss. (57) Rubia cordifolia L. 74,119) R. tinctorum L. 38)... 

Cinchona ledgeriana Moens. (128) Morinda lucida Benth. (44)... 

Adesida, G.A., and E.K. Adesogan Oruwal, a Novel Dihydroanthraquinone Pigment from Morinda lucida Benth. J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1972, 405. 

Adesogan, E.K. Anthraquinones and Anthraquinols from Morinda lucida. Tetrahedron 29, 4099 (1973). 

Demagos, G.P., W. Baltus, and G. Hofle New Anthraquinones and Anthraquinone Glycosides from Morinda lucida. Z. Naturforsch. 36b, 1180 (1981). 

The first example by Stephens et al. deals with the determination of the AC of the iridoid oruwacin by TDDFT calculations of the sodium D line specihc rotation, [aJo. Oruwacin (Figure 53.3) had been previously isolated from the leaves of Morinda lucida, and its AC was assumed to be the same as that of the related iridoid (1R,5S,8S,9S,1QS)-plumericin based on their [aJo values +198 (CHCI3) for plumericin and +193 (CHCI3) for oruwacin. 

---