Mechanisms of action of biomolecules extracted from Morinda citrifolia leaves to improve endurance and physical performance

巴戟天，俗称诺丽，是上世纪90年代中期S作为“超级水果”首次推向市场。自那以后，它因其抗炎、镇痛、抗氧化和抗血管生成等特性而被广泛研究。这种树生长在热带气候中，特别是在夏威夷、法属波利尼西亚、斐济、哥斯达黎加和东南亚，它们的高度可达10米。为了促进农耕并使其产量最大化，在一些国家(例如美国(夏威夷)和哥斯达黎加)有不同的公司拥有诺丽树种植园。一年到头，为了让劳动力更容易收获水果，农民们不得不修剪树木，在地上留下大量树叶。水果的特性对一般健康的有益作用是确定的。相比之下，从几个世纪以来一直被用作茶叶的叶子中提取的提取物的潜在益处一直没有得到很好的研究。最近的研究表明，给小鼠补充4周的诺丽叶提取物可以提高耐力和运动能力。然而，这些补充剂的作用机制尚不清楚。InnoVactiv成立于2004年，总部设在魁北克省里穆斯基，是一家加拿大公司，致力于天然生物活性成分的开发和商业化，服务于膳食补充剂和化妆品行业。InnoVactive最近与一家夏威夷公司签订了诺丽干叶的独家供应协议，并开发了一种优化的提取方法，以最大限度地提高诺丽叶中生物活性成分的产量。InnoVactive的具体问题是，其团队没有知识、专业知识和设备来剖析诺丽叶提取物提高耐力和性能的机制。这一认识对于该公司进一步优化提取方法并保护对其效果负责的生物活性分子至关重要。为了解决这个问题，该公司正在与古斯皮罗博士合作，古斯皮罗博士是肌肉生理学和线粒体生物学领域的专家，可以进入设备齐全的实验室，研究无叶提取物的作用机制。

Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as noni, has been first introduced to the market by mid-1990's as a "superfruit". It has since been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and anti-angiogenicproperties. The trees grow in tropical climates especially in Hawaii, French Polynesia, Fiji, Costa Rica andSoutheast Asia where they can reach up to 10 meters in height. To facilitate the farming and maximize theirproduction, there are different companies in some countries (USA (Hawaii) and Costa Rica for example) thatown plantations of noni trees. All over the year, to make the harvest of fruits easier for the workforce, farmershave to prune trees, leaving lots of leaves on the ground. The beneficial effects of the fruit properties forgeneral health are well established. In contrast, the potential beneficial effects of extract prepared from theleaves, used as tea since centuries, have been poorly studied. It was recently shown that supplementing micewith an extract of noni leaves for 4 weeks resulted in an increased endurance and physical performance.However, the mechanisms of action of these supplements remain unknown. Founded in 2004 and based inRimouski (Québec), InnoVactiv is a Canadian company involved in the development and commercialization ofbioactive ingredients from natural origin to serve the dietary supplement and cosmetic industries. InnoVactivhas recently secured an exclusive supply agreement with a Hawaiian company for dried noni leaves anddeveloped an extraction method optimized to maximize the yield of the bioactive components of Noni leaves.The specific problem of InnoVactiv is that its team does not have the knowledge, expertise and equipment todissect the mechanisms responsible for the increased endurance and performance induced by the Noni leavesextract. This understanding will be critical for the company to further optimize the method of extraction andpreserve the bioactive molecules responsible for its effect. To solve this problem, the company is partneringwith Dr. Gouspillou, an expert in the field of muscle physiology and mitochondrial biology with access to afully equipped laboratory to investigate the mechanisms of action of none leaves extract.