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

Morinda citrifolia，通常被称为诺丽，在20世纪90年代中期首次作为“超级水果”引入市场。它因其抗炎、镇痛、抗氧化和抗血管生成的特性而被广泛研究。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，在那里它们的高度可以达到10米。为了促进种植和最大限度地提高产量，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，为了让工人更容易收获水果，农民们都要修剪树木，在地上留下许多树叶。水果特性对一般健康的有益影响是公认的。相比之下，几个世纪以来一直用作茶叶的茶叶提取物的潜在有益作用却很少得到研究。最近有研究表明，给老鼠补充诺丽叶提取物4周，可以提高耐力和身体表现。然而，这些补充剂的作用机制尚不清楚。InnoVactiv公司成立于2004年，总部位于rimouski (qusamubec)，是一家加拿大公司，致力于从天然来源开发和商业化生物活性成分，为膳食补充剂和化妆品行业提供服务。innovactivo最近与一家夏威夷公司签订了诺丽叶干燥的独家供应协议，并开发了一种优化的提取方法，以最大限度地提高诺丽叶的生物活性成分的产量。InnoVactiv的具体问题是，它的团队没有知识、专业知识和设备来分析诺丽叶提取物提高耐力和表现的机制。这对公司进一步优化提取方法和保存其作用的生物活性分子至关重要。为了解决这个问题，该公司正在与肌肉生理学和线粒体生物学领域的专家Gouspillou博士合作，并拥有设备齐全的实验室来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.