Antimicrobial Activity of an Iridoid Rich Extract from Morinda citrifolia Fruit

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of iridoids in Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruits. An iridoid rich extract from noni fruits was prepared and incubated with aliquots of twenty-four hour cultures of Candida albicans, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at total iridoid concentrations of 0.096, 0.19, 0.45, 0.82 and 1.41 mg/mL. was monitored by Optical Density (OD) at 600 nm. Iridoid concentration dependent decreases in cell growth were observed in all organisms. The results suggest that deacetylasperulosidic acid and asperulosidic acid, the major phytochemical constituents of noni fruit, possess antibacterial activity.