Part I: Some chemical constitutents of Morinda citrifolia L. (Noni) ; Part II: The structure of the nitrocamphor anhydrides

Abstract

The systematic study of higher plants for the purpose of detecting antibiotics in their tissues is of comparatively recent origin. The discovery of microorganisms as the causative agents of many infectious diseases of man created interest in substances toxic to these organisms. Although the most powerful antibiotic substances are derived from bacteria, fungi or protozoa, the use of plants and their extracts as drugs for the treatment of human diseases has been an age-old practice. Documents, many of which are of great antiquity, reveal that plants were used medicinally in China, Egypt and Greece long before the beginning of the Christian era. The search for antibiotics in plants has stimulated the curiosity in man to study their origin and synthesis. The purpose of the investigation of noni fruits was twofold. The main objective was to isolate and identify the antibacterial components of the fruit as indicated by Bushnell's research (3) and, secondly, if the compounds were not bacteriologically active, they would be investigated in order to add some knowledge to the chemical constituents present in the family Rubiaceae.