Morinda citrifolia L. (noni) is one of the most important traditional Polynesian medicinal plants. The primary indigenous use of this plant appears to be of the leaves, as a topical treatment for wound healing. The ethanol extract of noni leaves (150 mg kg−1 day−1) was used to evaluate the wound-healing activity on rats, using excision and dead space wound models. Animals were randomly divided into two groups of six for each model. Test group animals in each model were treated with the ethanol extract of noni orally by mixing in drinking water and the control group animals were maintained with plain drinking water. Healing was assessed by the rate of wound contraction, time until complete epithelialization, granulation tissue weight and hydoxyproline content. On day 11, the extract-treated animals exhibited 71% reduction in the wound area when compared with controls which exhibited 57%. The granulation tissue weight and hydroxyproline content in the dead space wounds were also increased significantly in noni-treated animals compared with controls (P < 0.002). Enhanced wound contraction, decreased epithelialization time, increased hydroxyproline content and histological characteristics suggest that noni leaf extract may have therapeutic benefits in wound healing.

The acetone extract of the aerial parts of Piper saltuum yielded three new prenylated hydroxy benzoic acids, 1, 2 and 3, the structures of which were determined principally by spectroscopic methods.Piper saltuum C.DC (Piperaceae) is a relatively rare species in the New World(1) and has not been previously studied.We examined the aerial parts of P. saltuum occurring in Trinidad and wish to report the isolation of three new prenylated hydroxy benzoic acid derivatives.Despite extensive study of Piperaceae, this class of compounds has only very recently been isolated from Piper species (2-5).Compound 1 was obtained as a yellow, viscous oil. Its uv spectrum showed bands at 217 and 258 nm and its ir spectrum exhibited absorptions at 3400 (br), 1675, and 1601 cm \ which suggested an aromatic carboxylic acid. Indeed, the *H-nmr spectrum of 1 (Table 1) was very similar to that of the previously reported compound 6 (4-6). However, in the case of 1 five vinyl methyl groups, rather than the four that would be expected for 6, were indicated. The signal at

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This study demonstrates that the juice of Morinda citrifolia fruit significantly reduces blood sugar levels and hastens wound healing in diabetic rats.

The alkaloid fraction of the MeOH extract of the aerial parts of Solanum triste afforded the new steroidal alkaloid, (22R,25R)-3 beta-amino-5-spirosolene [2], and its previously synthesized dihydro derivative, (22R,24R)-3 beta-amino-5 alpha-spirosolane [3], which is reported here for the first time as a natural product. The structures were elucidated by spectral techniques including 1H-nmr, 13C-nmr, and 1H-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY nmr experiments.