Abdul Mun’im

Content of Methylated Inositols in Familiar Edible Plants

Familiar plants contain large amounts of inositols; soybean, white clover, red clover, bush clover, locust tree, wisteria, and kudzu of the legume family contain pinitol (3-O-methyl-chiro-inositol) at approximately 200-600 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW). The contents of pinitol in other plants were 260 mg/100 g FW for sticky mouse-ear, 275 mg/100 g FW for chickweed, and 332 mg/100 g FW for ginkgo. chiro-Inositol of 191 and 156 mg/100 g FW was also found in dandelion and Japanese mallotus, respectively. Ononitol (4-O-methyl-myo-inositol) of 166 mg/100 g FW was found in sticky mouse-ear. Furthermore, young leaves of ginkgo contained sequoyitol (5-O-methyl-myo-inositol) of 287 mg/100 g FW. Hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of the methylated inositols were higher than those of the original inositols. Effective uses of these familiar edible plants are expected to promote good health.

Potential Gastroprotective Activity of Rice Bran (Oryza sativa L.) Extracted by Ionic Liquid-Microwave-Assisted Extraction against Ethanol-Induced Acute Gastric Ulcers in Rat Model

The presence of gamma-oryzanol in rice bran oil can be 10⁻20-fold higher than tocopherol and tocotrienol. Gamma-oryzanol has various pharmacological properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of rice bran extract as a gastroprotective in reducing lesions in ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer models in rat, using the ionic liquid-microwave-assisted extraction (IL-MAE) method. Rice bran extract was obtained using the IL-MAE method with ionic liquid (IL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [BMIM]BF₄ (concentration 0.7 M), and a ratio of solid/liquid of 15 g/mL, 15 min extraction time, and 10% microwave power. The rats were pretreated with rice bran extract at different doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight; BW) for seven days and subsequently exposed to acute gastric lesions induced by 80% ethanol. Omeprazole (36 mg/kg BW) was used as a standard anti-ulcer drug. The ulcer index, gastric juice acidity, and mucus levels were measured to assess the degree of gastroprotection. The results showed that the oral administration of rice bran extract at a dose of 400 mg/kg BW significantly inhibited the development of ulcer formation by 66.75% and reduced gastric acid levels. Moreover, gamma oryzanol and omeprazole protected the gastric mucosa from ethanol-induced gastric lesions by increasing the level of gastric mucus. Rice bran extract is effective as a gastroprotective therapy sourced from natural ingredients in treating the incidence of gastric ulcers. Most likely, this is related to gamma oryzanol as a bioactive compound contained in rice bran (Oryza sativa L.).

Effect of Apium graveolens Extract Administration on the Pharmacokinetics of Captopril in the Plasma of Rats

Apium graveolens (celery) is an edible and traditionally medicinal plant that is used worldwide, among others for the treatment of hypertension. Combining celery with antihypertensive drugs can affect the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the latter drugs. The aim of the study is to assess the effects of administrating the celery extract on captopril pharmacokinetics. Sprague-Dawley strain rats were divided into two groups (n = 6). Group I was given captopril (10 mg/kg Body Weight (BW)) orally, while Group II was pretreated with celery extract orally (40 mg/kg BW) an hour before administration of captopril. The blood samples were withdrawn at various intervals after drug administration. The captopril concentration was determined using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and from the blood data, the values of Ke, Cmax, Tmax, T1/2, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. The results showed that oral administration of the celery extract increased Cmax (38.67%), T1/2 (37.84%), and AUC (58.10%) and decreased Ke (27.45%) of captopril in Group II (celery + captopril) compared with Group I (captopril). In conclusion, celery extract can alter the pharmacokinetic of captopril when given in combination. The combination might be beneficial for the treatment of hypertension, as celery causes an increase in the plasma level of captopril, which can enhance its efficacy.

Selection of propolis Tetragonula sp. extract solvent with flavonoids and polyphenols concentration and antioxidant activity parameters

Antioxidants are inhibitory compounds that can inhibit auto oxidation reaction by binding to free radicals and highly reactive molecules. The human body needs antioxidant. Antioxidants can be obtained from a variety of natural ingredients, including propolis. Propolis is the natural sap of the bees, obtained from the herbs around the honeycomb. Ethanol is the solvent that often used to extract propolis. Although it has many advantages, ethanol also has weaknesses such as intolerance to alcohol by some people. Therefore, this research was to extract propolis Tetragonula sp. coarse (C) and soft (S) using four varieties of organic solvent, i.e. olive oil (OO), virgin coconut oil (VCO), propylene glycol (PG), and lecithin (L). It was expected to get the best solvent in extracting propolis. The selection of the best solvent was determined by total flavonoids and polyphenols content assay and antioxidant activity. At each test, the absorbance value read by a microplate reader. Flavonoids content assay is using ...

Hair Growth Promoting Activity of Nothopanax scutellarium Merr. Leaves

Objective: The aims of this study were to know the safety using Hen’s eggs-chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) test method and hair growth promoting activity of the ethyl acetate fraction of Nothopanax scutellarium leaves. Methods: Safety test was measured by scoring and categorizing irritation onHET-CAM. Meanwhile, activity test was conducted by applying the hair tonic of the ethylacetate fraction on the back of the rabbits, and the length of hair was measured in the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd week.In the 3 rd week, the hair growth was weighed and hair diameter also was measuredusing scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results: The result showed that 0.2 gram of ethyl acetate fraction of N.scutellarium leaves have mild irritation effect, whereas the formulation contained with 0.5% and 1% of fraction increased hair growth and hair diameter. Conclusion: The ethyl acetate fraction of N. scutellarium have mild irritan effect, and the hair tonic demonstrated hair growth promoting activity. Key words: Hair Tonic, Hair Growth Activity, Nothopanax scutellarium , Safety, HET-CAM.

Application of Ionic Liquid as a Green Solvent for Polyphenolics Content Extraction of Peperomia pellucida (L) Kunth Herb

Background: Inhibition of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of inflammatory pulmonary disorders i.e. asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the treatment with PDE4 inhibitors is not definitive due to the side effects such as nausea and vomiting which are associated with the non-selective inhibitors. Objective: To identify selective PDE4B inhibitors that are expected to be potential drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory pulmonary disorders. Methods: A shared feature pharmacophore model for both ligand and structure-based pharmacophore models for PDE4B inhibitors was developed and used as a query in the virtual screening of Maybridge and SPECS databases. The hits were filtered based on Lipinski’s rule of five and pharmacophore fit score. Finally, the hits were docked into the active site of PDE4B and PDE4D to test their affinity and selectivity. Results: Based on the virtual screening results, nine compounds were identified as final hits, where four compounds showed the highest affinity and selectivity for PDE4B over PDE4D according to the protein-ligand interactions analysis. Conclusion: Selective PDE4B inhibitors have been identified using a combination of pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular docking. Those inhibitors are promising candidates for pre-clinical evaluation to justify their affinity and selectivity for PDE4B and test their anti-inflammatory activity. Key words: Asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Molecular docking, Phosphodiesterase 4B, Virtual screening.Objectives: To find out the effect of mild heat shock on osteoblast proliferation and mineralisation following treatment with bisphosphonates. Materials and Methods: Cell culture of MC3T3 cells was performed in alpha minimum essential medium supplemented with 10% Foetal Calf Serum (FCS), 2 mmol L-glutamine and 100U/ml each of penicillin/streptomycin and were incubated at 37°C in humidified 5% CO2. The selected bisphosphonate drugs were administered, following which heat therapy was given by placing the flasks in a temperature-regulated water bath. The proliferation of osteoblast progenitors was measured using the methylene blue staining technique. Results: The results showed that mild heat-shock for 2 min at 42°C can stimulate proliferation of osteoblast progenitors, as well as bone nodule formation. In addition, mild heat-shock can reverse the action of bisphosphonate by stimulation of osteoblast proliferation and mineralisation. Conclusion: Mild heat-shock enhances cell differentiation and osteoblasts mineralisation following bisphosphonate treatment. Key words: Bisphosphonates, Heat-shock, Osteoblast, Osteoclast.