Arief Nurrochmad

Hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of pentagamavunon-0 against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic injury in rats.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of pentagamavunon-0(PGV-0) against CCl4-induced hepatic injury in rats. METHODS The groups of animals were administered with PGV-0 at the doses 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg b.w., p.o. once in a day for 6 days and at day 7 the animals were administrated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl) (20%, 2 mL/kg b.w. in liquid paraffin (i.p.). The effect of PGV-0 on serum transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphates (ALP) and total bilirubin were determined in CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Further, the effects of PGV-0 on glutathione (GSH) content, catalase (CAT) and NO free radical scavenging activity also were investigated. RESULTS The results demonstrated that PGV-0 significantly reduced the activity of SGPT, serum ALP and total bilirubin in CCl4 induced rat hepatotoxicity. PGV-0 has effect on the antioxidant and free radical defense system. It prevented the depletion level of GSH and decrease activity of CAT in CCl4-induced liver injury in rats. PGV-0 also demonstrated the free radical scavenger effects on NO free radical scavenging activity with ES value of 32.32 μM. CONCLUSION All of our findings suggests that PGV-0 could protect the liver cells from CCl4-induced liver damages and the mechanism may through the antioxidative effect of PGV-0 to prevent the accumulation of free radicals and protect the liver damage.

Immunomodulatory Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Thyphonium flagelliforme (Lodd) Blume in Rats Induced by Cyclophosphamide

The present study aimed to examine the immunomodulatory effect of ethanolic extract of Typhonium flagelliforme (Lodd) Blume in cyclophosphamide-treated rats. The immunomodulatory effects were determined by lymphocytes proliferation, phagocytic activity of macrophages, plasma cytokines of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1α, interleukin-10 levels, and killer T cells (CD8+ T cells) counts. The results showed that the administration of ethanolic extract of T flagelliforme reduced immunosupessive effect on lymphocyte proliferation, increase the number and phagocytic activity of macrophages in cyclophosphamide-treated rats. Moreover, the ethanolic extract of T flagelliforme also significantly (P < .05) improved the immune system activities especially the proliferation of CD8+T cells and reduced the suppressive effects on cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1α. In conclusion, the ethanolic extract of T flagelliforme has immunomodulatory properties in cyclophosphamide-treated rats. The results suggest that T flagelliforme can reduce immunosuppresive effect caused by a chemotherapeutic agent.

Combination of low-concentration of novel phytoestrogen (8,9)-furanyl-pterocarpan-3-ol from Pachyrhizus erosus attenuated tamoxifen-associated growth inhibition on breast cancer T47D cells

Objective To investigate the estrogenic effect of (8,9)-furanyl-pterocarpan-3-ol (FPC) on growth of human breast cancer T47D cells and the interactions between the FPC and tamoxifen (TAM), on the growth of estrogen receptor-dependent breast cancer T47D cells.