Phytochemical Analysis by FTIR of Zanthoxylum Acanthopodium, DC Fruit Ethanol Extract, N-hexan, Ethyl Acetate and Water Fraction.

Background: Andaliman fruit is used as spice in Batak cuisine, North Sumatera, Indonesia. The potency of andaliman fruit extract as herbal medicine is widely studied. Many studies elaborate the benefits of andaliman fruit extract as an antioxidant, antibacterial or anticancer. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the phytochemical compounds of andaliman fruit extract and its fractions. Methods: The andaliman fruit was originated from Balige city, Tobasa Regency, North Sumatera. The extract was made by maceration within ethanol and followed by fractionation with n-hexan, ethyl acetate and water. The phytochemical screening by chemical reactions, thin layer chromatography, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer were performed. Results: This study found andaliman fruit ethanol extract consists of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, triterpens, and steroids. The n-hexan fraction consists of triterpens and steroids, ethyl acetate fraction consists of flavonoids and glycosides, and water fraction consists of alkaloid, flavonoid, and glycosides. Andaliman fruit ethanol extract had eight color spots, n-hexan and ethyl acetate fraction had five color spots and water fraction had two color spots. Andaliman fruit ethanol extract had functional group of C-H alkanes, =C-H alkenes (aliphatic), O-H, C=C alkenes, C=C aromatics, C≡C alkynes, C-O, C=O, and NO2. The n-hexan fraction had C-H alkanes, =C-H alkenes (aliphatic), O-H, C=C alkenes, C-O, C=O, and NO2. The ethyl acetate fraction had C-H alkanes, =C-H alkenes (aliphatic), O-H, C=C alkenes, C=C aromatics, C-O, C=O, and NO2. The water fraction had C-H alkanes, =C-H alkenes (aliphatic), O-H, C=C aromatics, C≡C alkynes, and C-O. Conclusion: Phytochemical screening found that andaliman fruit ethanol extract, n-hexan, ethyl acetate and water fraction positive of phytochemical compounds. The FTIR of andaliman fruit ethanol extract, n-hexan fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, and water fraction showed the absorbance of C-H alkanes, O-H, C-O, and C=C alkenes indicating the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, and triterpenoid saponin.

Antioxidant and antiaging activities of Cinnamomum burmannii, Michelia champaca and their combinations.

Aging is a natural skin process that occurs due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as excessive exposure to ultraviolet light (photoaging). The mechanism of damage involves the production of excess free radicals that trigger oxidative stress in the skin. Determining the natural products that have high antioxidant activities as antiaging is important. Cinnamomum burmannii and Michelia champaca are typical Aceh plants that are believed to have high antioxidant effects. The aim of this study was to determining the contents of C. burmannii and M. champaca as well as to determine the antioxidant and antiaging activities of either individually or combinations. The qualitative phytochemical and semi-quantitative analysis of the extracts were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity was examined by radical scavenging using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical method while the antiaging activity was measured using the tyrosinase enzyme inhibition test. The phenolic and flavonoid contents of C. burmannii were higher than M. champaca (66.34 vs 24.71 mg gallic acid equivalent/gr and 80.52 vs 60.20 mg quercetin equivalent/gr, respectively. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) of M. champaca extract in inhibiting DPPH indicated that M. champaca had a better antioxidant activity than C. burmannii. The combination of C. burmannii and M. champaca extracts had a lower IC50 compared to M. champaca alone. C. burmannii and M. champaca extracts had a weak potential to inhibit tyrosinase activity (IC50 value ≥1000 µg/mL). In conclusion, this study indicates that M. champaca and C. burmannii have strong antioxidant activities and these might associate with polyphenol contents.

Effect of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) production in arteriovenous fistula (AVF) animal model: A preliminary study.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) is a transcription factor that plays a crucial role in cellular responses to hypoxia, such as in the development of intimal hyperplasia, a common complication in arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation. While the application of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) has shown promise in various regenerative medicine applications, including tissue repair and angiogenesis, the effect of UC-MSCs on HIF-1α level in the AVF has not been tested. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of UC-MSCs administration on HIF-1α levels in the AVF animal model. An experimental study was conducted on 28 local male rabbits (Lepus domestica) using a post-test-only design. The rabbits were divided randomly into four groups: normal rabbit group (negative control), placebo-treated AVF rabbit group (positive control), AVF rabbits treated with in-situ UC-MSCs injection (one dose, 106 UC-MSCs/kg body weight), and AVF rabbits treated with intravenous UC-MSCs (one dose, 106 UC-MSCs/kg body weight (BW). HIF-1α level was measured using ELISA method after 28 days post-treatment. All data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and continued with the Duncan's post-hoc test. The data indicated that the levels of HIF-1α were different among all four groups (p<0.001). The post-hoc analysis revealed that the HIF-1α levels in both UC-MSC treated groups were significantly lower compared to untreated AVF rabbits (p<0.05). This study suggests that UC-MSCs could be a promising therapy to prevent and reduce intimal hyperplasia in AVF.

The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the inflammatory response in a mouse model of endometriosis: An experimental study.

Background: Endometriosis pathogenesis is related to the inflammation shown by the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators. This hypoxia condition can stimulate this condition. Objective: To investigate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on the inflammation reaction of endometriosis-induced mice. Materials and Methods: The animals were designated into 3 groups: I) the pre-test group, II) the post-test group receiving the HBOT, and III) the post-test group without HBOT. All groups were subjected to induction of endometriosis by xenotransplantation for 15 days. HBOT was given 30 min 3 times a day for 10 days. The evaluation of the HBOT effect was conducted by examining the endometrial tissue. The inflammation level was evaluated using the Klopfleisch semiquantitative scoring system (index remmele scale), whilst the expression of nuclear factor kappa (NF κ B) beta was measured by immunohistochemical staining. Results: The results showed that group I demonstrated the highest level of inflammation degree (9.41 ± 1.99) compared to the post-test groups (group II: 1.60 ± 0.53; group III: 2.42 ± 0.53). The HBOT-groups was found to have the lowest inflammation level compared to the non-HBOT group (p = 0.020). The results demonstrated that HBOT lowered the peritoneal inflammation degree caused by the endometrial lesion in mice. NF κ B expression on the post-test groups was significantly decreased, compared to the pre-test group (p ≤ 0.001), with a strong correlation between the NF κ B expression and the peritoneal inflammation level (p ≤ 0.001, r = 0.670). Conclusion: HBOT significantly reduced the inflammation level on the endometrial lesion in mice, involving the NF κ B pathway.

The Differences in Perceptions of Interprofessional Education Among Health Profession Students: The Indonesian Experience.

PURPOSE: Interprofessional education (IPE) is defined as a practice of collaboration between two or more students from different health profession programs in which the students study with and about, and learn from, each other. IPE is an educational method that trains students to perform in terms of good communication and teamwork which will be useful for the implementation of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) at health-care facilities. The aim of this study is to identify the perceptions of medicine and health profession students on IPE at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in five health profession programs at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia. Data were collected using a questionnaire which was then distributed to 286 students sampled with a stratified random sampling method. Analyses were conducted by using a univariate statistical analysis to observe students' perceptions of IPE. Students were considered to have a positive perception if their total score was above the median score. RESULTS: More than half of the students (51.4%) in this study had a positive perception toward IPE. However, upon exploration of students' perceptions separately for each study program, only a minority of medical students responded with a positive perception toward IPE (37%). In contrast, the majority of students from dentistry, psychology, nursing, and pharmacy study programs showed a positive perception of IPE, with the pharmacy study program being the program with the highest proportion of students who showed a positive perception (62.5%, 53.5%, 56.4%, and 75%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The majority of medical students show a negative perception toward IPE in contrast to students from other health profession programs at Universitas Syiah Kuala. The pharmacy study program shows the highest proportion of students with a positive perception among all other students.