Topical Administration Effect of Sargassum duplicatum and Garcinia mangostana Extracts Combination on Open Wound Healing Process in Diabetic Mice.

This research aimed to determine the topical administration effect of the combination of Sargassum duplicatum and Garcinia mangostana extracts to ameliorate diabetic open wound healing. The study used 24 adult males of Mus musculus (BALB/c strain, 3-4 months, 30-40 g). They were divided into normal control groups (KN) and diabetic groups. The diabetic group was streptozotocin-induced and divided further into three treatment groups: the diabetic control group (KD), the S. duplicatum treatment group (PA), and the combination of S. duplicatum and G. mangostana treatment group (PAM). The dose of treatment was 50 mg/kg of body weight. Each group was divided into three treatment durations, which were 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days. The wound healing process was determined by wound width, the number of neutrophils, macrophages, fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and collagen density. Histological observation showed that the topical administration of combination extracts increased the re-epithelialization of the wounded area, fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and collagen synthesis. The topical administration of combination extracts also decreased the number of neutrophils and macrophages. This study concluded that the topical administration of the combination of S. duplicatum and G. mangostana extracts improved the open wound healing process in diabetic mice.

Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Fucoidan from Sargassum plagiophyllum and its Activities.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Fucoidan extract from the <i>Sargassum plagiophyllum </i>brown seaweed are renowned for its anticancer and antibacterial activities. Fucoidan is one of the ingredients of <i>S. plagiophyllum </i>that can be extracted by conventional methods and new methods, one of which is microwave assisted extraction (MAE). Research on the extraction of fucoidan from <i>S. plagiophyllum </i>was still limited. Thus, an advanced experiment on how microwave assisted extraction (MAE) of fucoidan was conducted in this study and its activities against <i>Escherichia coli </i>bacteria and HeLa cancer cells were studied. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> <i>Sargassum plagiophyllum </i>was collected from the Gunung Kidul Coast in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Fucoidan extract of <i>S. plagiophyllum</i> was acquired by applying the MAE method at 600 W for 5 min and using hydrochloric acid as a solvent. The cytotoxicity and antibacterial assays were performed using the MTT assay and the agar plate diffusion methods, respectively. <b>Results:</b> The yield of the fucoidan extract examined was 9.90% (w/w), which consisted of 2.60% sulfate and 2.33 mg 100 g¹ fucose. The finding indicated that fucoidan extract exhibits no antibacterial action and the cytotoxicity against the HeLa cell line was 27.82 mg mL¹. <b>Conclusion:</b> The MAE technique was proven to support the fucoidan extraction from <i>S. plagiophyllum </i>successfully. Therefore, the fucoidan extract has proven to have promise beneficial in anticancer activity.

Preparation, Properties and Potential of Carrageenan-Based Hard Capsules for Replacing Gelatine: A Review.

Intense efforts to develop alternative materials for gelatine as a drug-delivery system are progressing at a high rate. Some of the materials developed are hard capsules made from alginate, carrageenan, hypromellose and cellulose. However, there are still some disadvantages that must be minimised or eliminated for future use in drug-delivery systems. This review attempts to review the preparation and potential of seaweed-based, specifically carrageenan, hard capsules, summarise their properties and highlight their potential as an optional main component of hard capsules in a drug-delivery system. The characterisation methods reviewed were dimensional analysis, water and ash content, microbial activity, viscosity analysis, mechanical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, swelling degree analysis, gel permeation chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis. The release kinetics of the capsule is highlighted as well. This review is expected to provide insights for new researchers developing innovative products from carrageenan-based hard capsules, which will support the development goals of the industry.

Inhibitory Activity and Docking Analysis of Antimalarial Agents from Stemona sp. toward Ferredoxin-NADP+ Reductase from Malaria Parasites.

Ferredoxin-NADP+ reductases (FNRs, EC 1.18.1.2) were found in the plastids of Plasmodium and have been considered as a target for the development of new antimalarial agents. Croomine, epi-croomine, tuberostemonine, javastemonine A, and isoprotostemonine are isolated alkaloids from the roots of Stemona sp. and their inhibitory effect on FNRs from Plasmodium falciparum (PfFNR) was investigated. Croomine showed the highest level of inhibition (33.9%) of electron transfer from PfFNR to PfFd, while tuberstemonine displayed the highest level of inhibition (55.4%) of diaphorase activity of PfFNR. Docking analysis represented that croomine is located at the middle position of PfFNR and PfFd. Croomine from S. tuberosa appeared to have potential as an antimalarial agent.

Design and synthesis of chalcone derivatives as inhibitors of the ferredoxin - ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase interaction of Plasmodium falciparum: pursuing new antimalarial agents.

Some chalcones have been designed and synthesized using Claisen-Schmidt reactions as inhibitors of the ferredoxin and ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase interaction to pursue a new selective antimalaria agent. The synthesized compounds exhibited inhibition interactions between PfFd-PfFNR in the range of 10.94%-50%. The three strongest inhibition activities were shown by (E)-1-(4-aminophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (50%), (E)-1-(4-aminophenyl)-3-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (38.16%), and (E)-1-(4-aminophenyl)-3-(2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (31.58%). From the docking experiments we established that the amino group of the methoxyamino chlacone derivatives plays an important role in the inhibition activity by electrostatic interaction through salt bridges and that it forms more stable and better affinity complexes with FNR than with Fd.

(6,7-Dimethoxy-4-methylisoquinolinyl)-(4'-methoxyphenyl)-methanone, a new benzylisoquinoline alkaloid from Beilschmiedia brevipes.

The leaves of Beilschmiedia brevipes provided a new benzylisoquinoline alkaloid: (6,7-dimethoxy-4-methylisoquinolinyl)-(4'-methoxyphenyl)-methanone (1) and O,O-dimethylannocherin A (2), a new natural compound which has been synthesized before. Complete 1H- and 13C-NMR data of both compounds were reported. The structures were established through various spectroscopic methods notably 1D- and 2D-NMR, UV, IR and HRESIMS.