ETHNOMEDICINAL STUDY OF UBAR KAMPUNG FOR DIABETES MELLITUS: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE, BELIEF, AND PRACTICE OF MEDICINAL, AROMATIC, AND COSMETIC (MAC) PLANTS IN SUNDA REGION, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Objective: Over the past several decades, ethnobotany and ethnomedicine have been considered as a more appropriate interdisciplinary approach to drug discovery involving interdisciplinary collaboration. Several studies on ethnomedicine and ethnobotany worldwide have shown that diabetes mellitus has been recognised by the traditional healer as a pathological condition which can be treated with specific medicinal plants. The starting point in an ethno-directed search for anti-diabetic plants is the identification of plant species used by local healers for this purpose. This study aims to document medicinal plants used by local communities for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Methods: This ethnographical study highlights the emic point of the local people to documents knowledge, belief, and practice of ubar kampung in Sunda Region. Results: The results of this study reveals 20 of most frequently used of medicinal, aromatic, and cosmetic plants by people in Sundanese community. The majority of plant species used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus belong to the families of Asteraceae (2 species), Lauraceae (2 species), and Liliaceae (2 species). Conclusion: Most of the medicinal plants reported in the research area are already publicly acknowledged for their medicinal properties, indicating that their pharmacological activities have been studied in different areas. Medicinal plants such Syzygium polyanthum, Moringa oleifera, Swietenia mahagoni, Allium sativum, and Cinnammomum burmanni have been widely used in several regions by various ethnic groups. Leaves are the most frequently used plant part. In general, infusion and decoction are the most common plant preparation methods in the research area

Cyclodextrin/dextran based drug carriers for a controlled release of hydrophobic drugs in zebrafish embryos

Hydrogel-based drug carriers have been developed from biocompatible materials, cyclodextrin, dextran and poly(ethylene glycol) and were used in zebrafish embryos. Maleimide modified dextrans (Dex-mal) were functionalized with cyclodextrins and crosslinked to form a hydrogel using either per-6-thio-β-cyclodextrin (PSCD) or a combination of mono-6-thio-β-cyclodextrin (MSCD) and di-thiolated poly(ethylene glycol) (DSPEG). Using all-trans retinoic acid (RA) as a model hydrophobic drug, a sustained release from these cyclodextrin modified hydrogels was observed in vitro without an initial burst. This is because the cyclodextrin moiety in these hydrogels acts as a binding site for the RA. Furthermore, the nanosized hydrogel particles were injected into early stage zebrafish embryos in order to test in vivo release of RA and biocompatibility. We found the gel particles prepared from Dex-mal, MSCD and DSPEG were suitable for use in zebrafish embryos and it showed the release of RA in the embryos occurs in a controlled manner.Animal science

Novel branched Nod factor structure results from a-(1-3) fucosyl transferase activity: the major lipo-chitin oligosaccharides from Mesorhizobium loti strain NZP2213 bear an a-(1-3) fucosyl substituent on a nonterminal backbone residue

Microbial Biotechnolog

Chemical synthesis of N-acetylglucosamine derivatives and their use as glycosyl-acceptors by the Mesorhizobium loti chitin oligosaccharides synthase NodC

Bio-organic SynthesisMicrobial Biotechnolog

Auxin distribution in Lotus japonicus during root nodule development

Microbial Biotechnolog

Competitiveness and communication for effective inoculation byRhizobium, Bradyrhizobium and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi

After a short summary on the ecology and rhizosphere biology of symbiotic bacteria and vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhiza fungi and their application as microbial inocula, results on competitiveness and communication are summarized. Stress factors such as high temperature, low soil pH, aluminium concentrations and phytoalexins produced by the host plants were studied withRhizobium leguminosarum bv.phaseoli andRhizobium tropici onPhaseolus beans. Quantitative data for competitiveness were obtained by usinggus + (glucoronidase) labelled strains, which produce blue-coloured nodules. ForPhaseolus-nodulating rhizobia, a group specific DNA probe was also developed, which did not hybridize with more than 20 other common soil and rhizosphere bacteria. Results from several laboratories contributing to knowledge of signal exchange and communication in theRhizobium/Bradyrhizobium legume system are summarized in a new scheme, including also defense reactions at the early stages of legume nodule initiation. Stimulating effects of flavonoids on germination and growth of VA mycorrhiza fungi were also found. A constitutive antifungal compound in pea roots, -isoxazolinonyl-alanine, was characterized

A biovar-specific signal of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae induces increased nodulation gene-inducing activity in root exudate of Vicia staiva subsp. nigra

Microbial Biotechnolog

Novel interactions of Selenium Binding Protein family with the PICOT containing proteins AtGRXS14 and AtGRXS16 in Arabidopsis thaliana

During abiotic stress the primary symptom of phytotoxicity can be ROS production which is strictly regulated by ROS scavenging pathways involving enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Furthermore, ROS are well described secondary messengers of cellular processes, while during the course of evolution, plants have accomplished high degree of control over ROS and used them as signalling molecules. Glutaredoxins (GRXs) are small and ubiquitous glutathione (GSH) -or thioredoxin reductase (TR)-dependent oxidoreductases belonging to the thioredoxin (TRX) superfamily which are conserved in most eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In Arabidopsis thaliana GRXs are subdivided into four classes playing a central role in oxidative stress responses and physiological functions. In this work, we describe a novel interaction of AtGRXS14 with the Selenium Binding Protein 1 (AtSBP1), a protein proposed to be integrated in a regulatory network that senses alterations in cellular redox state and acts towards its restoration. We further show that SBP protein family interacts with AtGRXS16 that also contains a PICOT domain, like AtGRXS14.Microbial Biotechnolog

First draft genome sequence of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica

The Japanese eel is a much appreciated research object and very important for Asian aquaculture; however, its genomic resources are still limited. We have used a streamlined bioinformatics pipeline for the de novo assembly of the genome sequence of the Japanese eel from raw Illumina sequence reads. The total assembled genome has a size of 1.15 Gbp, which is divided over 323,776 scaffolds with an N50 of 52,849 bp, a minimum scaffold size of 200 bp and a maximum scaffold size of 1.14 Mbp. Direct comparison of a representative set of scaffolds revealed that all the Hox genes and their intergenic distances are almost perfectly conserved between the European and the Japanese eel. The first draft genome sequence of an organism strongly catalyzes research progress in multiple fields. Therefore, the Japanese eel genome sequence will provide a rich resource of data for all scientists working on this important fish species.Microbial Biotechnolog

Tuberculosis causes highly conserved metabolic changes in human patients, mycobacteria‑infected mice and zebrafish larvae

Solid state NMR/Biophysical Organic ChemistryAnimal science