Establishment of glioma cell line from freshly clinical sample of HUSM

A human malignant continuous cell line, named as GBM N was established from a patient diagnosed with recurrents glioblastoma multiforme which is grade IV glioma. This primary cell line has been serially subcultured until 6th passage in the standard culture media that presenting the existence of various marker. The aim of this study is to assess the morphology of cultured glioblastoma multiforme cells as well as to apply the confirmatory technique such as immunocytochemistry and western blotting method in order to confirm the biological and immunological characteristic of gliomas. Immunocytochemistry finding indicate this cell line retain the expression of Glial Fibrillary Acid Protein (GF AP) despite some previous study show no GF AP are exist in established glioma cell line. However, our study suggests, to prove the existence of GF AP in glioma cell line; we need to culture and subculture until 50th passage in where only the specific protein marker will be presented. Another technique used to confirm the establishment of glioma cell line is western blotting method which serves as total protein study in explaining the biology of tumor as well as to identify the protein that are very potential to cause human disease. We believe that the information regarding the establishment of GBM IV cell line will give benefits to all research community especially who have some interest to cellular and molecular study of cancer with the main purpose to improve glioma's treatment

Adolescent and Smoking-seeking Behaviour

Age at start smoking was a determinant factor of smoking-seeking behaviour in adulthood. This study investigated the association of smoking at adolescence age with Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) level and their nicotine-seeking behaviour in one of the campuses in Malaysia. Results showed that there was no correlation between age at start smoking and FTND level. Boredom, depression and anxiety lead them to smoke. Smoking rate and nicotine exposure duration could be the factors of a low level of FTND. Busy in daily life makes the respondent disregard about smoking.Keywords: adolescence, addiction, smoking, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND).eISSN 2398-4279 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

Antibacterial activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Aquilaria malaccensis against multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogen

The rapid emergence of resistant Gram-negative bacteria and the limited discovery of novel antibiotic is a global healthcare challenge. Many medicinal plants with potent bioactivities have been developed for the treatment of bacterial infections. Aquilaria malaccensis exhibits wide applications from perfumes and aromatic foods ingredients and great potential in medicines. In this study, crude leaf extract of A. malaccensis was evaluated for its antibacterial activity against several pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. The leaves were processed and extracted by Soxhlet method using ethanol as the solvent. The antibacterial activity of the crude extract was tested by disc diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against Acinetobacter baumannii (ATCC 19606), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 10031 and ATCC 700603) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 1129). Using the optimized method, the Soxhlet extract produced a yield of 178.41 mg/g. Treatment of the extract at 200 mg/mL displayed the largest inhibition zones of 14.0 mm and 9.7 mm against A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae ATCC 10031, respectively. In contrast, against E. coli and K. pneumoniae ATCC 700603, smaller zones of inhibitions of 3.3 mm were demonstrated. The MIC values of the extract were 32 mg/mL against A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae ATCC 10031 and 64 mg/mL against E. coli and K. pneumoniae ATCC 700603. The MBC values of the extract were consistent with the MIC values for all the bacteria investigated. Overall, this study was the first to show antibacterial activity of A. malaccensis leaves extract particularly against A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae and potentially develop for the treatment of resistant bacteria

Investigation On Antiproliferative Mechanisms Of Alstonia Angustilobasilver Nanoparticles In Skin Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Traditional methods of nanoparticles synthesis frequently use toxics chemicals and substantial energy, which may have detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Recently, plant-based synthesis of nanoparticles (AgNPs) has emerged as a promising green synthesis method. Herein, we reported the green synthesis of AgNPs using the aqueous extract of A. angustiloba leaves and assessed its antiproliferative mechanisms. Initially, the physiochemical properties of A. angustiloba-AgNPs were characterised using UV–Vis spectrophotometry, FT-IR, FESEM, EDX, TEM, XRD and zeta sizer analyses. The cytotoxicity of A. angustiloba-AgNPs was examined by MTT assays against the A431 cancer cell line. The morphology of the treated cells was examined using fluorescence microscopy and the antiproliferative mechanisms of the nanoparticles in A431 cells were investigated by annexin-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining and DNA cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry. The intracellular ROS levels were measured using a commercially available kit. The expression of apoptosis and cell cycle-related proteins was determined by Western blotting

Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Content and LC–MS Profiling of Leaves Extracts of Alstonia angustiloba

Plants have a wide range of active compounds crucial in treating various diseases. Most people consume plants and herbals as an alternative medicine to improve their health and abilities. A. angustiloba extract showed antinematodal activity against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, antitrypanosomal action against Trypanosoma brucei and anti-plasmodial activity against the chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum K1 strain. Moreover, it has demonstrated growth inhibitory properties towards several human cancer cell lines, such as MDA-MB-231, SKOV-3, HeLa, KB cells and A431. DPPH and ABTS assays were carried out to determine the antioxidant activity of the aqueous and 60% methanolic extract of A. angustiloba leaves. Moreover, total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified. The presence of potential active compounds was then screened using liquid chromatography coupled with a Q-TOF mass spectrometer (LC–MS) equipped with a dual electrospray ionisation (ESI) source. The EC50 values measured by DPPH for the 60% methanolic and aqueous extracts of A. angustiloba leaves were 80.38 and 94.11 µg/mL, respectively, and for the ABTS assays were 85.80 and 115.43 µg/mL, respectively. The 60% methanolic extract exhibited the highest value of total phenolic and total flavonoid (382.53 ± 15.00 mg GAE/g and 23.45 ± 1.04 mg QE/g), while the aqueous extract had the least value (301.17 ± 3.49 mg GAE/g and 9.73 ± 1.76 mg QE/g). The LC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 103 and 140 compounds in the aqueous and 60% methanolic extract, respectively. It consists of phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, amino acids, glycosides, alkaloids, etc. It can be concluded that the therapeutic action of this plant is derived from the presence of various active compounds; however, further research is necessary to determine its efficacy in treating diseases

Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Content and LC–MS Profiling of Leaves Extracts of <i>Alstonia angustiloba</i>

Plants have a wide range of active compounds crucial in treating various diseases. Most people consume plants and herbals as an alternative medicine to improve their health and abilities. A. angustiloba extract showed antinematodal activity against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, antitrypanosomal action against Trypanosoma brucei and anti-plasmodial activity against the chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum K1 strain. Moreover, it has demonstrated growth inhibitory properties towards several human cancer cell lines, such as MDA-MB-231, SKOV-3, HeLa, KB cells and A431. DPPH and ABTS assays were carried out to determine the antioxidant activity of the aqueous and 60% methanolic extract of A. angustiloba leaves. Moreover, total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified. The presence of potential active compounds was then screened using liquid chromatography coupled with a Q-TOF mass spectrometer (LC–MS) equipped with a dual electrospray ionisation (ESI) source. The EC50 values measured by DPPH for the 60% methanolic and aqueous extracts of A. angustiloba leaves were 80.38 and 94.11 µg/mL, respectively, and for the ABTS assays were 85.80 and 115.43 µg/mL, respectively. The 60% methanolic extract exhibited the highest value of total phenolic and total flavonoid (382.53 ± 15.00 mg GAE/g and 23.45 ± 1.04 mg QE/g), while the aqueous extract had the least value (301.17 ± 3.49 mg GAE/g and 9.73 ± 1.76 mg QE/g). The LC–MS analysis revealed the presence of 103 and 140 compounds in the aqueous and 60% methanolic extract, respectively. It consists of phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, amino acids, glycosides, alkaloids, etc. It can be concluded that the therapeutic action of this plant is derived from the presence of various active compounds; however, further research is necessary to determine its efficacy in treating diseases

Gastroprotective Effect of Ethanolic Extract of Curcuma xanthorrhiza Leaf against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Mucosal Lesions in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Herbal medicines appeared promising in prevention of many diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the gastroprotective effect of Curcuma xanthorrhiza leaf in the rats induced gastric ulcer by ethanol. Normal and ulcer control received carboxymethycellulose (5 mL/kg) orally, positive control was administered with 20 mg/kg omeprazole (reference drug) and 2 groups were received 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of the leaf extract, respectively. To induce of gastric ulcers formation, ethanol (5 mL/kg) was given orally to all groups except normal control. Gross ulcer areas, histology, and amount of prostaglandin E2, superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde were assessed to determine the potentiality of extract in prevention against gastric ulcers. Oral administration of extract showed significant gastric protection effect as the ulcer areas was remarkably decreased. Histology observation showed less edema and leucocytes infiltration as compared with the ulcer control which exhibited severe gastric mucosa injury. Furthermore, the leaf extract elevated the mucus weight, level of prostaglandin E2 and superoxide dismutase. The extract also reduced malondialdehyde amount significantly. Results showed leaf extract of Curcuma xanthorrhiza can enhanced the gastric protection and sustained the integrity of gastric mucosa structure. Acute toxicity test did not showed any sign of toxicity (2 g/kg and 5 g/kg)

Antioxidant assay of Alstonia angustifolia ethanolic leaf extract

In current study, the ability of the ethanolic extract of Alstonia angustifolia in scavenging free radicals was assessed by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) radical scavenging assay. The results suggested that the ethanolic extract of A. angustifolia leaves has a notable antioxidant activity. In FRAP assay, it showed that the extract have higher total antioxidant activity with FRAP value is 1868.33 μM/g Fe (ii) dry mass ± 0.15 than the control, quercetin with FRAP value is 1336.9 μM/g Fe (II) dry mass ± 0.12 and ascorbic acid with FRAP value is 1720 μM/g Fe (II) dry mass ± 0.02. For DPPH assay, the IC50 value of the extract is 384.77 while the IC50 value of standards of ascorbic acid and quercetin are 18.07 μg/ml and 39.60 μg/ml, respectively. For H2O2 scavenging assay, the IC50 value for the extract was discovered to be 186.77 μg/ml compared to standard ascorbic acid 466.56 μg/ml. Thus, the study suggests that A. angustifolia ethanolic leaf extract has a good origin of natural antioxidants and might be beneficial in impeding the oxidative stress progression thus averting diseases that related to free radicals

Antibacterial Activity of Hoya Diversifolia Ethanolic Leaves Extract

The rapid emergence of resistance bacteria toward various antibiotics may associate with higher medical cost and increase mortality rate. Hoya diversifolia was used to cure skin diseases and alleviate rheumatism pain. The aim of this study is to evaluate in vitro antibacterial properties of H. diversifolia ethanolicleaves extract against several Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The antibacterial study was determined based on pattern of inhibition zones using disc diffusion assay and also minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). It is shown that the extract can inhibit the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coliandBacillus cereus.The lowest MIC values of extract were 25 mg/mL for MRSA and E. coli as well as 100 mg/mL for B. cereus at 24 and 48 hours of incubation period. The plant had potential to act as antibacterial agent that can be applied in pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. © 2019 Oriental Scientific Publishing Company. All rights reserved