THE N-HEXANE FRACTION OF MYRMECODIA PENDANS INHIBITS CELL SURVIVAL AND PROLIFERATION IN COLON CANCER CELL LINE

Objective: Despite advanced treatment options available for colorectal cancer, many reported resistance and unresponsiveness to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, it is urgent to discover a novel drug for colon cancer. Sarang Semut (Myrmecodia pendans), an Indonesian native plant, has been studied extensively due to its anti-cancer profiles. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-tumour activity of Sarang Semut in colon cancer cells.Methods: We evaluated cytotoxic activity of methanol extract as well as n-hexane and ethyl acetate fraction towards colon cancer cell lines (Caco-2 and HCT-116 cells) utilizing 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The most potent fraction was evaluated further in inhibiting cell survival using MTT assay and cell proliferation using trypan blue exclusion assay as well as a clonogenic assay.Results: Our data showed that the n-hexane fraction of Sarang Semut induces more cell death than the methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction. Therefore, we analyzed the n-hexane fraction further and found that the inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) of the n-hexane fraction was 24 and 30 parts per million (ppm) for Caco-2 and HCT-116 cells, respectively. Moreover, it inhibited cell growth as well as cell colony formation, in particular, shown by the plating efficiency (P<0.05) and colony area per seed (P<0.01) of the control group were different to the treatment group.Conclusion: The n-hexane fraction of Sarang Semut demonstrates a high potential antitumor activity in colon cancer cell line

Selection of High Yield and Stable Maize Hybrids in Mega-Environments of Java Island, Indonesia

Determination of grain yields of stable and high-yielding maize hybrids in a wide environment requires high accuracy. Many stability measurement methods have been used in multi-environment experiments. However, the relationships among the different methods are still difficult to understand. The objectives of this study were to 1. Identify the effect of growing season and location (Environments = E), hybrids (Genotypes = G), and their interactions (GEIs) on grain yields; 2. Select high-yielding and stable maize hybrids in a wide range of environments; 3. Determine the relationship between each stability estimation; and 4. Determine the mega-environment of maize hybrid and identify the best locations for testing. Field experiments were conducted at ten locations in Java Island, Indonesia, for two growing seasons using a randomized completed block design with three replications. The experimental results showed that the main effects of the growing season, location, hybrid, and GEIs, significantly affected maize hybrid yields. Stability estimations of TOP, S(3), S(6), NP(2), NP(3), KR, NP(4), CVi, and bi, belong to the concept of dynamic stability that can be used to select maize hybrids in favorable environments, while other estimations were classified as in the static stability. Three maize hybrids were successfully selected, with high and stable yields based on numerical and visual stability estimations, namely SC2, SC7, and SC9. The three hybrids can be used as candidates for sustainable maize development programs. The dry season, the rainy season, and the combination of two growing seasons produced three mega-environments. GJRS and KARS were the most discriminative environments. Both environments can be used as favorable environments for selecting the ideal maize hybrid