An ethnobotanical study of traditional steam-bathing by the Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia

This study aimed to document (1) the Batak people’s knowledge of the use of medicinal plants for steambathing, (2) the preparation and operation of steam-bathing, and (3) the benefits of steam-bathing. To attain these objectives, data were collected by using ethnobotanical survey and interview methods. The survey was conducted in Kabanjahe and Berastagi traditional markets, in Kaban Tua village, and in Tanjung Julu village. The participants for the interview were nine medicinal plants traders, nine midwives, and 32 mothers. The basic principle of steam-bathing by the Batak people is based on thermotherapy and aromatherapy. A total of 59 species (belonging to 37 genera and to 25 families) have been documented as medicinal plants for their use as steam-bathing materials by the Batak people. The traders, midwives and mothers are all aware of the benefits of steam-bathing. Gaultheria leucocarpa Blume and Cinnamomum porrectum (Roxb.), the species that produce distinctive aromas and reduce pain, would be interesting to study for their phytochemical and pharmacological properties

Cyclic Cystine-Bridged Peptides from the Marine Sponge Clathria basilana Induce Apoptosis in Tumor Cells and Depolarize the Bacterial Cytoplasmic Membrane

Investigation of the sponge Clathria basilana collected in Indonesia afforded five new peptides, including microcionamides C (1) and D (2), gombamides B (4), C (5), and D (6), and an unusual amide, (E)-2-amino-3-methyl-N-styrylbutanamide (7), along with 11 known compounds, among them microcionamide A (3). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy as well as by high-resolution mass spectrometry. The absolute configurations of the constituent amino acid residues in 1–7 were determined by Marfey’s analysis. Microcionamides A, C, and D (1–3) showed in vitro cytotoxicity against lymphoma (Ramos) and leukemia cell lines (HL-60, Nomo-1, Jurkat J16), as well as against a human ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780) with IC50 values ranging from 0.45 to 28 μM. Mechanistic studies showed that compounds 1–3 rapidly induce apoptotic cell death in Jurkat J16 and Ramos cells and that 1 and 2 potently block autophagy upon starvation conditions, thereby impairing pro-survival signaling of cancer cells. In addition, microcionamides C and A (1 and 3) inhibited bacterial growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium with minimal inhibitory concentrations between 6.2 and 12 μM. Mechanistic studies indicate dissipation of the bacterial membrane potential

Cyclic Cystine-Bridged Peptides from the Marine Sponge <i>Clathria basilana</i> Induce Apoptosis in Tumor Cells and Depolarize the Bacterial Cytoplasmic Membrane

Investigation of the sponge Clathria basilana collected in Indonesia afforded five new peptides, including microcionamides C (1) and D (2), gombamides B (4), C (5), and D (6), and an unusual amide, (E)-2-amino-3-methyl-N-styrylbutanamide (7), along with 11 known compounds, among them microcionamide A (3). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy as well as by high-resolution mass spectrometry. The absolute configurations of the constituent amino acid residues in 1–7 were determined by Marfey’s analysis. Microcionamides A, C, and D (1–3) showed in vitro cytotoxicity against lymphoma (Ramos) and leukemia cell lines (HL-60, Nomo-1, Jurkat J16), as well as against a human ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780) with IC50 values ranging from 0.45 to 28 μM. Mechanistic studies showed that compounds 1–3 rapidly induce apoptotic cell death in Jurkat J16 and Ramos cells and that 1 and 2 potently block autophagy upon starvation conditions, thereby impairing pro-survival signaling of cancer cells. In addition, microcionamides C and A (1 and 3) inhibited bacterial growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium with minimal inhibitory concentrations between 6.2 and 12 μM. Mechanistic studies indicate dissipation of the bacterial membrane potential