Ratih Dewi Yudhani

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus induces oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, accelerating atherosclerosis development marked by elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-12 (IL-12). Diabetes often causes significant vascular changes, which can be represented by carotid tunica intima thickening and elevated renin level. Metformin, which remains as the standard therapy, has limited vascular effects. Vitamin D and magnesium exhibit vasoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties; however, their combined effects on diabetic vascular injury remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of vitamin D and magnesium combination on serum hs-CRP, IL-12, renin, and carotid tunica intima thickness in diabetic rats.METHODS: Wistar rats were diabetic-induced by 45 mg/kg streptozotocin and 110 mg/kg nicotinamide. Following the induction, the rats were subsequently assigned to receive no treatment, metformin, or a combination of vitamin D and magnesium. Healthy rats were also included as control. Blood sample was collected after 21 days of treatment. Serum hs-CRP, IL-12, and renin were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while the carotid tunica intima thickness was assessed by Doppler ultrasound.RESULTS: Diabetic rats showed significant increases hs-CRP, IL-12, renin level, and intima thickness (p<0.001) compared to control. Both metformin and combination of Vitamin D and magnesium reduced these parameters, with combination of Vitamin D and magnesium showing the greatest improvement. Carotid intima thickness in the combination of Vitamin D and magnesium group was comparable to normal controls, indicating marked vascular protection.CONCLUSION: Vitamin D and magnesium combination provided superior glycemic, anti-inflammatory, and vascular protective effects compared to metformin alone. This adjunctive strategy might have potential in preventing vascular complications in diabetes.KEYWORDS: diabetes mellitus, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, hs-CRP, IL-12, atherosclerosis

Semangka (Citrullus lanatus) merupakan buah tropis yang banyak dibudidayakan dan dikonsumsi di Indonesia. Namun, konsumsi masyarakat umumnya terbatas pada bagian daging buah, sedangkan mesokarp (lapisan putih antara kulit dan daging buah) sering kali dibuang sebagai limbah. Kondisi ini turut menyumbang peningkatan limbah organik dari sektor hortikultura yang belum dimanfaatkan secara optimal. Selain itu, mesokarp semangka diketahui mengandung senyawa bioaktif seperti flavonoid, fenolik, dan alkaloid yang memiliki aktivitas antioksidan, antiinflamasi, dan antidiabetik. Meskipun potensinya telah banyak dilaporkan, namun pemanfaatannya secara optimal dalam pengembangan agen terapi alami masih terbatas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi kandungan senyawa bioaktif dari ekstrak etanol mesokarp semangka dengan dua konsentrasi pelarut berbeda, yaitu etanol 70% dan etanol 96%, menggunakan metode maserasi. Desain penelitian yang digunakan berupa eksperimental laboratorik. Simplisia mesokarp semangka diekstraksi, kemudian dianalisis kadar total flavonoid, fenolik, dan alkaloid menggunakan metode spektrofotometri UV-Vis. Hasil menunjukkan rendemen pada etanol 70% sebesar 51.7%, lebih tinggi dibandingkan etanol 96% sebesar 44.65%. Kandungan flavonoid dan alkaloid lebih tinggi ditemukan pada ekstrak etanol 70% (masing-masing 4,01% dan 1438,03 µg/g), sementara kandungan fenolik lebih tinggi ditemukan pada etanol 96% (5,92%). Penelitian ini mengindikasikan bahwa pemilihan konsentrasi pelarut yang tepat sangat menentukan keberhasilan ekstraksi senyawa bioaktif dari mesokarp semangka, sehingga berpotensi dimanfaatkan sebagai bahan dasar dalam pengembangan agen antioksidan alami.

Pendahuluan: Indonesia merupakan daerah endemis menengah hingga tinggi untuk hepatitis B, dimana prevalensi mencapai 7,1%. Sementara prevalensi hepatitis C diperkirakan sekitar 1%, namun pada kelompok populasi berisiko seperti pengguna narkoba suntik, pasien hemodialisis, dan narapidana angkanya dapat lebih tinggi.Metode: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian analitik deskriptif mendapatkan gambaran awal pengetahuan, sikap dan perilaku mahasiswa, pegawai administratif dan pegawai cleaning service di FK UNS terkait penyakit hepatitis. Desain penelitian ini adalah cross sectional dengan reponden 29 orang yang telah memenuhi keriteria inklusi, eksklusi dan telah menandatangani informed consent. Instrumen yang digunakan kuesioner pengetahuan, sikap dan perilaku terkait penyakit hepatitis.Hasil dan pembahasan: Hasil penelitian menunjukkan jumlah responden berjenis kelamin laki-laki sebesar 55,17% dengan tingkat pendidikan terakhir adalah SMA sebesar 68,97% dan sudah pernah mendapatkan informasi terkait penyakit hepatitis. Tingkat pengetahuan responden terhadap penyakit hepatitis sebesar 79,31% memiliki tingkat pengetahuan yang baik. Hasil penilaian sikap responden terhadap penyakit hepatitis menunjukkan 89,66% telah memiliki sikap yang baik. Sikap baik tersebut meliputi percaya bahwa hepatitis merupakan penyakit yang serius, merasa perlu mengetahui lebih banyak tentang hepatitis, kesediaan untuk vaksinasi hepatitis B jika tersedia, merasa penting untuk mendorong keluarganya melakukan pemeriksaan hepatitis, dan merasa khawatir jika teman atau keluarga menderita hepatitis. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan meskipun sebagian besar responden memiliki tingkat pengetahuan dan sikap yang baik, namun 72,41% responden berperilaku terhadap pencegahan penularan hepatitis masih tergolong kurang baik.Kesimpulan: Tingkat pengetahuan dan sikap yang baik terkait penyakit hepatitis, namun perilaku terhadap pencegahan penularan hepatitis masih tergolong kurang baik. Meskipun masih merupakan gambaran awal dengan responden terbatas, namun dapat mengindikasikan pentingnya intervensi multifaktorial dalam pengendalian hepatitis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disorder that primarily affects aging populations, resulting in progressive cartilage degradation and joint dysfunction. The pathological role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP-1, MMP-8, and MMP-13, in extracellular matrix breakdown highlights them as attractive therapeutic targets. This study investigated the inhibitory potential of febrifugine analogs against these collagenases using molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Computational methods were employed to evaluate binding affinities, stability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of the compounds. Among the tested compounds, Compound 19 exhibited the most favorable binding energies, with -118.788 kJ/mol for MMP-8, -96.532 kJ/mol for MMP-13, and -72.528 kJ/mol for MMP-1. Molecular dynamics simulations validated the stability of Compound 19 complexes over a 200 ns trajectory, as indicated by stable root mean square deviation (RMSD) and radius of gyration (Rg) values. The MM/PBSA free energy decomposition analysis revealed significant contributions from van der Waals and electrostatic interactions, further confirming the binding efficiency. Pharmacokinetic assessments showed that Compound 19 adhered to Lipinski’s rule of five, with favorable absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) characteristics. These results highlight Compound 19 as a potent inhibitor with strong selectivity for MMP-8, making it a promising candidate for osteoarthritis therapy. Further experimental validation is required to confirm its efficacy and explore structure-activity relationships for improved selectivity and safety. This study underscores the potential of febrifugine-based analogs in advancing disease-modifying treatments for osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to pancreatic cell dysfunction that promote insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Red rice bran contains bioactive substances with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which improved insulin resistance in obese mice. However, no studies have explored the potential of ethanol extract of red rice bran (EERRB) to prevent T2D progression, particularly pancreatic fibrosis complications. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of EERRB on inflammation measured with interleukin (IL)-1β and fibrosis of pancreatic tissue in a rat model of T2D. METHODS: Rats were induced with streptozotocin and nicotinamide to induce diabetes, and then separated into five groups. One group received no treatment, while the other four received 9 mg/kg/day acarbose, 165, 330, or 660 mg/kg/day EERRB orally for 21 days. Immunohistochemistry was conducted on pancreas tissues to measure the expression of IL-1β, while pancreatic fibrosis was assessed with Masson’s Trichrome staining.RESULTS: EERRB reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1β, in pancreas tissue in a dose dependent manner. Significantly lower IL-1β expression were found in group receiving 660 mg/kg/day EERRB (10%) compared to diabetic with no treatment group (50%) (p<0.0001). Additionally, the IL-1β expression in the highest dose of EERRB group was comparable to the group receiving acarbose (10%). CONCLUSION: This finding suggests the beneficial effect of EERRB in the hyperglycemic condition that causes oxidative stress through blocking the IL-1β expression, hence alleviating the inflammation in pancreas tissue, and have a tendency in preventing pancreatic fibrosis progression, a process implicated in T2D pathogenesis. KEYWORDS: diabetes, inflammation, pancreatic fibrosis, red rice bran

Obesity has become a global health concern, and the number of individuals with obesity continues to increase significantly worldwide. Obesity increases the risk of developing chronic diseases, resulting in increases morbidity and mortality rates in humans. Zinc (chemical symbol, Zn) has been found to be associated with obesity. Zinc participates in several physiological processes, having been shown to play roles in energy balance, lipid metabolism, appetite regulation, insulin resistance, the regulation of the serum leptin concentration, as well as in inflammatory responses. However, in terms of alleviating obesity, the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of zinc in this process remain poorly understood. Therefore, the present review aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of what is currently known regarding the molecular mechanisms of zinc supplementation in alleviating obesity, with a focus on lipid metabolism, appetite regulation, insulin signalling and the inflammatory response.

Though genes are already known to be responsible for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), the knowledge of missense mutation of that disease gene has still to be under covered. A genomic database and a bioinformatics-based approach are integrated in the present study in order to address this issue. Initially, nine variants associated with T1DM were retrieved from the GWAS catalogue. Different genomic algorithms such as PolyPhen2.0, SNPs and GTEx analyser programs were used to study the structural and functional effects of these mutations. Subsequently, SNPnexus was also employed to understand the effect of these mutations on the function of the expressed protein. Nine missense variants of T1DM were identified using the GWAS catalogue database. Among these nine SNPs, three were predicted to be related to the progression of T1DM disease by affecting the protein level. TYK2 gene variants with SNP rs34536443 were thought to have a probably damaging effect. Meanwhile, both COL4A3 and IFIH1 genes with SNPs rs55703767 and rs35667974, respectively, might alter protein function through a possibly damaging prediction. Among the variants of the three genes, the TYK2 gene with SNP rs34536443 had the strongest contribution in affecting the development of T1DM, with a score of 0.999. We sincerely hope that the results could be of immense importance in understanding the genetic basis of T1DM.

The exploration of natural products as anti-obesity candidates needs to be performed urgently since obesity has become a worldwide epidemic and many drugs for this health condition were withdrawn due to their serious adverse events such as psychiatric disorders and drug dependence. The 1,4-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-tetrahydro-furo(3,4-c) furan, a saponin isolated from Indonesian Swietenia macrophylla seeds extract has the potential to modulate obesity because it acts as a potent PPAR-γ agonist in silico and the seeds’ hypolipidemic effect has been proven. The cytotoxicity study is a crucial part of the early pharmaceutical development stage, whilst, the exploration of 1,4-bis(3,4,5- trimethoxyphenyl)-tetrahydro-furo(3,4-c) furan to ensure the compound’s safety in preadipocytes and macrophage cells which play a crucial role in obesity pathogenesis is still limited. This study aims to explore the cytotoxicity of saponin isolate on 3T3-L1 (preadipocytes) and RAW 264.7 (macrophages) cell lines to ensure its safety profile in vitro. Both cell lines were exposed to various concentrations of the isolate (3.125-200 µg/mL), then metformin was used as the standard drug and DMSO as solvent control for 24 hrs. The cytotoxicity test was conducted by MTT assay and IC50 was determined by probit analysis. Most of the 1,4-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-tetrahydro-furo(3,4-c) furan did not affect the viability of 3T3-L1 and RAW 264.7 with the IC50 148.90±12.22 and 84.78±1.69 µg/mL, respectively. Metformin and DMSO also did not alter the viability of both cells. These results were promising as a basis for further development since the isolates’ IC50 value was more than the cytotoxic threshold of NCI guidelines.

Narra J is a multidisciplinary journal and it is published three times (April, August, December) a year. The objective is to promote articles on infection, public health, global health, tropical infection, one health and diseases in tropics. Narra J publishes original research work across all disciplines of medicine and allied sciences, related to infection, public health, global health, tropical infection, one health and diseases in tropics. The journal publishes Original articles, Short Report, Review articles, and Letters to the Editor. All articles published in Narra J are peer-reviewed and published online for immediate access and citation.