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Congenital hypothyroidism in infants results from partial or complete loss of thyroid glands, resulting in thyroid hormone deficiency. The untreated low thyroid hormone levels induce impairment in the maturation of the developing brain by regulating neurogenesis. Proper treatment in the specific onset timing and duration have shown to increase the chances of brain recovery. In this study, we examined the effect of daily intake of red snapper fish to improve the profile of brain cerebrum on hypothyroidic rat model, particularly on the number and distribution of pyramidal cells. Hypothyroid pups were produced by propylthiouracil induced female rats during pregnancy from E14 until P21. The rats were randomly divided into four groups, which include negative (congenital hypothyroidism) and positive control (thyroxine therapy) as well as red snapper-enriched diet at dosage 25% and 50%. After four weeks treatments, the rats were dissected and brain sections were made using paraffin embedding and hematoxylin-eosin staining to observe pyramidal cell numbers and distribution in cell layer III of the cerebral cortex. The result showed that the consumption of 50% red snapper diet increased the number of pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortex, parallel to the elevated thyroid hormone levels which was nearly equal to control.

The availability of in vitro cell culture derived from local breed provides an opportunity for tackling problems related to the preservation of its genetic materials and can potentially be applied for downstream in vitro-based studies. Here, we established primary fibroblast cell culture from Pelung chicken, then explored its growth characteristic and potential uses for wound healing assay and cytotoxicity tests of medicinal bioactive compounds. Fibroblast cells were isolated from embryonic skin tissue and maintained in DMEM-FBS media. Wound healing assay was performed by creating a “scratch” in the cell monolayer, followed by capturing periodic images of migrating cells. Cell viability was measured using trypan blue dye exclusion assay in various doses of Centella asiatica L. leaf extract. Cells outgrowth from the skin explant revealed a typical morphology of fibroblast-like cells that reached maximum growth at 7.95 × 104 cells/cm2 after 5 days. With continuous passage, the population of the cells became more homogeneous and population doubling time increased. In the wound healing assay, cells migrated towards the wound area within 24 hours, suggesting their ability to normally respond to chemical cues. In cytotoxicity test, cells’ viability corresponded in a dose-dependent manner with the amount of C. asiatica extract tested into the culture.