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Gout and COVID-19 have been of global concerns. One of the drugs for gout is allopurinol that acts as a xanthin oxidase inhibitor (XOI). However, this drug has side effects, so we need safer drugs from herbal sources such as sugar apple. Sugar apple ethanol extract can act as XOI, but the activity of steeping with hot water is not known. Besides, several sugar apple compounds are also reported to be active as anti-viruses, but their activity has not been categorized against the COVID-19. This study aimed at making powder from sugar apple, which was brew using hot water, determined the phytochemical content, including TPC and TFC, tested its activity as XOI and the profile bond of the active compounds to the S protein of COVID-19. The results showed that the extract of sugar apple powder contained alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, with TPC and TFC levels of 0.048% and 0.099%, active as XOI. Furthermore, the in silico analysis has shown three compounds in sugar apple, namely quercetin-3-glucoside, rutin, and kaempferol-3-rutinoside that can bound to the RBD of S protein of COVID-19, so it is predicted that the three compounds have anti-COVID-19 activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity remains a national and global problem because its prevalence still increases, leading to various dangerous degenerative diseases. One way to tackle obesity is by taking drugs that can reduce fat and carbohydrate intake, such as orlistat and acarbose. However, both of these drugs have unwanted side effects, so a safer exploration of anti-obesity herbal is still needed to replace them. Previous studies have shown that ethanol extracts of cucumber mesocarp can inhibit pancreatic lipase. In this study, the hot water extract of cucumber mesocarp powder was tested as a pancreatic lipase inhibitor in vitro and an α-amylase inhibitor in silico. The results show that cucumber mesocarp powder has been successfully produced by freeze-drying method; TPC and TFC value of brewed cucumber mesocarp powder are 0.0218 % and 0.0278 %, respectively. At the same mass of powder, brewed cucumber mesocarp powder has inhibition power against pancreatic lipase 3.44 times higher than orlistat. In comparison, in silico test result shows that pinocembrin and cucurbitacin A contained in cucumber able to bind to the active site of the α-amylase enzyme, so the cucumber mesocarp powder has great potential as anti-obesity agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is cancer with a high prevalence in the world, Asia, and Indonesia. Some HCC can be caused by a viral infection, consuming alcohol for an extended period, and has recently been associated with metabolic syndrome. Liver fibrogenesis is the initial stage of HCC and significantly correlates to the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) expression. TGF-β leads to disease progression stages, from early liver damage through inflammation and fibrosis to cirrhosis and (HCC). The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of green material Moringa oleifera on the expression of TGF-β in the mice model develop to HCC. This study was conducted using a BALB C mice model treated with intraperitoneal injections of green material Moringa oleifera +CCl4 at a dose of 1 µL/1 g of BW for six weeks. The result shows a significant effect of green material Moringa oleifera on the decrease in TGF-β expression. Hence, green material Moringa oleifera can be a potential preventative agent for liver fibrogenesis-linked HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis is the initial step of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver fibrosis can be triggered by metabolic perturbation, viral infection, and harmful chemical exposure. This in vivo study aims to investigate the potential of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOLP) from Madura Island as the future candidate for antifibrosis and hepatoprotective agent. The study was conducted to evaluate the alteration of circulating levels of liver injury marker-linked liver fibrosis development, Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), and Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST). The animal model was prepared using Balb-c mice age 6-8 weeks treated by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) dose 1 µL/g of BW for six weeks to induce liver fibrosis. The experimental groups were received green materials Moringa oleifera leaf powder solution with a serial dosage by peroral administration for six weeks. Interestingly, our animal model's preliminary study shows that the administration of green materials MOLP can alleviate the increase of ALT and AST. MOLP treatment can also prevent significant changes in liver weight, morphology, and even histological feature-associated liver injury and fibrosis. Hence, MOLP Madura Island may become the future green materials source for cancer herbal drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, carbon is abundantly available in the form of biomaterials derived from plants, either as bio-products or bio-waste. In this study, we investigated carbon characteristics of corncob powders, which were synthesized using a coprecipitation method and heated at 400 °C. The samples were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR). The results of this study indicated that samples heated at 100 °C encompass a crystalline phase, while samples heated at 400 °C formed an amorphous phase. Morphology of all samples was formed in a micrometer size in the form of lumps with the highest carbon content of 72.3%. The C=C functional group in the carbonated samples at 400 °C was detected at a wavenumber of 1593 cm-1, which is a characteristic of carbon in graphite and graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barium M-hexaferrite were synthesized with Co-Ni doping ions (BaFe12-2xCoNixO19) using the co-precipitation method, based on the natural iron sand of the Loang Balok beach, Sekarbela District, Mataram, Indonesia. The synthesis was carried out with variations in the concentration of doping ions (x = 0.0, 0.6, and 1.0). The characterization of the sample was completed using XRD, SEM-EDX, TEM. The XRD results showed that the sample had a hexagonal structure because it had a c / value of 2.3 to 2.6. In contrast, SEM-EDX showed that the sample size of BaFe12CoNiO19 had reached the range of nanoparticles from 41 nm to 151 nm which was evenly distributed, with a composition of Ba = 12.22%; Fe = 49.1%; Co = 8.78%; Ni = 4.76%; and O = 21.37%, and slight impurities Cl = 3.77%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have investigated a carbon phase in corncobs. This paper reports on the characteristics of structures of a carbon phase in corncob powder without heating treatment and corncob powder with a heating temperature of 400 °C for 5 hours. The X-RD data analysis showed that the phase formed in the corncob powder sample was an amorphous structure indicating the formation of the Carbon Graphite 3R phase, which had a crystal system and a rhombohedral R-3m space group. Through the X-ray diffraction pattern, corncob powder heated at 400 °C for 5 hours also indicates the formation of the Carbon Graphite 3R phase, which has a crystal system and a rhombohedral R-3m space group. In addition, impurities are also found in materials that show the formation of the O2 phase, which has a crystal system and a Pm-3n cubic space group. EDX test results also documented the element of carbon with the highest carbon composition of 71.11%. The carbon phase formed after the carbonization process has an amorphous carbon structure. Through SEM observation, the morphology of corncob powder was observed in the form of sheet-like particle aggregation with an average size of 20 µm. Meanwhile, the corncob charcoal powder, which was heated at 400 °C for 5 hours, showed a smaller aggregation with an average grain size of 0.25 µm. The results of FTIR data analysis portrayed that there was a strain of C=C bond in corncob powder in the wavenumber position of 2517.1 cm-1, which represented the formation of benzene structure, which is a characteristic of carbon structure in graphite and graphene. However, this bonding strain did not appear in samples that were given a heating treatment up to 400 °C for 5 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]