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Simple Summary: Moringa oleifera L. is a multipurpose tree species widely used for its high nutritional value. It has also been used for centuries due to its high medicinal value and antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory properties, and has wider applications in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. Due to greater demand in the local and international market, the exploitation of high-yielding moringa varieties and their cultivation techniques is needed. However, the breeding approaches adopted in Malaysia and achievements made for the exploitation of this crop were rather slow due to the unavailability of elite planting material and germplasm collection. Germplasm is a gene pool conserved in a wide array of crop species, landraces, and wild populations by identifying elite accessions with specific desirable genetic traits to increase yield and productivity in agricultural and horticultural crop species. Moringa germplasm collected across the country showed wider genetic variations for morphological traits and chemical content. Thus, moringa germplasm has been collected and conserved for the development of improved varieties with high-yielding potential for commercial cultivation in Malaysia. Hence, it is imperative to understand the genetic potential of each moringa genotype for the development of superior varieties through continuous breeding programs. Improvements in selection criteria, collection, and clonal propagation methods of moringa genotypes can result in the development of elite planting material with improved pharmacological and industrial properties and ensure the production of a high-quality end product. Moringa oleifera L. is a valuable multipurpose tree species widely planted for centuries due to its high medicinal value and antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory properties in the food industry. However, its cultivation is hindered by production constraints such as the unavailability of planting material and the inadequate number of high-yielding clones. Thus, a study was initiated to select high-yielding clones in terms of growth and chemical content for the mass propagation of superior moringa trees. Screening on high-yielding clones with high astragalin content was conducted through the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of moringa leaf extract. Selected genotypes were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory potential through in vitro bioactivity assays of leaf methanol extract. The effects of the rooting hormone, rooting substrates, and size of the cutting on the rooting response of branch cuttings of moringa were investigated. Results found that samples collected from different ecological zones of Peninsular Malaysia show significant variation in terms of astragalin content. The extracts were observed to show considerable variation in biological activity against the pro-inflammatory enzymes. The size of the cuttings had significant effects on the rooting of the cuttings as longer cuttings with bigger diameters rooted better than shorter cuttings with smaller diameters. Several genotypes of M. oleifera with superior phenotypic characteristics and bioactive compounds have been identified. Factors affecting the rooting efficiency and optimal conditions of rooting are suggested, which provides valuable information for the propagation of the superior planting material of moringa. This effort will ensure the sustainable production and supply of good quality raw materials for the production of quality end-products for the food and pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia, as one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world, however, very little has been studied at lower elevational mountain reserves and their beetle diversity, which could be decisive in resolving mysteries in tropical biogeography. Objective of this study is to assess and compare the beetle diversity at three selected lower elevational mountains to enlighten our understanding. Measuring the beetle diversity at Fraser's hill, Gunung Besar Hantu and Gunung Angsi at lower altitudinal (500 m) cline was selected for sampling, where light, malaise and pitfall traps were utilized during 2013-2014 season. Altogether from these three sampling sites 1,575 beetle samples were collected and they went through with some diversity analysis. The Margalef index for Gunung Besar Hantu, Fraser's Hill and Gunung Angsi showed 9.210, 7.214 and 6.777 respectively while Shannon-Weaner index ranged between 2.546 to 3.083. Evenness is very high at Gunung Angsi (0.930) and Fraser's hill showed moderate level (0.51). Simpson diversity index is ranging from 0.859 to 0.946 while Shannon Weiner diversity index showed very close values for Gunung Besar Hantu and Gunung Angsi but slightly lower value for Fraser 's Hill. Highest Simpson diversity index and highest evenness index were shown by Gunung Angsi. Lower elevational ecoregions of Malaysian tropical mountains are good laboratories to assess beetle diversity which can be utilized for climate change studies and ecological disturbances. Long term monitoring program between different mountains on beetle diversity and distribution would enhance the understanding of their habitat pattern in relation to seasonal pattern and anthropogenic disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Physalis angulata, an indigenous herb belonging to the Solanaceae family, has been recognised for its medicinal significance and is commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of rutin, a flavonoid found in P. angulata. Method: A phytochemical analysis of the water fraction of the entire plant was conducted using chromatographic techniques, leading to the isolation and identification of rutin. The compound's structure was established through the interpretation of NMR spectroscopic data. The anti-inflammatory potential of the isolated rutin was assessed through various enzymatic inhibitory assays, including lipoxygenase, hyaluronidase, protein denaturation, xanthine oxidase and elastase. These enzymes are known to play essential roles in the inflammatory processes associated with various diseases. Results: The assayed compound exhibited promising anti-inflammatory properties with moderate inhibitory activity against elastase, lipoxygenase and xanthine oxidase but weakest in hyaluronidase inhibitory activity. Conclusion: We concluded that the tested flavonoid rutin has the potential to be a candidate for anti-inflammatory agents for the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases, that are caused by complex inflammatory processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual choice bioassays were used to evaluate the antifeedant property of essential oil and methanolic extract of Alpinia galanga (L.) (locally known as lengkuas) against two species of termites, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) and Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). A 4-cm-diameter paper disc treated with A. galanga essential oil and another treated with either methanol or hexane as control were placed in a petri dish with 10 termites. Mean consumption of paper discs (miligram) treated with 2,000 ppm of essential oil by C. gestroi was 3.30 ± 0.24 mg and by C. curvignathus was 3.32 ± 0.24 mg. A. galanga essential oil showed significant difference in antifeedant effect, 2,000 ppm of A. galanga essential oil was considered to be the optimum concentration that gave maximum antifeedant effect. The essential oil composition was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major component of the essential oil was 1,8-cineol (61.9%). Antifeedant bioassay using 500 ppm of 1,8-cineol showed significant reduction in paper consumption by both termite species. Thus, the bioactive agent in A. galangal essential oil causing antifeeding activity was identified as 1,8-cineol. Repellent activity shows that 250 ppm of 1,8-cineol caused 50.00 ± 4.47% repellency for C. gestroi, whereas for C. curvignathus 750 ppm of 1,8-cineol was needed to cause similar repellent activity (56.67 ± 3.33%). C. curvignathus is more susceptible compare to C. gestroi in Contact Toxicity study, the lethal dose (LD50) of C. curvignathus was 945 mg/kg, whereas LD50 value for C. gestroi was 1,102 mg/kg. Hence 1,8-cineol may be developed as an alternative control against termite in sustainable agriculture practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Swietenia macrophylla King (family Meliaceae) is a timber species with medicinal value. The seed is used as traditional medicine, however there are reports of liver injury, suspected to be associated with S. macrophylla seed consumption. The aim of this study is to assess the toxicity of S. macrophylla seed prepared in different solvent of extraction using a cell-based assay. Methods: Two methods were employed in the preparation of the seed extracts. In the first method, the dried seed was extracted with ethanol, methanol, or 50% ethanol. In the second method, the dried seed was extracted sequentially with solvents following ascending polarity. HepG2 cells were used as an in vitro liver model. The cells were treated with various concentrations of seed extracts and the cell viability was assessed by the 3, (4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results: Swietenia macrophylla seed was cytotoxic towards HepG2 cells with the chloroform extract being the most cytotoxic, followed by the ethyl acetate and hexane extracts. The ethanol, methanol, and 50% ethanol extracts were also cytotoxic but to a lesser extent than the three non-polar extracts. The water extract does not negatively affect cell viability. Conclusion: The findings reveal the cytotoxic effect of S. macrophylla seed is dependent on solvent extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Natural products, particularly those derived from plants, have been the mainstay of cancer chemotherapy for the past 40 years. Despite the advancement of current chemotherapy drugs, cancer cases continue to rise and the search for new chemotherapy drugs is still ongoing to combat drug resistance and minimise adverse effects in cancer patients. One such potential candidate is Derris microphylla, a plant species from the Fabaceae family, traditionally used by the Semai sub-ethnic for treating scabies. However, its potential in treating cancer has not been extensively studied or documented in scientific literature. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential anticancer activity in vitro in D. microphylla aged 48 and 54 months. Methods: Plantlets were gathered from Ulu Geroh, Gopeng, Perak and cultivated at FRIM Research Station (SPF) in Selandar, Malacca. The leaves, stems and bark from 48- and 54-month-old trees were collected and subjected for ethanol extraction for 72 hours at room temperature. The resulting ethanolic extracts were then filtered, concentrated using a rotary evaporator and stored in 4oC. These ethanolic extracts were screened for in vitro anticancer activity against a panel of six human cancer cell lines (A2780, SKOV-3 - ovarian cancers, A375 - melanoma, HeLa - cervical cancer, HT-29 - colorectal cancer, MCF-7 - breast cancer) using Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Results: The ethanolic extracts obtained from the stems of 48- and 54-month-old D. microphylla trees exhibited remarkably potent anticancer activity with IC50 values less than 10 µg/mL in all cancer cells tested. Conclusion: These findings offer valuable insights into the anticancer potential of D. microphylla extracts, thereby broadening treatment possibilities for numerous cancer cell lines that warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is one serious health condition that contributes to various chronic diseases. The inhibition of pancreatic lipase is a promising treatment for obesity., Objective: The present study was designed to investigate anti-porcine pancreatic lipase effect of isolated compounds from Aquilaria subintegra and its mechanism., Methods: Compounds were isolated with serial column chromatography and their structure were identified using spectroscopic methods. Isolated compounds were tested for anti-lipase potential activity using colorimetric assay. The prediction of energy binding between isolated compounds and enzyme was described using YASARA software., Results: Four compounds were successfully isolated from the bark of A. subintegra, namely, 5- hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavone, luteolin-7,3',4'-trimethyl ether, 5,3'-dihydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavone and β-sitosterol. The results indicated that all compounds displayed promising pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity ranging between of 6% to 53% inhibition. Compound 5-hydroxy-7,4'- dimethoxyflavone was a competitive inhibitor and decreases the enzyme catalysis. Meanwhile, β- sitosterol was a non- competitive inhibitor since the latter was bind allosterically toward enzyme., Conclusion: This finding is significant for further investigation of bioactive compounds from A. subintegra on animal study., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: The Pap smear test has been regarded as a promising cervical screening tool since 1940s. Yet its importance has been overlooked by beneficiaries in Malaysia. This underlines the need to identify the prevalence of Pap smear practice and influencing factors towards the practice among educated working women., Methods: A survey was conducted with 403 female teachers from 40 public secondary schools in Malaysia selected by cluster random sampling. Data were collected from January to March 2010 using a self-administered questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors related to the Pap smear practice., Results: The rate for participants who ever had Pap test was only 38% and poor practice of was significantly higher among: those with aged less than 35 years; those practicing hormonal contraceptive method; and individuals perceiving barriers to the Pap smear screening test. In contrast, the findings were significantly lower in women with longer duration of teaching service; higher income groups; ever pregnant; having chronic diseases; health insurance coverage; and who had perceived benefit of Pap smear screening., Conclusion: Barriers towards practicing Pap smear exist even among educated career women. Tailor-made health promotion and education on cervical cancer and the benefit of Pap smear screening are essential to change the behavior of the study population.

Introduction: Cervical cancer has long been known as a preventable disease. Yet it still is a prime women's health issue globally. In Malaysia, the current cervical cancer screening program, introduced in the 1960s, has been found to be unsuccessful in terms of Pap smear coverage. The aim of this study is to determine providers perceptives on the program and the feasibility of practicing an organized cervical screening program in Malaysia., Methods: 11 key informant interviews were conducted with policy makers and health care providers from the Ministry of Health in Malaysia from October 2009 to May 2010. Interviewees' perceptions were explored on current and organized cervical screening program based on their expertise and experience., Results: The results highlighted that the existing cervical screening program in Malaysia faced flaws at all levels that failed to reduce cervical cancer morbidity and mortality. The identified weaknesses were poor acceptance by women, lack of commitment by health care providers, nature of the program, an improper follow-up system, limited resources and other competing needs. Complementarily, all interviewees perceived an organized cervical screening program as an alternative approach both feasible and acceptable by women and government to practice in Malaysia., Conclusion: Better screening coverage depends on an effective screening program that incorporates a behaviour-based strategy. A new program should be focused in the policy-making context to improve screening coverage and to effectively combat cervical cancer.