Search

The Innoprise-IKEA (INIKEA) Forest Rehabilitation Project in Kalabakan Forest Reserve, Sabah, was established to rehabilitate degraded forest afected by conventional logging and forest fres that occurred during an El-Nino event (1982–1983). The present study aimed to investigate the responses of ground-dwelling mammals and birds to the diferent rehabilitation practices in INIKEA: gap-cluster planting, line planting and liberation, where enrichment planting applied in both gap-cluster and line planting. A total of 74 camera traps were deployed at random locations across reforested INIKEA plots, including plots in control areas comprising naturally regenerated forest. A total of 6534 independent photographs of medium-to-large vertebrates from 7266 camera-trap nights representing 33 species from 14 families and 7 orders were obtained. Among the detected vertebrate species, 2 are listed as Critically endangered, 5 as Endangered, 8 as Vulnerable and 6 as Near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Mousedeer was the most frequently photocaptured species, followed by muntjac, bearded pig, sambar deer, pig-tailed macaque and crested freback. The present study demonstrates that the rehabilitation methods applied in INIKEA have aided forest recovery, providing habitat for the ground-dwelling mammals and birds in Sabah. General forest structure, species richness and species composition did not signifcantly difer between the areas subjected to rehabilitation treatment and the control area. The results suggest that the liberation method should be abandoned to ensure a variety of food resources for animal species. Provided major forest components remain after disturbance, disturbed forest areas should be left to undergo natural recovery

Chemical investigation of the organic extract from Moorea bouillonii, collected in Sabah, Malaysia, led to the isolation of three new chlorinated fatty acid amides, columbamides F (1), G (2), and H (3). The planar structures of 1–3 were established by a combination of mass spectrometric and NMR spectroscopic analyses. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by Marfey’s analysis of its hydrolysate and chiral-phase HPLC analysis after conversion and esterification with Ohrui’s acid, (1S,2S)-2- (anthracene-2,3-dicarboximido) cyclohexanecarboxylic acid. Compound 1 showed biosurfactant activity by an oil displacement assay. Related known fatty acid amides columbamide D and serinolamide C exhibited biosurfactant activity with critical micelle concentrations of about 0.34 and 0.78 mM, respectively.

Two new C15-acetogenins, 4-epi-isolaurallene (1) and 4-epi-itomanallene A (2) were isolated from a population of marine red alga Laurencia nangii Masuda from Carrington Reef. The structures of these compounds were determined intensively by NMR and HRESIMS data. Their configurations were elucidated by detailed comparison of chemical shifts, germinal protons splitting and NOE correlations with known and synthesized analogues. In addition, antibacterial activities of these compounds were evaluated. These compounds would serve as diastereomeric models for future reference. Since the isolaurallene, neolaurallene, 9-acetoxy-1,10,12-tribromo-4,7:6,13-bisepoxypentadeca-1,2-diene, itomanallene A and laurendecumallene A were isolated, compounds 1 and 2 were the sixth example of C15-acetogenin with dioxabicyclo[7.3.0]dodecene skeleton.

The aquaculture industry is growing rapidly throughout the world, but due to intensifcation, fsh hatcheries are often faced with infestations of parasites, which can lead to economic loss. Among these parasites, the leech Zeylanicobdella arugamensis (Hirudinea: Piscicolidae) has been reported to impact hybrid groupers and other hosts. The objective of this study was to test the antiparasitic potential of chromatographic fractions of a crude methanolic extract of the tropical shrub Dillenia sufruticosa. The phytochemical composition of the shrub was determined using high-resolution liquid chromatography (LC)–quadrupole time-of-fight (QTOF)–mass spectrometry (MS) to narrow down the metabolites responsible for its antiparasitic properties. Seven fractions of a methanolic extract of D. sufruticosa were obtained through fash column chromatography. Various concentrations of the fractions were prepared and tested against Z. arugamensis. In the bioassay conducted with fresh leeches, signifcant mortality was induced by fraction 6 at 31.66±4.88 min, followed by fraction 5 (39.58±2.94 min), fraction 3 (63.75±6.61 min) and fraction 4 (65.25±4.98 min). Chemical profling using LC–QTOF–MS identifed 17 secondary metabolites comprising triterpenoids, sterols, favones, a glycoside, a non-favone phenolid, a pyrrolizine, a fatty acid and a fatty amide. Thus, our study indicated that the D. sufruticosa fractions contained potent bioactive compounds with antiparasitic potential.

A new cembranolide diterpene, sarcophytonolide V (1), along with 6 known compounds, isosarcophytonolide D (2), (4Z,8S*,9R*,12E,14E) -9-hydroxy-1- (prop-1-en-2-yl) -8,12- dimethyl- oxabicyclo[9.3.2]-hexadeca-4,12,14-trien-18-one (3), (7E,11E)-3,4-epoxy-7,11, 15- cembratriene (4), (1S*,3S*,4S*,7E,11E)-3,4-epoxy-13-oxo-7,11,15-cembratriene (5), (-) -eunicenone (6), and 2-[(E,E,E)-7′, 8′-epoxy-4′,8′,12′ -trimethylcyclotetradeca- 1′,3′,11′- trienyl] propan-2-ol (7) were isolated from the Bornean soft coral Sarcophyton sp. Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic data, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high resolution electron spray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS). These compounds were evaluated for their biological activity against marine pathogenic fungi.

A new aaptamine-related alkaloid, 1,3-dioxolo [4,5-d] benzo [de]-1,6-naphthyridine (methylenedioxyaaptamine, 1), was isolated from the organic extracts of the Bornean marine sponge Aaptos aaptos, together with a known aaptamine derivative, 8,9,9-trimethoxy-9H-benzo [de]-1,6-naphthyridine (2). The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by interpretation of its spectroscopic data. Two compounds were tested for their cytotoxic potentials against adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cells, and compound 1 showed moderate cytotoxic potential.

One new phenylbutenoid, (3Z)-2',4',5'-trimethoxyphenylbutadiene (1) along with five known metabolites were isolated from aquatic galangal (Alpinia aquatica Rosc.) and their chemotaxonomy importance in five populations of A. aquatica collected from Kota Kinabalu, Ranau and Kota Belut in Sabah, Malaysia. The antibacterial potential as well as the chemosystematics importance of this discovery is discussed.

At the global scale, species diversity is known to strongly increase towards the equator for most taxa. According to theory, a higher resource specificity of consumers facilitates the coexistence of a larger number of species and has been suggested as an explanation for the latitudinal diversity gradient. However, only few studies support the predicted increase in specialisation or even showed opposite results. Surprisingly, analyses for detritivores are still missing. Therefore, we performed an analysis on the degree of trophic specialisation of dung beetles. We summarised 45 studies, covering the resource preferences of a total of 994503 individuals, to calculate the dung specificity in each study region. Our results highlighted a significant (4.3‐fold) increase in the diversity of beetles attracted to vertebrate dung towards the equator. However, their resource specificity was low, unrelated to diversity and revealed a highly generalistic use of dung resources that remained similar along the latitudinal gradient.

The study aimed to determine the influence of sample preparation and extraction parameters on the antibacterial activity of inflorescences from banana (Musa balbisiaba cv. Saba). Banana inflorescences were extracted using various solvent extractions and tested for antibacterial activity using agar-well diffusion assay against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes and Brochothrix thermosphacta) and gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Enterobacter sakazakii, Yersinia enterocolitica and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) The effects of geographical origin, drying methods and extraction parameters (sample-to-solvent ratio, extraction time and temperature as well as methanol to solvent ratio) on antibacterial activity of the banana by-product were carried out. Among all the extracts evaluated, methanolic extract from the buds showed significant higher inhibitory against all gram positive bacteria ranging from 12.56-13.54 mm. Interestingly, no significant different (p>0.05) was observed on the effect of geographical origin as well as extraction methods on the antibacterial capacity. Meanwhile, the extracts produced from 50°C oven dried sample seem to have comparable antibacterial activity with the freeze dried samples. Extraction parameters (sample-to-solvent ratio, extraction time and temperature as well as methanol to solvent ratio) were found responsible in determining the efficacy of the antibacterial. In conclusion, methanolic extracts from banana inflorescence buds could be a new source of natural antibacterial and further bioassay guided fractionation should be carried out to determine the bioactive compounds and their biological activities.

In this study, four compounds isolated from the red alga Laurencia snackeyi were evaluated for their potential anti-inflammatory effect in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. These compounds were tested for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Since -hydroxypalisadin B showed the best activity it was further tested for the production of prostaglandin- (), expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrotic factor-alpha (TNF-), interleukin- (IL-), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). -Hydroxypalisadin B significantly reduced the release and suppressed the iNOS and COX-2 expression in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. It also significantly reduced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-, IL-, and IL-6. These findings provide the first evidence of anti-inflammatory potential of -hydroxypalisadin B isolated from the red alga L. snackeyi and hence, it could be exploited as an active ingredient in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and functional food applications.

Optimization of the probiotic microbes fortified fermentation dynamics of seaweed powder, Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarez ii, was investigated via microbiology and chemical analysis. A total of seven types of fermentation were carried out for each seaweed using a cocktail of four strains of Lactic Acid Bacteria; Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus fermentum & Lactobacillus sakei, yeast; Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and cellulase enzyme. Research was divided into three phases; Phase 1- smallscale fermentation (1OOml), Phase II - up-scale fermentation (l L) and Phase III - 3 L fermentation for seaweed silage biomass production and live rotifer feed assay. Bacteria count and pH profile were recorded for all fermentation. In phase I, chemical analysis were carried out for moisture, ash, lipid and protein. In phase II additional analysis such as fatty acids, amino acids, organic acid and carrageenan size, were carried out. In Phase I, fermentation of both seaweed using Lactobacillus case; as a single strain and fermentation using a mixture of all four strains showed promising result. Out of these four fermentation that were up-scaled in Phase II, fermentation of Eucheuma denticulatum using Lactobacillus casei showed the best result in terms of bacteria count where there was an increment of 275 % in the first three days. The pH profile showed a drop in from 5.3 to 3.5. Lipid content was 1.9 %, protein 18% moisture 97.5% and ash 33.4%. Organic acids analysis indicated that lactic oxalic acid, fumaric acid and maleic acids were produced during fermentation. Carrageenan size analysis showed that carrageenan size was reduced from a size of 800KD to 5KD. Fatty acid analysis revealed the production of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids while amino acid analysis showed a surge in free amino acids in the form of glutamic acid and glycine. The anti-microbial assay showed a 50 % inhibition against tw

Soft corals of the class Octocorallia (order Alcyonacea) are well known as prolific organisms and they are popular among researchers as one of the important natural resources as many valuable metabolites were isolated from this marine organism. This study is about isolation and characterization of lead pharmace.utical metabolites of four main genera of soft corals; Sarcophyton, Lobophytum, Nephthea and Sinularia. The samples were collected from the three main coastal waters of Sabah; 1) Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, 2) Tun Mustapha Marine Park, and 3) Tun Sakaran Marine Park. All the collected samples were extracted and profiled using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Fractions with interesting profile were further isolated and purified to get pure compounds. As a result, a total of 37 compounds of four chemical skeletons; cembranes, lobanes, sterols and germacrane were isolated. Isolated compounds were then subjected into bioassays including anti-microbial, cytotoxicity assay and photodynamic therapy assay. Most of cembranes and lobanes are active against E. coli, Salmonella typhii, S. enteritidis, S. thphymunium, Staphalococcus aereus and Vibrio cholera, at a concentration of 30 ~g. Cembranes also showed cytotoxicity against P-388 murine leaukemia cells and showed interesting activity against HL60 promyelocytic leukemia cells (from ATCC) in the photodynamic therapy assay.

Learning and memory are two Important physiological and biochemical processes that enable a living organism to adapt to the challenging environment During learning there are changes in behaviour relative to experience and consequently leading to changes in memory. The mechanism of learning and memory involves synaptic plastidty and longterm potentiation. These processes involve changes in the protein chemistry in different parts of brain and are believed to be dependent on synthesis of new protein which is the basis of memory. Memory as a whole cellular protein synthetic mechanism which is consolidation in the hippo campus. Memory formation occurs via a number of signalling pathways associated with the activation of many synaptic plastidty-refated proteins in the brain, such as N-Methyl-D-aspartlc add receptor, ca2+/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (caMKII), mitogen-activated protein klnases (MAPKs),... The hippocampus 15 a part of brain that plays an Important role In spatial cognition and memory. This study 15 to Investigate the role of the hippo campus in the formation of the spatlalleaming and memory in the Morris water maze In mice as an experimental animal. The mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and total protein In the hippo campus was extracted. During this study the protein expression involved in the learning process, comparison and Identification of expressed protein levels in the brain region of control and trained mice were done. The protein expressed was estimated by using the two dimensional gel-electrophoresls based on separation of the various protein according to their lsoelectric points and molecular weight. 26 spots were identified with 1.2 Fofd increased with a significant P