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Alopecia is a health condition in which the hair loses its function in some or all of the body. Alopecia occurs due to various genetic, environmental, and nutritional factors. One of the methods developed to treat alopecia is through inhibition of the enzyme 5-α-reductase, which converts testosterone into its more potent metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In ethnomedicine, the leaves of Merremia peltata are used by the people of Sulawesi as a remedy for baldness. Therefore, in this study, an in vivo study was conducted on rabbits to investigate the antialopecia activity of the ethanolic extract of M. peltata leaves. The purified M. peltata leaf extract was fractionated using vacuum liquid chromatography with several solvents to produce fractions F1-F5. Each fraction was then retested in vivo in rabbits, and its content was then analyzed by LC-MS. An in silico study was then carried out using minoxidil as a comparison ligand; 17 compounds derived from M. peltata leaves were identified as antialopecia compounds through prediction of molecular interactions and molecular dynamics simulation and prediction of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicology (ADME-Tox). The assay results showed that fractions F2 and F3 had a better effect on hair growth compared to the positive control, and the test compound obtained from the LC-MS analysis, bufotalinin, had a strong binding energy to the receptor in the molecular docking interaction study: -5.99 kcal/mol compared to -4.8 kcal/mol for minoxidil. Molecular dynamics simulation analysis with complex stability parameters based on solvent-accessible surface area (SASA), principal component analysis (PCA), root mean square deviation (RMSD), and root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) showed that bufotalinin has good affinity for androgen receptors. ADME-Tox prediction for bufotalinin showed good results for the parameters of skin permeability, absorption, and distribution. Therefore, bufotalinin, a steroid compound, is a potential androgen receptor antagonist and could be useful in the treatment of alopecia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sample preparation was carried out for the removal of interfering substances in the complex matrix sample. Molecularly imprinted mesoporous silica (MIP‐MS) is the specific adsorbent used in the sample preparation for solid‐phase extraction. MIP‐MS can increase the binding capacity, selectivity, and site accessibility of the molecular target. MIP‐MS was synthesized using several materials, such as a silica precursor, surfactant, organosilane, functional monomer, and template molecule. Each material influences the formation and analytical performance of the MIP‐MS. This review discusses the factors affecting the analytical performance in MIP‐MS synthesis, such as the template molecular concentration, the ratio of the silica precursor and organosilane concentration, the type of functional monomer, and the functional monomer concentration. In addition, factors affecting the analytical performance in the adsorption–desorption study, such as pH, mass sorbent, eluting solvent, and washing solvent, to reach high‐analyte recovery are also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertonic and hypotonic conditions in pharmaceutical preparations decrease the drug's absorption and bioavailability. In addition, it can cause tissue damage. There are several calculation methods to regulate hypotonic preparations. However, there are no methods that can be used to regulate hypertonic preparations without causing dose-dividing problem. Objective: This study aimed to develop a new calculation using basic principle of freezing point depression method (cryoscopic) that can solve hypotonic and hypertonic problems, especially for hypertonic preparations through reducing the levels of additional ingredients. Methods: The calculation of Kahar method was successfully obtained by substitution and simplification in the basic principle equation of cryoscopic method, and then evaluated by resolving the problems in 42 sterile formula preparations and compared with White-Vincent method, cryoscopic method, equivalent NaCl method, and milliequivalent method through the analysis of its similarity and reliability. Results: The results of similarity analysis between Kahar method and other methods showed good similarity values with more than 0.880. Kahar method and cryoscopic method have the highest similarity of the calculation result with a similarity value of 1. The reliability analysis obtained very good result with Cronbach α = 0.990. Conclusions: These results suggest that Kahar method provides reliable equation with complete and efficient solution to hypotonic and hypertonic problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alopecia is a health condition in which the hair loses its function in some or all of the body. Alopecia occurs due to various genetic, environmental, and nutritional factors. One of the methods developed to treat alopecia is through inhibition of the enzyme 5- α -reductase, which converts testosterone into its more potent metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In ethnomedicine, the leaves of Merremia peltata are used by the people of Sulawesi as a remedy for baldness. Therefore, in this study, an in vivo study was conducted on rabbits to investigate the antialopecia activity of the ethanolic extract of M. peltata leaves. The purified M. peltata leaf extract was fractionated using vacuum liquid chromatography with several solvents to produce fractions F1-F5. Each fraction was then retested in vivo in rabbits, and its content was then analyzed by LC-MS. An in silico study was then carried out using minoxidil as a comparison ligand; 17 compounds derived from M. peltata leaves were identified as antialopecia compounds through prediction of molecular interactions and molecular dynamics simulation and prediction of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicology (ADME-Tox). The assay results showed that fractions F2 and F3 had a better effect on hair growth compared to the positive control, and the test compound obtained from the LC-MS analysis, bufotalinin, had a strong binding energy to the receptor in the molecular docking interaction study: -5.99 kcal/mol compared to -4.8 kcal/mol for minoxidil. Molecular dynamics simulation analysis with complex stability parameters based on solvent-accessible surface area (SASA), principal component analysis (PCA), root mean square deviation (RMSD), and root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) showed that bufotalinin has good affinity for androgen receptors. ADME-Tox prediction for bufotalinin showed good results for the parameters of skin permeability, absorption, and distribution. Therefore, bufotalinin, a steroid compound, is a potential androgen receptor antagonist and could be useful in the treatment of alopecia., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Syawal Abdurrahman et al.)