Introduction: Oxidative stress is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. An ethanolic turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) extract containing curcumin has been reported to produce antioxidant effects. Objective: The present study aims to investigate the possible neuroprotective effects of the ethanolic turmeric extract against trimethyltin (TMT)-induced oxidative stress in Sprague Dawley rats. Methods: The ethanolic turmeric extract and citicoline were administered to the TMT exposed rats from day 1 to day 28 of the experiment. The TMT injection was administered on day 8 of the experiment. The plasma and brain malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, and the activities of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzymes in the brain were examined at the end of the experiment. Results: The administration of 200 mg/kg bw of the ethanolic turmeric extract prevented oxidative stress by decreasing the plasma and brain MDA levels and increasing the SOD, CAT, and GPx enzyme activities and GSH levels in the brain. These effects seem to be comparable to those of citicoline. Discussion: The ethanolic turmeric extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg bw may exert neuroprotective effects on TMT-exposed Sprague Dawley rats by preventing them from oxidative stress. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Background: Polyherbal formula (PHF) contains extract of Sauropus androgynous (L.) Merr., Trigonella foenum-graceum L., and Moringa oleifera Lam. considered to induce galactagogue activity. This research aimed to evaluate the galactagogue activity of PHF and its effects on α-lactalbumin (LALBA) as well as aquaporin (AQP) gene expression at messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels in mammary glands of lactating rats. Methods: Thirty lactating Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 6), each has 7 pups. Group I was treated orally with distilled water as negative control. Groups II, III, and IV were orally administered with PHF at 26.25, 52.5 and 105 mg/kg/day, respectively. Group V was treated with domperidone 2.7 mg/kg/day, orally as positive control. The treatment was performed at third day until fifteenth day of parturition. The observed parameters include the galactagogue activity indicating by milk yield of lactating rats, the pup weight changes and lactating rats body weight changes during lactating period, mRNA expression of LALBA and AQP using quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and histopathological analysis of mammary glands at the end of treatment period. Result: The result showed that the PHF groups (52.5 and 105 mg/kg/day) and domperidone were significantly increased milk production of lactating rats (p < 0.05). The levels of mRNA expression of LALBA and AQPs were significantly upregulated by 105 mg/kg/day of PHF or 2.7 mg/kg of domperidone administration (p < 0.0001). Histopathological analysis of mammary glands shows that alveoli diameter was increase 14.59 and 19.33% at 105 mg/kg of PHF and 2.7 mg/kg of domperidone treatment, respectively. Conclusion: The study suggested that PHF has potentially to induce galactagogue activity on lactating period through upregulation of LALBA and AQP genes at the mRNA level.

Context: Protection of neurons from degeneration is an important preventive strategy for dementia. Much of the dementia pathology implicates oxidative stress pathways. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) contains curcuminoids which has anti-oxidative and neuro-protective effects. These effects are considered to be similar to those of citicoline which has been regularly used as one of standard medications for dementia. Objective: This study aimed at investigating the effects of turmeric rhizome extract on the hippocampus of trimethyltin (TMT)-treated Sprague-Dawley rats. Materials and methods: The rats were divided randomly into six groups, i.e., a normal control group (N); Sn group, which was given TMT chloride; Sn-Cit group, which was treated with citicoline and TMT chloride; and three Sn-TE groups, which were treated with three different dosages of turmeric rhizome extract and TMT chloride. Morris water maze test was carried out to examine the spatial memory. The estimated total number of CA1 and CA2–CA3 pyramidal cells was calculated using a stereological method. Results: The administration of turmeric extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg bw has been shown to prevent the deficits in the spatial memory performance and partially inhibit the reduction of the number of CA2–CA3 regions pyramidal neurons. Discussion: TMT-induced neurotoxic damage seemed to be mediated by the generation of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species. Turmeric extract might act as anti inflammatory as well as anti-oxidant agent. Conclusions: The effects of turmeric extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg bw seem to be comparable to those of citicoline.

Objective(s): This study explored Indonesian Actinobacteria which were isolated from Curcuma zedoaria endophytic microbes and mangrove ecosystem for new antimycobacterial compounds. Materials and Methods: Antimycobacterial activity test was carried out against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Chemical profiling of secondary metabolite using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) and High Resolution-Mass Spectroscopy (HR-MS) was done to the ethyl acetate extract of active strain InaCC A758. Molecular taxonomy analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and biosynthetic gene clusters analysis of polyketide synthase (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) from InaCC A758 have been carried out. Bioassay guided isolation of ethyl acetate extract was done, then structural elucidation of active compound was performed using UV-Vis, FT-IR, and NMR spectroscopy methods. Results: The chemical profiling using HR-MS revealed that InaCC A758 has the potential to produce new antimycobacterial compounds. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that InaCC A758 has the closest homology to Streptomyces parvus strain NBRC 14599 (99.64%). In addition, InaCC A758 has NRPS gene and related to S. parvulus (92% of similarity), and also PKS gene related to PIGS-type borrelidin of S. rochei and S. parvulus (74% of similarity). Two compounds with potential antimycobacterial were predicted as 1) Compound 1, similar to dimethenamid (C12H18ClNO2S; MW 275.0723), with MIC value of 100 mu g/ml, and 2) Compound 2, actinomycin D (C(6)2H(86)N(12)O(16); MW 1254.6285), with MIC value of 0.78 mu g/ml. Conclusion: Actinomycin D has been reported to have antimycobacterial activity, however the compound has been predicted to resemble dimethenamid had not been reported to have similar activity.

To discover novel antimalarial and anticancer compounds, we carried out a genome analysis, bioassay, metabolite profiling, and molecular docking of marine sediment actinobacteria strain GMY01. The whole-genome sequence analysis revealed that Streptomyces sp. GMY01 (7.9 Mbp) is most similar to Streptomyces sennicomposti strain RCPT1-4^T with an average nucleotide identity (ANI) and ANI based on BLAST+ (ANIb) values of 98.09 and 97.33% (>95%). An in vitro bioassay of the GMY01 bioactive on Plasmodium falciparum FCR3, cervical carcinoma of HeLa cell and lung carcinoma of HTB cells exhibited moderate activity (IC₅₀ value of 46.06; 27.31 and 33.75 µg/mL) with low toxicity on Vero cells as a normal cell (IC₅₀ value of 823.3 µg/mL). Metabolite profiling by LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the active fraction of GMY01 contained carbohydrate-based compounds, C17H29NO14 (471.15880 Da) as a major compound (97.50%) and mannotriose (C18H32O16; 504.16903 Da, 1.96%) as a minor compound. Molecular docking analysis showed that mannotriose has a binding affinity on glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) of P. falciparum and on autophagy proteins (mTORC1 and mTORC2) of cancer cells. Streptomyces sennicomposti GMY01 is a potential bacterium producing carbohydrate-based bioactive compounds with anti-plasmodial and anticancer activities and with low toxicity to normal cells.