Dengue infections are still a worldwide burden, especially in Indonesia. There is no specific medication against the dengue virus. Recently, many types of research have been conducted to discover a new drug for dengue virus using natural resource extracts. Indonesia, as a tropical country, has a wide biodiversity. There are several medicinal plants in Indonesia that are believed to possess anti-dengue activity, such as Myristica fatua, Cymbopogon citratus, and Acorus calamus plants. We conducted an in vitro laboratory experiment of several extracts from Indonesian herbs combined with in silico analysis. The extracts were evaluated for safety and antiviral activity in Huh7it-1 cell lines, using a single dose of 20 µg/mL and dose-dependent (5, 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 µg/mL) of plant extracts against dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) NGC strain. The DMSO 0.1% was used as a negative control. The cytotoxic aspect was assessed by counting the cell viability, while the antiviral activity was calculated by counting the average inhibition. The selectivity index (SI) of plant extracts were performed from a ratio of CC₅₀/EC₅₀ value. In silico analysis was conducted to determine the free energy of binding between NS5 of dengue virus with bioactive compounds contained in Myristica fatua, Cymbopogon citratus and Acorus calamus extract plants. We determined that all extracts were not toxic against Huh7it-1 cell lines. The methanolic extracts of A. calamus, C. citratus, and M. fatua showed inhibition of DENV-2 at a dose of 20 µg/mL to 96.5%, 98.9%, and 122.7%, respectively. The dose-dependent effects showed that M. fatua has the best inhibition activity towards DENV-2. Molecular docking result showed that artesunic acid within M. fatua has the best free energy of binding (−7.2 kcal/mol), followed by homoegonol (−7.1 kcal/mol) which was slightly different from artesunic acid among others. The methanolic extracts of A. calamus, C. citratus, and M. fatua showed prospective anti-dengue activities both in vitro and in silico. Future research should be conducted to find the pure extracts of all useful herbs as a new candidate of antiviral drug.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia, which affects multiple tissues including kidneys. Soursop leaves (Annona muricata) are known to have antidiabetic potential, but their molecular and cellular effects are poorly characterized. We identified the bioactive compounds in soursop leaf ethanol extract (SLEE). The SLEE substances demonstrated the total alkaloid and total flavonoid contents. Twelve bioactive compounds profiles were identified in SLEE classified as alkaloid, flavonol glycoside, and monoterpenoid lactone derivatives. The SLEE treatments in mice were performed by dividing Swiss Webster mice into five groups, including negative and positive controls and three experimental groups provided with SLEE (doses 150, 300, and 600 mg/kg BW) for 14 days. The mice in the experimental groups were treated with alloxan to induce diabetes. The renal samples were stained for H&E for morphological changes. However, 600 mg/kg of SLEE showed a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the height of the Bowman’s space and prevented the tubularization of the left kidney’s glomerulus (p < 0.05). Altogether, we report no significant difference in the glomerular diameter, the thickness of the proximal convoluted tubules, the height of the Bowman’s space, and the glomerular tubularization after 14 days of treatment with SLEE.

Diabetes is a growing problem in modern times. Treating diabetes can be done using various ways, from traditional to modern methods. Herbal medicine is a traditional form of medication. Herbs can be used to treat diabetes, such as Senna alexandrina. The effects of herbal medicine are linked with the solvent used. In making a herbal drink on an industrial and private scale, the solvent used is ethanol and water. This study aimed to determine the best solvent to produce antioxidant and antidiabetic effects from S. alexandrina leaves. In vitro analysis using DPPH and α-glucosidase enzyme was done to find the antioxidant and antidiabetic properties. S. alexandrina leaves were macerated using ethanol and water. All extract was screened for phytochemical contents, and the bioactive compounds were profiled using LC-MS/MS. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using gallic acid and quercetin as standard compounds. S. alexandrina leaves showed antioxidant and antidiabetic properties. Ethanol 50% extract showed the best antioxidant and antidiabetic properties, followed by ethanol and water extracts. The IC50 value of the antidiabetic activity of ethanol 50% was 33.151 µg/mL and the IC50 value of antioxidant power was 160.502 µg/mL. The bioactive compounds were profiled in this extract including torachrysone-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, oroxin B, 3-O-[β-D-glucopyra-nosyl-(12)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl-kaempferol, 7-hydroxy-1-methoxy-2-methoxyxanthone, rhamnetin dan rubilactone.

The Asian Journal of Pharmaceutics is a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal published by Medknow Publications on behalf of the B.R. Nahata Smriti Sansthan (Memorial Trust) (Mandsaur, India). Articles address topics in pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, pharmaceutical analysis, pharmacy practice, and clinical and hospital pharmacy.