Diabetes arises due to interference with the work of the pancreas in secreting the hormone insulin. The disease can cause a decrease in body immunity and complications of various vital organs such as the kidneys. Jeruju (Acanthus ilicifolius L.) leaf and taurine is reported to have antioxidant activity that is potential as antidiabetic agents. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of jeruju and taurine on blood glucose levels and the ability to regenerate kidney organs damaged by alloxan induction. This study used a Completely Randomized Design with 5 treatment groups and 5 replications each. K1 group as a negative control (no treatment given), K2 group as a positive control (only induced by alloxan), group P1 induced alloxan and given 100% ethanol extract of jeruju leaf 22.4 mg/bw/day, group P2 induced alloxan and given alloxan 50% ethanol extract of jeruju leaf dose 22.4 mg/bw/day, group P3 was induced by alloxan and given a taurine dose of 15.6 mg/bw/day for 14 days. Data were analyzed by ANOVA followed by LSD at 5% of significant level. The results showed that the administration of jeruju extract and taurine affected the bodyweight of mice, and was significantly able to reduce blood glucose levels by 69.39% (P1), 67.06% (P2), 73.77% (P3), able to repair kidney damage after alloxan induction.

Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal (BPJ) is an international, open access, peer reviewed, quarterly research journal.

The aim of study was to determine any anticancer potential from Avicennia marina leaf extract compare to taurine on cytotoxic and anti-proliferation activities against HeLa cervical cancer cell line by using the MTT method (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl))-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide). The results indicated that methanol extraction of A. marina leaf as well as taurine did have cytotoxic and anti-proliferation effects on HeLa cell line with IC50 values of 321 ppm and 603 ppm 1000 ppm. While the doubling time value for anti-proliferation of A. marina leaf methanol extraction and taurine showed higher values than the control group (72.19 hours).

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

The use of mercury in gold refining causes air pollution and results in the contamination of multipurpose tree species (MPTS). Tree bark has properties that cause it to store mercury for quite a long time. The purpose of this study was to determine mercury contamination of MPTS and map the mercury contamination distribution in the atmosphere using tree barks as bioindicators. Sampling was performed using purposive sampling. The mercury concentration was obtained by atomic absorption spectroscopy, and the highest THg contents were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. The analysis was carried out by gauging total mercury (THg), distance, elevation to THg, and interpolation of THg at the research site. The results showed that there were 10 types of MPTS trees whose bark could accumulate mercury. The bark of the Tamarindus indica tree stored the greatest amount of THg (74.4 µg dry weight (DW)), followed by Persea americana (58.7 µg DW), and Annona muricata (44.2 µg DW), respectively. This result was influenced by the roughness of the bark and the location of the plants. No correlation was found between distance and elevation to THg on tree bark. The mercury interpolation in the atmosphere showed that mercury moves from the purification point to the southeast of the purification location.

Mercury (Hg) is a useful heavy metal; however, it is toxic to both humans and the environment. Tree bark is an excellent bioindicator, which has been proven to be effective in studying the level of atmospheric Hg contamination. This study aimed to determine the distribution of evaporated Hg using the total weight of Hg (THg) in tree barks in Indonesia at the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) area of Bunut Seberang Village and Lampung University, respectively. Samples were taken using purposive sampling, based on the criteria of forestry trees at a height level of 1.3 m above ground as wide as 100 cm². The samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry and Scanning electron microscopy to determine the levels of THg and to investigate the bark structures. Results showed that the highest THg values were found in a Magnolia champaca sample (56.5 µg), followed by Swietenia mahagoni (45.8 µg) and Swietenia mahagoni (33.5 µg). All species studied showed THg levels in the tree barks at an elevation from 30 to 320 m above sea level. The Hg amounts found in the sampled barks indicated the dispersion of Hg throughout the ASGM area, which signified hazardous atmospheric conditions in the area.