Biodiesel production from Waste Palm Cooking Oil (WPCO) is of interest to substitute fossil derived diesel fuel, due to its renewable nature, cleaner emissions and non-toxic properties. Thus, in this study, biodiesel production through transesterification process was optimized using immobilized lipase from Candida rugosa and WPCO collected from the faculty’s cafeteria as a feedstock. Interaction between five operating factors: molar ratio of ethanol to oil, water content, lipase loading, reaction temperature and time on the biodiesel yield were investigated. It was observed that, with the optimal conditions of 10:1 molar ratio of ethanol to oil, 1 g water, temperature 40 °C, 0.8 g immobilized lipase and 32 h reaction time, a yield of 85.72% of biodiesel could be achieved. Thus, this study shows that WPCO, an environmental waste, can be utilized as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production using environmentally friendly biocatalysts such as immobilized lipase.

The central dogma of molecular biology was no longer "central" after ground-breaking discoveries conveyed gene expression involves more complex physiological functions in cancer pathogenesis over the last decade. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA that regulate gene expression, affecting key molecular pathways involved in sustaining the proliferative signalling for tumour development, evasion of cellular death, invasion, angiogenesis, as well as metastasis in a plethora of cancer types. MiRNA expression is dysregulated in human cancer through a number of processes, including miRNA gene amplification or deletion, faulty miRNA transcriptional regulation, dysregulated epigenetic alterations, and flaws in the miRNA biogenesis machinery. As a result, the current progress of treatment intervention focuses on modifying the miRNA levels in cancer therapeutics. Nevertheless, the mode of delivery and current management of miRNA therapies remains one of the many questions that need to be addressed. Here, we provided a comprehensive mini-review outlining the role of miRNA in cancer as well as its mode of delivery which includes liposomes, viral vectors, inorganic material-based nanoparticles, and cell-derived membrane vesicles. Likewise, the regulation of miRNA in other diseases and their challenges in translational research was also thoroughly discussed.

In this article, the latest discoveries in the development of biosensors based on enzyme inhibition are reviewed. Due to their excellent selectivity and sensitivity, they represent a significant alternative method to conventional analytical methods; which is a method of analysis that only relies on the generation of instrumentation data without any preliminary screening. Basically, biosensors are able to convert biological activity into a quantifiable signal. These enzyme inhibition-based biosensors have a wide range of applications in the fields of environmental safety, food safety, and clinical analysis since toxic substances containing heavy metals and pesticides are the most effective inhibitors of enzymes. This paper is aimed at exploring the methods used and the sensitivity to various inhibitors for biosensors based on the inhibition of enzymes such as glucose oxidase, urease, tyrosinase, cholinesterase, and other enzymes.

Clinacanthus nutans (C. nutans), or “Belalai gajah,” is traditionally used to treat microbial infections, cancer, inflammation, and diabetes due to its rich phytochemical profile. This study aimed to extract bioactive compounds from C. nutans leaves using varying methanolic concentrations (100%, 70%, and 60% v/v) and evaluate their total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant, antimicrobial, and apoptotic activities. Extraction yields were 8.50%, 15.80%, and 14.70% for 100%, 70%, and 60% methanol extracts, respectively. The 100% methanol extract showed the highest TPC (23.40 mg GAE/g), followed by 70% (20.48 mg GAE/g) and 60% (20.32 mg GAE/g). Antioxidant activity assessed by DPPH assay showed the strongest radical scavenging in the 100% extract (IC₅₀ = 1.13 mg/mL), followed by 70% (1.87 mg/mL) and 60% (2.82 mg/mL). Only the 60% and 70% extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 10 mg/mL. Cytotoxicity assessed by MTT assay on CT26 cells revealed the lowest IC₅₀ for the 100% extract (0.18 ± 0.071 mg/mL), followed by 70% (0.20 ± 0.062 mg/mL) and 60% (0.49 ± 0.042 mg/mL). Apoptotic populations in CT26 cells, determined via Trypan Blue assay, were 47.34% ± 8.89, 44.37% ± 2.34, and 43.00% ± 0.95 for the 100%, 70%, and 60% extracts, respectively. These findings suggest that C. nutans exhibits promising antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties, supporting its potential as a natural therapeutic agent. Further studies are needed to explore its mechanisms, dosage optimization, and synergistic interactions with other compounds.