Objective: The current study investigates the physicochemical, phytochemical, nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of raw unprocessed honey produced by two Malaysian stingless bees, Heterotrigona itama and Geniotrigona thoracica collected from different places in the Southern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Materials and Methods: Physicochemical (pH, color) and nutritional compositions (moisture, ash, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals) were determined and evaluated using standard methods. Phytochemical content (flavonoid and phenolic compounds) and antioxidant activites were determined spectrophotometrically. Results: pH of collected honey samples were found to be acidic, ranging from 3.24-3.42, while the colors ranged from 85.34-490.37 mm Pfund (golden to dark amber).The moisture, ash, protein, fat and carbohydrate contents of honey samples ranged from 26.5±0.00 to 31.8±0.00 g/100 g, 0.15±0.01 to 0.67±0.00 g/100 g, 0.016t 0.54 g/100 g, 0.02 to 0.15 g/100 g and 67.12 to 73.26 g/100 g, respectively. The total flavonoid content of honey samples dissolved in distilled water and methanol ranged from 53.81±4.12 mg rutin equivalents kg–1 to 549.05±9.74 mg rutin equivalents kg–1 while total phenolic content in both solvents ranged from 357.14±3.57 mg gallic acid equivalents kg–1 to 520.83±4.49 mg gallic acid equivalents kg–1. The antioxidant activity of this honey displayed superior antioxidant potential and was higher than Manuka honey. Conclusion: Clearly, honey produced by these two stingless bee types in the Southern part of PeninsularMalaysia is a budding functional food and possible nutraceuticals with great potential for use in complementary and alternative medicines.

Gout is a common disease affected most of the people due to the elevation of uric acid in the blood. Flavonoid and phenolic compounds are reported to exert the anti‐gout activity of medicinal plants. Hence, this study aimed at optimizing the extraction conditions of phenolic and flavonoid compounds as well as the anti‐gout (xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity) in vitro of Euphorbia hirta using response surface methodology (RSM). The plant part used was the whole plant excluding roots. The effects of three independent variables (extraction time, X₁; extraction temperature, X₂; and solid‐to‐liquid ratio, X₃) on three response variables (total flavonoid content, Y₁; total phenolic content, Y₂; and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, Y₃) were determined using central composite design (CCD) while phytochemical profiling of the extracts was determined by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS). Quadratic models produced a satisfactory fitting of the experimental data with regard to total flavonoid content (r² = 0.9407, p < 0.0001), total phenolic content (r² = 0.9383, p < 0.0001), and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity (r² = 0.9794, p < 0.0001). The best extraction conditions observed for total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity were at a temperature of 79.07°C for 17.42 min with solid‐to‐liquid ratio of 1 : 20 g/ml. The optimum values for total flavonoid, total phenolic, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity were 67.56 mg RE/g, 155.21 mg GAE/g, and 91.42%, respectively. The main phytochemical compounds in the optimized E. hirta extract are neochlorogenic acid, quercetin‐3β‐D‐glucoside, syringic acid, caffeic acid, ellagic acid, astragalin, afzelin, and quercetin. As conclusion, this study clearly demonstrated the best conditions to obtain higher xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity and phytochemical compounds which can be further used for the development of anti‐gout agents.

Gout is a type of arthritis that causes painful inflammation in one or more joints. In gout, elevation of uric acid in the blood triggers the formation of crystals, causing joint pain. Malaysia is a mega-biodiversity country that is rich in medicinal plants species. Therefore, its flora might offer promising therapies for gout. This article aims to systematically review the anti-gout potential of Malaysian medicinal plants. Articles on gout published from 2000 to 2017 were identified using PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar with the following keyword search terms: “gout,” “medicinal plants,” “Malaysia,” “epidemiology,” “in vitro,” and “in vivo.” In this study, 85 plants were identified as possessing anti-gout activity. These plants had higher percentages of xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity (>85%); specifically, the Momordica charantia, Chrysanthemum indicum, Cinnamomum cassia, Kaempferia galanga, Artemisia vulgaris, and Morinda elliptica had the highest values, due to their diverse natural bioactive compounds, which include flavonoids, phenolics, tannin, coumarins, luteolin, and apigenin. This review summarizes the anti-gout potential of Malaysian medicinal plants but the mechanisms, active compounds, pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and safety of the plants still remain to be elucidated.

This article aims to provide detailed information on Malaysian plants used for treating inflammation. An extensive search on electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ScienceDirect and conference papers was done to find relevant articles on anti-inflammatory activity of Malaysian medicinal plants. The keyword search terms used were “inflammation,” “Malaysia,” “medicinal plants,” “mechanisms,” “in vitro,” and “in vivo.” As a result, 96 articles on anti-inflammatory activity of Malaysian medicinal plants were found and further reviewed. Forty-six (46) plants (in vitro) and 30 plants (in vivo) have been identified to possess anti-inflammatory activity where two plants,Melicope ptelefolia(Tenggek burung) andPortulaca oleracea(Gelang pasir), were reported to have the strongest anti-inflammatory activity of more than 90% at a concentration of 250 µg/ml. It was showed that the activity was mainly due to the occurrence of diverse naturally occurring phytochemicals from diverse groups such as flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, steroids, benzophenone, triterpenoids, curcuminoids, and cinnamic acid. Hence, this current review is a detailed discussion on the potential of Malaysian medicinal plants as an anti-inflammatory agent from the previous studies. However, further investigation on the possible underlying mechanisms and isolation of active compounds still remains to be investigated.

Breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women globally. Malaysia is a country that is rich in medicinal plant species. Hence, this research aims to explore the secondary metabolites, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities of Dioscorea bulbifera leaf collected from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia. Antioxidant activity was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays, while the cytotoxicity of D. bulbifera on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines was tested using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis were assessed using flow cytometry analysis. Phytochemical profiling was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that methanol extract had the highest antioxidant activity in DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays, followed by ethyl acetate and hexane extracts. D. bulbifera tested against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines showed a pronounced cytotoxic effect with IC₅₀ values of 8.96μg/mL, 6.88μg/mL, and 3.27μg/mL in MCF-7 and 14.29μg/mL, 11.86μg/mL, and 7.23μg/mL in MDA-MB-231, respectively. Cell cycle analysis also indicated that D. bulbifera prompted apoptosis at various stages, and a significant decrease in viable cells was detected within 24h and substantially improved after 48h and 72h of treatment. Phytochemical profiling of methanol extract revealed the presence of 39 metabolites such as acetic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, acetin, hexadecanoate, 7-tetradecenal, phytol, octadecanoic acid, cholesterol, palmitic acid, and linolenate. Hence, these findings concluded that D. bulbifera extract has promising anticancer and natural antioxidant agents. However, further study is needed to isolate the bioactive compounds and validate the effectiveness of this extract in the In in vivo model.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, which produces free radicals, particularly reactive oxygen species (ROS), through glucose auto-oxidation and glycosylation. Administration of antioxidants and polyphenolic compound components can capture free radicals and reduce oxidative stress. Polyphenols are also able to reduce blood glucose levels by inhibiting the action of amylase enzymes as carbohydrate catabolism so that glucose absorption does not occur. One of the plants that contain polyphenols is Black Turmeric (Curcuma caesia). Some studies on the rhizomes of this plant include methanol extracts containing phenolics, Flavonoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, saponins, and tannins. Dry powders and wet rhizome powders were studied to have antioxidant activity. Research on the inhibition of the enzyme alfa amylase is still lacking. This study aims to determine the content of chemical compounds using 70% ethanol solvent. The total phenolic and flavonoid assay with spectrophotometry, determine antioxidant activity using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) at 490 nm and inhibition of α-amylase enzyme using 3,5- dinitro salicylic acid (DNS) at 529 nm. The results showed that phenolic levels were 235 mgGAE/100gr, flavonoids were 61 mg QE/100gr, Alkaloids 30 mg Quinine /100gr and saponin 158 mg Quillaja bark/100gr, dan tannin 535mg tannic acid/100gr. DPPH antioxidant activity obtained IC50 value of 299,18 µg/mLµg/mL and α- amylase inhibitory 50,26 µg/mLµg/mL. The research showed that 70% ethanol extract Curcuma caesia roxb contains phenolic, flavonoids, alkaloids, quinine, and saponins constituents and have been antioxidant activity and high α-amylase inhibitory