This study aims to provide an overview of the compounds found in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) that contribute to its anti-diabetic activity and the mechanisms by which they act. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct, with specific search terms and Boolean operators. A total of 269 articles were initially retrieved, but after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria only 28 articles were selected for further review. Among the findings, four varieties of sweet potato were identified as having potential anti-diabetic properties. Phenolic acids, flavonols, flavanones, and anthocyanidins are responsible for the anti-diabetic activity of sweet potatoes. The anti-diabetic mechanism of sweet potatoes was determined using a combination of components with multi-target actions. The results of these studies provide evidence that Ipomoea batatas is effective in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Ipomoea batatas L. (IBL) has gained significant popularity as a complementary therapy or herbal medicine in the treatment of anti-diabetes. This review seeks to explore the mechanism by which flavonoid compounds derived from IBL exert their anti-diabetic effects through the activation of GLP-1. The review article refers to the PRISMA guidelines. In order to carry out the literature search, electronic databases such as Science Direct, Crossref, Scopus, and Pubmed were utilized. The search query was based on specific keywords, including Ipomoea batatas OR sweet potato AND anti-diabetic OR hypoglycemic. After searching the databases, we found 1055 articles, but only 32 met the criteria for further review. IBL contains various compounds, including phenolic acid, flavonols, flavanols, flavones, and anthocyanins, which exhibit activity against anti-diabetes. Flavonols, flavanols, and flavones belong to a group of flavonoids that possess the ability to form complexes with AlCl₃ and Ca²⁺. The intracellular L cells effectively retain Ca²⁺, leading to the subsequent release of GLP-1. Flavonols, flavones, and flavone groups have been found to strongly interact with DPP-IV, which inhibits the degradation of GLP-1. The anti-diabetic activity of IBL is attributed to the mechanism that effectively increases the duration of GLP-1 in the systemic system, thereby prolonging its half-life.

The purpose of this paper is to determine patient expectation and perception of pharmaceutical care services in order to measure the level of patient satisfaction provided by Indonesia’s health coverage (IHC) system. A patient satisfaction survey was conducted at primary-level and secondary-level health facilities operating under IHC system. The assessment was performed using a closed-ended questionnaire that had been tested for validity and reliability. The patients’ point of view was evaluated based on their expectation and perception of six dimensions of the pharmaceutical care services they had received. Patient satisfaction was calculated based on the gap between their expectation and their perception. A total of 602 patients participated in this research. The levels of the patients’ expectation of the pharmaceutical care services provided at primary-level health facilities range from high (3.39) to very high (3.54), whereas at secondary-level health facilities, the range was from low (2.04) to very high (3.75). This indicates that patients have a higher expectation of the provided pharmaceutical care services compared to the actual experience of the healthcare services that they received, resulting in a low value in the measurement of patient satisfaction levels. The high level of patient expectation is an opportunity for pharmacists at both primary-level and secondary-level health facilities to continue developing pharmaceutical care services. Improving drug information service, patient counseling and reducing patient waiting time can be good ways to increase patient satisfaction within pharmaceutical care services.

Antihyperglycemic activity of Ipomoea batatas (L.) leaves has been studied for years. As many naturally found varieties of such plant species have been used as herbal medicines, there is a need to establish a fingerprint biomarker standardization method. Our research combined TLC fingerprints and chemometric analysis to determine biomarkers in leaf ethanol extract of Ipomoea batatas (L.) (EIBL). We predicted the main constituents of anthocyanin glycosides and their acylated derivates in the leaf ethanol extract of such plants using ESI-MS. The EIBL that contained identified biomarkers has succeeded in providing an antihyperglycemic effect in experimental using STZ-induced rats. This study also found a linear correlation between doses of flavonoid derivates as antioxidant agents with their antihyperglycemic activities. Therefore, this biomarker information can be used as a model to predict the dose-responses of the antihyperglycemic activities produced by other leaf ethanol extracts of I. batatas.

Putra IPYA, Utami KS, Hardini J, Wirasuta IMAG, Ujam NT, Ariantari NP. 2023. Fermentation, bioactivity and molecular identification of endophytic fungi isolated from mangrove Ceriops tagal. Biodiversitas 24: 3091-3098. Mangrove-associated-endophytic fungi are recognized as a considerable source of bioactive compounds in drug discovery. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity and toxicity of endophytic fungi isolated from Ceriops tagal. Four endophytic fungal isolates, documented as SU-1-4, were obtained. In addition, isolate SU-3 was further identified as Hypoxylon mangrovei according to the comparison of the internal transcribed spacer region. Each fungal isolate was fermented on a solid rice medium, then extracted with ethyl acetate at the end of fermentation. After that, the crude ethyl acetate extracts were partitioned between aqueous methanol and n-hexane, and the methanolic phases were subjected to phytochemical screening and antimicrobial and toxicity assays. Preliminary phytochemical identification suggested the presence of alkaloids, triterpenoids, and steroids in all fungal methanolic extracts. Among them, H. mangrovei SU-3 extract showed the most pronounced antimicrobial effects with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 125 and 250 µg.mL-1 towards Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228. Meanwhile, the toxicity assay employing the brine shrimp lethality test revealed that all fungal methanolic extracts were toxic, with LC50 values ranging from 173.09 to 227.76 µg.mL-1. Isolation of antibacterial compounds and evaluation of their cytotoxicity on human cancer cells will be promising for further studies.