Gastric ulcer is a common disorder of the digestive system. The combination of turmeric and honey is known to treat stomach ulcers. However, curcumin, an active component in turmeric, has limitations, i.e., poor water solubility and low oral bioavailability. Therefore, turmeric and honey were formulated into a nanoemulsion with black pepper to enhance curcumin bioavailability. The study followed a systematic approach to optimize the nanoemulsion formula, determine stability, and evaluate ulcer healing activity in rats with ethanol-induced gastric ulcers. Nanoemulsion was prepared using a low-energy emulsification method called emulsion phase inversion (EPI). Two stability evaluations were carried out, i.e., storage and freeze-thaw stability tests. The organoleptic, droplet size, polydispersity index, pH, viscosity, and curcumin content of the nanoemulsion were evaluated. Male Wistar albino rats were induced with 96% ethanol for six days. The rats were divided into six groups, i.e., healthy control, ulcerated control, omeprazole, two different doses of turmeric, honey, and black pepper nanoemulsion (NTBH1 and NTBH2), and turmeric and honey nanoemulsion (NTH). The antiulcer activity was determined by measuring the ulcer area, ulcer index, curative index, ulcer severity score, and histology. The best formula with the smallest droplet size, i.e., 144.6±3.8 nm, was obtained from the nanoemulsion using Tween 80 as surfactant, glycerin as cosolvent, and sodium alginate as viscosity enhancer. The result showed that the nanoemulsion was stable after being stored at 25 and 40°C for four weeks and after six cycles of freeze-thaw test. The ulcer index of the ulcerated rats from the lowest to the highest, i.e., NTBH2, omeprazole, NTH, and NTBH1. In conclusion, the nanoemulsion developed in this study containing turmeric, honey, and black pepper holds promising potential in treating gastric ulcers, offering a hopeful outlook for future treatments.

Background: Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) consists of peel and rind (30-40% of total fruit weight), commonly discarded as waste. Nonetheless, several studies have shown the potential benefit of these watermelon parts. This study aimed to determine the correlation between the watermelon cultivation areas and their chemical composition, especially phenols and flavonoids. Watermelon peel and rind were obtained from Jember (WJ), Sragen (WS), Langkat (WL), Hulu Sungai Tengah (WHST) and Lombok Tengah (WLT). Methods: The total phenols and flavonoids were determined by using the colorimetric method. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity was determined by using DPPH and ABTS methods. Result: The highest total flavonoids, i.e. 41.86±1,65 mgQE/100 g watermelon, was observed in the WHST rind. While WL peel showed the highest total phenols, i.e. 3.97±0.02 mgGAE/g. The correlation analysis for all samples showed no significant relationship between the antioxidant activity and total flavonoids. However, a significant relationship was found between the DPPH-IC50 and total phenols with a correlation value of 0.47 (p less than 0.01) for both watermelon parts peel and rind. In addition, watermelon peel contains higher total flavonoids compared to rind. But, there was no significant difference in the total phenols between the watermelon peel and rind. To conclude, both watermelon peel and rind obtained from five cultivation areas showed antioxidant activities contributed by the phenolic compounds.

Severe exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays leads to skin damage, including hyperpigmentation, freckles, melanoma, age spots, and melasma, all of which are related to the skin pigment enzyme, tyrosinase. Prevention can be achieved by avoiding harsh UV rays and inhibiting tyrosinase catalytic activity. Many compounds have been developed for the treatment of such conditions; however, most come with unwanted side effects. The purpose of this study was to determine the sun protection factor (SPF) value and tyrosinase enzyme inhibitory activity of plant secondary metabolites with high antioxidant activity, namely rutin, catechin, niazirin, piperine, quercetin, and quercitrin, as potential alternatives. Both tests were carried out using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. SPF determination was performed by observing the absorbances across a wavelength range of 290 to 320 nm. The determination of anti-tyrosinase activity was conducted by measuring dopachrome at 490 nm after enzymatic reactions and calculating the IC50 value. In the SPF assay, benzophenone-3 was used as the standard, and piperine, rutin, quercetin, and quercitrin exhibited high protective abilities with SPF values above 30 at 500 µg/mL. In the tyrosinase inhibition assay, kojic acid as the standard showed a strong potential for inhibition with an IC50 of 33.65 µg/mL, while quercetin, rutin, and piperine exhibited weaker inhibitory potential with IC50 values of 178.44, 271.73, and 347.62 µg/mL, respectively. On the other hand, quercitrin and niazirin showed little to no tyrosinase inhibition activity. However, catechin demonstrated more catalytic activity towards the enzyme. In conclusion, quercetin, rutin, and piperine have the potential to be developed as active ingredients to protect the skin from UV-induced damage due to their satisfactory SPF values and tyrosinase inhibition activity.

An altered skin morphology and physiology are the most evident signs of increasing age in humans. These changes may affect pivotal skin functions. Eggshell membrane (ESM) is an egg byproduct that is regarded as waste. Nonetheless, studies have shown its beneficial effect in preventing dermal aging. Currently, only chicken ESM has been extensively studied and is commercially available. Our study explored the potential of duck ESM, which has been overlooked. We examined the use of Cihateup duck (Anas platyrhynchos Javanica) eggshell membrane hydrolysate (ESMH) in anti-aging skincare products. Enzymatic hydrolysate of ESM was obtained by varying the papain and sodium sulfite concentrations. The optimum concentrations were used for further analysis, i.e., hyaluronic acid content, amino acid composition, antioxidant activity, and collagenase inhibition activity. The result showed that 60 U/mg of papain and 30 mM of sodium sulfite yielded a total protein of 80.18±1.47 mg/g for duck ESMH and 71.41±2.13 mg/g for chicken ESMH. In addition, duck ESMH showed higher hyaluronic acid content and different amino acid composition than chicken. Duck ESMH also showed the highest collagenase inhibition activity. In conclusion, our findings suggest that duck ESMH holds great promise for anti-aging skincare, offering better activity than chicken ESMH.

Effective management of early diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) is essential for reducing the risks of amputation and mortality. Affordable wound dressings are particularly important for low-income patients because wound healing often requires prolonged treatment. This case report describes the effects of a combined intervention on wound status and quality of life in a 54-year-old woman with a Grade 2 DFU located on the right heel. Following six weeks of standard wound care administered twice weekly at a local healthcare facility, together with glycemic self-management, the patient’s blood glucose level improved from 380 mg/dL to 130 mg/dL. Despite improved glycemic control, wound healing remained limited, and the patient continued to experience substantial impairment in quality of life due to ulcer-related pain. The intervention consisted of a honey/gotu kola/κ-carrageenan base (HGCB) hydrogel film dressing applied daily in a home-care setting, combined with mechanical debridement and structured glycemic self-management. Quality of life was assessed using the Diabetic Foot Ulcer Scale. A cost analysis comparing HGCB hydrogel dressing with standard wound care was performed over an equivalent treatment duration. By week 12, blood glucose remained controlled, while malodor, firmly adherent slough, and peri-wound maceration had resolved, accompanied by marked improvement in quality of life. Furthermore, the cost of care associated with the HGCB hydrogel dressing was approximately half that of standard wound care. Although derived from a single case, these findings provide preliminary data for future larger-scale investigations. No adverse reactions or treatment-related complications were observed during intervention therapy.

Sodium taurocholate, a major component of bile salts, plays an important role in pharmaceutical and biochemical applications. This study aimed to develop and validate a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for accurately determining sodium taurocholate in bovine bile extracts. Chromatographic separation was carried out using a Shodex C18-4E column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm), with a mobile phase composed of methanol and 25 mM phosphate buffer solution, pH 5.45, at a flow rate of 0.7 mL/min. The analytes were detected with a UV detector set at 210 nm. The method was validated for selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). The calibration curve showed linearity over the range of 10–100 µg/mL, with a correlation coefficient ( r ) of 0.9997. Intra-day and inter-day precision ranged from 0.60% to 1.28%. Spike recovery of sodium taurocholate ranged from 100.01% to 100.93%. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for sodium taurocholate were 2.83 µg/mL and 8.57 µg/mL, respectively. The validated method ensures reliable and reproducible quantification, making it suitable for quality control applications.