Pharmacy education in Indonesia mainly involves a four-year undergraduate degree, followed by a one-year professional pharmacy programme. The curriculum and learning outcomes of undergraduate and professional pharmacy programmes follow academic standards set by the Association of Indonesian Pharmacy Higher Education, based on the Seven Star Pharmacist concept developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Most pharmacy undergraduate programmes are focused on general pharmacy skills and knowledge, which includes pharmaceutical sciences and clinical pharmacy. Professional pharmacy programmes provide more pharmacy practice training and skills; thus, graduates have broader career opportunities than undergraduates because they are prepared for higher responsibilities within pharmacy practice. Although there have been significant improvements in pharmacy education, there remain challenges related to government policies, stakeholder agreements, educational offerings, competencies, and training. This requires considerable collective efforts from the government, educational systems, associations, and other stakeholders to improve the role of pharmacists in Indonesia.

An analytical method based on combination UV-Vis spectroscopy and chemometric was developed for detecting commonly listed adulterants such as paracetamol and piroxicam simultaneously in traditional medicines. No complex sample preparation and separation are required except grinding, dissolving, and filtering. The spectral interferences were resolved by multivariate techniques. Wavelengths selection and number of components optimization were performed by a combination of Genetic Algorithm and Partial Least Square (GA-PLS) followed by backward elimination through Jack-Knife Partial Least Square Regression (JK-PLSR). The capability PLSR model for quantitative analysis was assessed from the coefficient of determination (R²) and root mean square of error prediction/cross-validation (RMSEP/RMSECV) dan predicted residual sum of square (PRESS). Classification performance of PLS Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was evaluated from the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC). For ensuring the sensitivity of the method, the detection limits from the two pseudo-univariate lines were estimated. The R², RMSEP, RMSECV, AUROCC, and detection limit obtained from the selected models of paracetamol and piroxicam were >0.999, <0.25 mg/L, <0.15 mg/L, 100%, and <0.4 mg/L respectively. Therefore, the proposed method is suitable for the rapid screening of adulterated herbal medicine.

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for quantifying LEV in human plasma. Chromatographic separation was performed under isocratic elution on a Luna Phenomenex® C18 (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column. The mobile phase was comprised of acetonitrile, methanol, and phosphate buffer 25 mM pH 3.0 (13:7:80 v/v/v) and pumped at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. Detection was performed by UV detector at a wavelength of 280 nm. Samples were pre-treated with acetonitrile followed by centrifugation, evaporation, and reconstitution step. The method proved linear (r = 0.995), sensitive (LLOQ and LOD was 1.8 and 0.6 µg/mL respectively), accurate (% error above LLOQ ≤ 12% and LLOQ ≤ 20%), precise (RSD ≤ 9%), robust in the ranges of 1.8-28.8 µg/mL, rapid (separation time not more than 10 min), and simple (use no organic additive in mobile phase). The method was showed reliable for quantifying LEV in human plasma.

Mitragyna speciosa, commonly referred to as kratom, is known for its active compound, mitragynine, which is classified as a new psychoactive substance. The availability of mitragynine standards remains a challenge, highlighting the need for effective and efficient methods for isolating this compound from kratom. This study aimed to computationally design a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the selective isolation of mitragynine. Computational studies were conducted using the B3LYP def2TZVP method with DFT-D4 dispersion, and the results were verified by a laboratory experiment and a molecular dynamics study. The study revealed that methacrylic acid was the optimal monomer for MIP interactions in methanol. Laboratory experiments, employing the association constant and Job plot methods, confirmed that methanol was the ideal solvent for the pre-polymerization complex, with an equilibrium template-to-monomer ratio of 1:3. Radial distribution function analysis from molecular dynamics simulations further supported that the 1:3 template-to-monomer ratio was optimal, aligning with experimental findings. This study’s findings suggest that computational analysis may be employed for the rational design of improved MIPs and for further laboratory investigation into the selective isolation of mitragynine from plants.

Penelusuran aktivitas antibakteri, antioksidan, dan sitotoksik fungi endofit genus fusarium sp. diisolasi dari daun meniran (Phyllantus niruri Linn.)