Agus Tri Yulianto, Ade Yamindago

Bacteria are microscopic organisms, and a small portion of them are pathogenic or harmful to living organisms. One example is bacteria that cause damage and decay in captured Tuna fish (Thunnus sp.) off the coast of Kondang Merak, Malang. Therefore, to determine the genus of bacteria found in Tuna fish (Thunnus sp.), bacterial morphology identification was conducted. Bacterial morphology identification was performed using methods involving the identification of colony and cell morphology, as well as bacterial respiration tests to enhance genus prediction accuracy. Bacterial morphology identification involved several testing stages, including Gram-staining, cell observation and measurement, motility testing, and bacterial respiration testing. The bacterial isolation samples from Tuna fish (Thunnus sp.) on TSA media consisted of 8 samples, namely 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3, 4a, 4b, and 5, which were differentiated based on bacterial colony morphology. Based on the results of colony morphology identification, cell morphology, and respiratory testing, all 8 bacterial samples were manually identified with reference to identification books. The identification results showed that several samples had similar morphological characteristics. The bacterial morphology identification results for samples 2a and 2b were identified as belonging to the genus Aeromonas; samples 4a and 4b were classified into the genus Mesophilobacter; sample 1a was categorized into the genus Carnobacterium; and samples 1b, 3, and 5 belonged to the genus Vibrio.

Aquatic Life Sciences

Mubarak Muhammad Dahiru, Abubakar Sadiq Umar, Musa Muhammad, Asma'u Abubakar Waziri, Ibrahim Ishaq Fari, Zuwaira Yusuf Musa

Oxidative stress is a condition that is characterized by the generation of reactive oxygen species more than the amount endogenous antioxidants can absorb. Several diseases are associated with oxidative stress, notably during disease progression. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the phytoconstituents and antioxidant potential of the ethyl acetate leaf extract of Corchorus olitorius (ELEC). The phytochemicals were qualitatively and quantitatively determined, followed by characterization using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antioxidant potential was determined in vitro. Alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids were detected in concentrations of 8.50 ±2.65, 11.83 ±0.73, and 19.17% ±0.73, respectively. The FTIR spectrum revealed 9 peaks including six at the group frequency region corresponding to alcohols, carboxylic acid, amine salts, alkenes, alkyne, esters, and oxime functional groups. The ELEC exhibited lower total reducing power (11.06 ±1.34 AAE µg/ml) compared to its total antioxidant capacity (49.26 ±2.44 AAE µg/ml) with a higher (60.47% ±2.44) percentage inhibition of peroxidation than AA (37.98% ±1.88). Furthermore, the ELEC exhibited a lower (0.20 ±0.01 nmol/ml) MDA concentration than AA (0.42 ±0.02 nmol/ml). Conclusively, C. olitorius might be applied for the management of oxidative stress-linked ailments and a source of novel therapeutics for these ailments.

Sciences of Phytochemistry

Ayu Wulandari, Gita Chintya, Muthmainah Tuldjanah, Rezky Yanuarty

Cloves, scientifically known as Syzygium aromaticum L., hold promise as a potential antiulcer remedy due to their rich composition of compounds, including high levels of phenolic compounds such as eugenol, eugenol acetate, and gallic acid. To improve bioavailability in the gastric environment, this study focuses on optimizing and evaluating a swelling granule system derived from clove leaf extract. The granules were produced using wet granulation with Carbopol, HPMC, and their combination as polymer matrices. Results indicated favorable properties in the swelling granules, with the optimal composition of 210 mg Carbopol, 36 mg PVP, and 404 mg Avicel pH 101. These granules exhibited a uniform particle size distribution, with 90.1% below 149 µm and 9.9% distributed across mesh numbers 100, 80, and 40. The formula with Carbopol polymer showed superior flow rate, compressibility, and swelling capacity compared to other formulations. The interaction between Carbopol's C=O groups and HPMC's hydroxyl groups significantly influenced parameters, especially swelling capacity. Thus, when combining polymers, potential chemical or physical reactions should be considered. The wet granulation process effectively preserved secondary metabolite levels from clove leaf. Further tests are recommended to evaluate the granulation's effectiveness as a delivery system for clove leaf extract.

Sciences of Pharmacy

Kosisochukwu Frances Okoye, Fredrick Chinedu Anowi, InnocentMary IfedibaluChukwu Ejiofor, Olanrewaju Mary Ololade

Insomnia is known as sleep insufficiency and is considered a capital public health concern. Bryophyllum pinnatum which belongs to the family Grassulaceae is used in folkloric medicine to treat various kind of ailment. The aim of the study was to undertake a pharmacognostic study of the stem and determine the sedative/hypnotic ability of the methanol extract and fraction of the stem. The physicochemical analysis indicated moisture content (12.68%), total ash (3.75%), acid insoluble ash (2.60%), water soluble ash (2.00%), water soluble extractive (6.02%) and alcohol soluble extractive (10.80%). The organoleptic evaluation of the powdered leaves revealed an odorless, green plant with bitter taste. The microscopic analysis of the leaf revealed palisade cell, spongy cell, stoma, collenchyma, xylem tissue, phloem tissue. The transverse section of the stem revealed epidermis, endodermis, xylem and cortex. The acute toxicity result revealed that Picralima nitida had no adverse effect in Wistar mice. The result showed that ethyl acetate fraction had sedative/hypnotic ability, affected the level of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP), improved kidney function, and insignificantly increased body weight of mice. This study demonstrated that B. pinnatum could be an alternative medicine in pharmacological treatment of insomnia.

Sciences of Phytochemistry

Nahar Uddin Barbhuyan, Dubom Tayeng, Neelutpal Gogoi, Lima Patowary, Dipak Chetia, Malita Sarma Barthakur

A prominent class of broad-spectrum antibiotics known as tetracycline works by inhibiting the synthesis of proteins, which prevents the development of bacteria. Tetracycline resistance is typically attributed to one or more of the following causes: ribosomal binding site mutations, acquisition of mobile genetic elements carrying tetracycline-specific resistance genes, and/or chromosomal mutations that increase the expression of intrinsic resistance mechanisms. In this research, our objective is to virtually plan and conduct in-silico experiments to find tetracycline derivatives with inhibitory capability against tetracycline resistance protein. The tetracycline derivatives were screened using the Data Warrior, Discovery Studio, PyRx, and Swiss ADME web tools. Initially, 19 tetracycline derivatives were primarily screened for ADME and toxicity study followed by docking study. Among the tetracycline derivatives, C1, C11, C12, C14, C16, and C17 were found to be the potential drug-like molecules with binding energies of -8.9 kcal/mol, -8.4 kcal/mol, -8.5 kcal/mol, -7.7 kcal/mol, -7.7 kcal/mol, -8.6 kcal/mol respectively. In particular, C1 was predicted to have a better binding affinity towards the target protein than the others.

Sciences of Phytochemistry