This study aimed to determine phylogenetic relationship between and among selected species of sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) using 16S mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. Phylogenetic analyses of 37 partial sequences of 16S mitochondrial rRNA gene using three main methods namely neighbour joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) showed the presence of five main genera of sea cucumbers: Molpadia from order Molpadiida and four genera of order Aspidochirotida namely Holothuria, Stichopus, Bohadschia and Actinopyga. All of the 17 species obtained from Malaysia distributed among the main genera except within Actinopyga. Interestingly, Holothuria excellens was out of Holothuria group causing Holothuria to be paraphyletic. High bootstrap value and consistent clustering made Molpadia, Stichopus, Bohadschia and Actinopyga monophyletic. The relationship of Actinopyga with the other genera was unclarified and Stichopus was sister to Molpadia. The latter finding caused the resolution at order level unclear. The pairwise genetic distance calculated using Kimura 2-parameter model further supported and verified findings from the phylogenetic trees. Further studies with more samples and different mitochondrial DNA genes need to be done to get a better view and verification on the molecular phylogeny of sea cucumbers.
Rice field eel, Monopterus albus, is widely consumed by the local people as a source of traditional medicine. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the M. albus aqueous and lipid extracts as an aphrodisiac based on the mounting behaviour and mating assessment. The doses used for both extracts were 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg. Negative control mice received 0.9% saline while positive control received 5 mg/kg Sildenafil citrate or Viagra®. The observation was carried out for 1 h after administration of the respective doses of the extracts. Male mice treated with the different doses of lipid extract showed substantial mounting behaviour. Meanwhile, only male mice treated with 200 mg/kg aqueous extract displayed aphrodisiac property which was similar to 200 mg/kg lipid dose. As both extracts produced higher number of mounting than Sildenafil citrate at 1st h of observation, this indicated that they are as competent as Sildenafil citrate. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that M. albus could be used as an alternative source for male sexual activity.
The calcareous rings of two species of local sea cucumbers, Stichopus hermanni Semper and Holothuria atra Jaeger, were located, dissected, exposed and recorded. The calcareous rings of both species each composed of ten plates knit together by connective tissues. The radial plate of H. atra was a square with a notch at the anterior part whereas in S. hermanni it was squarish consisting of 4 ridges in the anterior part with a notch at the posterior part. The interradial plates of both species were smaller than the radial plates. A ridge was present at the anterior part of the interradial plate in H. atra. In S. hermanii, the ridge at the anterior part of the interradial was thin and prominent. Under the scanning electron microscope the calcareous rings from the two species exhibited a mosaic of small, numerous spicules bound to each other.
Bottom sediment samples from the Kuala Sepetang River, Taiping, Perak were analysed for the grain size in order to understand better the sedimentation processes in the estuary and along the river. The mean, standard deviation and skewness value of each sample were calculated by the moment’s method where each of every grain plot data was used to obtain the statistical information concerning the sedimentary population. In this study, there is no significant (p<0.05) relationship between sediment characteristic with the seasonal changes, but the mean particle size became a relatively smaller size during the monsoon season. Finer sediments (7.4 Ø) were dominated during monsoon season while coarser sediments (6.2 Ø) dominated during the dry season. The characteristics of deposited sediments at each station are much dependent upon the combination of physical forces such as freshwater runoff, tidal currents and waves.
This study aimed to resolve the taxonomic status of a morphologically undetermined sea cucumber species of order Apodida
from Malaysia (GenBank accession no.: FJ223867) using partial 16S mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences and subsequently
to determine the validity of morphological taxonomy of Holothuria species into its current subgenera. The undetermined
species clustered with all taxa of Holothuria in previous study. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony and
Bayesian methods suggest that the undetermined species was genetically closer to Holothuria (Lessonothuria) pardalis and
Holothuria (Acanthotrapeza) coluber; and its position in both phylogenetic trees further suggests its status as a Holothuria
taxon. Subgenera of Holothuria, Merthensiothuria and Metriatyla are monophyletic with strong bootstrap supports and
posterior probabilities of clades, thus strengthening their morphological taxonomies. Nonetheless, the non-monophyly of
subgenera of Halodeima, Microthele and Platyperona suggests a requirement for their taxonomic revisions using integrative
taxonomy. The status of Holothuria (Halodeima) edulis subgroups in the maximum parsimony and Bayesian trees is
indistinct and further taxonomic revisions are necessary. In terms of sister relationship, both phylogenetic trees suggest
that subgenus Holothuria is a sister taxon of subgenus Roweothuria while the other sister relationships were unclear due
to the undetermined species, paraphyly and polyphyly of a number of subgenera. Further studies with more specimens of
genus Holothuria from broader geographical locations and various mtDNA genes along with morphological approaches
may facilitate to provide better insights into the molecular phylogeny of subgenera of Holothuria.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common leukemia subtypes among paediatrics in Malaysia. Although treatment options are available but some patients remain incurable, some undergo relapse and many experiences adverse effects by the conventional therapies. Thus, we aim to investigate possible treatment alternative by studying the antileukemogenesis properties of concentrated Nypa fruticans sap called nisaan by focusing on adiponectin expression.
Our study model was CCRF-CEM, an acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines. The cells were treated with nisaan at a range of concentration and treated for 24, 48 and 72 hours followed by determination of the leukemic cells viability using tryphan blue method. Effective nisaan concentrations that significantly reduced the cells viability were again treated to the cells followed by determination of the cell proliferation using BrdU colorimetric kit and adiponectin level using adiponectin ELISA kit.
The results showed that, increase concentration of nisaan treatment reduced the cells viability and cells proliferation and enhance the adiponectin level in the leukemic cells.
This preliminary data suggest that Nypa fruticans might has the antileukemogenesis effect on acute lymphoblastic cells by regulating the adiponectin expression.
Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) leucospilota (Brandt 1835), white threads fish or locally known as bat puntil is currently considered as the most abundant sea cucumber species in Malaysia. This study aimed to generate the genetic profile of H. leucospilota from Malaysia and then to determine the phylogenetic relationship between H. leucospilota and other members of genus Holothuria using partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene. In this study, specimens of H. leucospilota were collected from Intan Besar Island, Langkawi, Kedah Darul Aman in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Three main methods namely neighbour joining, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood were used for the phylogenetic tree reconstruction. Tree topologies showed that H. leucospilota has its own monophyletic clade clearly distinct from the other species. The pairwise genetic distance calculated further supported these findings. In addition, the results also should that the COI mtDNA gene is capable to unravel the phylogenetic relationship of H. leucospilota.
Porcupine bezoar (PB) has been previously reported to possess various medicinal properties. However, its potential as an anticancer agent against human cancers is still poorly studied and understood. Hence, in this study, porcupine bezoar (PB) aqueous extract was evaluated for its potential as a safe anticancer agent. Initially PB was infused in water for 18 h to get PB aqueous extract which was preliminary tested for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), DPPH activity in order to confirm the presence of bioactive agents as antioxidants in PB. Later, PB aqueous extract was subjected to A375 (Melanoma) (IC50, cell proliferation assay) and HGF-1
(normal cell, for cytotoxicity assay) to evaluate its anticancer potential. PB aqueous extract showed 11.68 μg/mL ± 0.67 TPC value expressed as gallic acid equivalents while TFC was not detected confirming the absence of flavonoids in PB aqueous extract. IC50 for DPPH was found to be 0.79 μg/mL ± 0.07. The IC50 result for A375 was found to be 10.1 µg/mL ± 0.17. PB aqueous extract showed significant antiproliferation pattern at 24, 48 and 72 hours exposures. The data from this study suggest the potential alternative use of PB in developing natural antioxidants and antiproliferative agents for improving human health.