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Fulltext The antibacterial properties of Malaysian tualang honey against wound and enteric microorganisms in comparison to manuka honey

Tan HT, Rahman RA, Gan SH, Halim AS, Hassan SA, Sulaiman SA, et al.

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2009;9:34.
PMID: 19754926 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-9-34

Antibiotic resistance of bacteria is on the rise, thus the discovery of alternative therapeutic agents is urgently needed. Honey possesses therapeutic potential, including wound healing properties and antimicrobial activity. Although the antimicrobial activity of honey has been effectively established against an extensive spectrum of microorganisms, it differs depending on the type of honey. To date, no extensive studies of the antibacterial properties of tualang (Koompassia excelsa) honey on wound and enteric microorganisms have been conducted. The objectives of this study were to conduct such studies and to compare the antibacterial activity of tualang honey with that of manuka honey.
Fulltext The Role of microRNAs in Alzheimer's Disease and Their Therapeutic Potentials

Miya Shaik M, Tamargo IA, Abubakar MB, Kamal MA, Greig NH, Gan SH

Genes (Basel), 2018 Mar 21;9(4).
PMID: 29561798 DOI: 10.3390/genes9040174

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by base pairing with mRNA targets. Altered miRNA expression profiles have been observed in several diseases, including neurodegeneration. Multiple studies have reported altered expressions of miRNAs in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) as compared to those of healthy elderly adults. Some of the miRNAs found to be dysregulated in AD have been reported to correlate with neuropathological changes, including plaque and tangle accumulation, as well as altered expressions of species that are known to be involved in AD pathology. To examine the potentially pathogenic functions of several dysregulated miRNAs in AD, we review the current literature with a focus on the activities of ten miRNAs in biological pathways involved in AD pathogenesis. Comprehensive understandings of the expression profiles and activities of these miRNAs will illuminate their roles as potential therapeutic targets in AD brain and may lead to the discovery of breakthrough treatment strategies for AD.
Fulltext The Effect of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Lam. Extracts on In Vitro Dengue Replication

Husin F, Chan YY, Gan SH, Sulaiman SA, Shueb RH

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2015;2015:596109.
PMID: 25767554 DOI: 10.1155/2015/596109

Objective. To investigate the potential effect of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Lam. (H. sibthorpioides) extracts against in vitro dengue viral replication. Methods. The cytotoxicity of H. sibthorpioides was evaluated using a cell viability assay. Cells were pre- and posttreated with water and methanol extracts of H. sibthorpioides, and the viral inhibitory effect was investigated by observing the morphological changes, which were further confirmed by plaque assay. Results. The methanolic extract cytotoxicity was higher in Vero and C6/36 cells than the cytotoxicity of the water extract. Preincubation of the cells with H. sibthorpioides extract showed nonexistent to mild prophylactic effects. The posttreatment of Vero cells with H. sibthorpioides methanolic extract presented higher antidengue activities when compared with the water extract. Surprisingly, posttreatment of C6/36 cells resulted in an enhancement of viral replication. Conclusion. H. sibthorpioides had variable effects on dengue viral replication, depending on the treatment, cell lines, and solvent types. This study provides important novel insights on the phytomedicinal properties of H. sibthorpioides extracts on dengue virus.
Fulltext Synbiotic Effects of Fermented Rice on Human Health and Wellness: A Natural Beverage That Boosts Immunity

Fuloria S, Mehta J, Talukdar MP, Sekar M, Gan SH, Subramaniyan V, et al.

Front Microbiol, 2022;13:950913.
PMID: 35910609 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.950913

Fermented foods have been an important component of the human diet from the time immemorial. It contains a high amount of probiotics that have been associated to a wide range of health benefits, including improved digestion and immunity. This review focuses on the indigenously prepared prebiotic- and probiotic-containing functional fermented rice (named Xaj-pani) by the Ahom Community from Assam, in Northeast India, including all the beneficial and potential effects on human health. Literature was searched from scientific databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. Glutinous rice (commonly known as bora rice of sali variety) is primarily employed to prepare beverages that are recovered through the filtration process. The beer is normally consumed during religious rites, festivals and ritual practices, as well as being used as a refreshing healthy drink. Traditionally, it is prepared by incorporating a variety of medicinal herbs into their starter culture (Xaj-pitha) inoculum which is rich in yeasts, molds and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and then incorporated in alcoholic beverage fermentation. The Ahom communities routinely consume this traditionally prepared alcoholic drink with no understanding of its quality and shelf life. Additionally, a finally produced dried cake, known as vekur pitha act as a source of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and can be stored for future use. Despite the rampant use in this community, the relationship between Xaj-pani's consumption, immunological response, infectious and inflammatory processes remains unknown in the presence of factors unrelated or indirectly connected to immune function. Overall, this review provides the guidelines to promote the development of prebiotic- and probiotic-containing functional fermented rice that could significantly have an impact on the health of the consumers.
Fulltext Sundarban Honey Confers Protection against Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction in Wistar Rats

Afroz R, Tanvir EM, Karim N, Hossain MS, Alam N, Gan SH, et al.

Biomed Res Int, 2016;2016:6437641.
PMID: 27294126 DOI: 10.1155/2016/6437641

The present study was designed to investigate the cardioprotective effects of Sundarban honey (SH) in rats with isoproterenol- (ISO-) induced myocardial infarction. Adult male Wistar Albino rats were pretreated with Sundarban honey (5 g/kg) daily for a period of 6 weeks. After the treatment period, ISO (85 mg/kg) was subcutaneously injected into the rats at 24 h intervals for 2 days. ISO-induced myocardial damage was indicated by increased serum cardiac specific troponin I levels and cardiac marker enzyme activities including creatine kinase-MB, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, and alanine transaminase. Significant increases in serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were also observed, along with a reduction in the serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level. In addition to these diagnostic markers, the levels of lipid peroxide products were significantly increased. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase were significantly decreased in the hearts after ISO-induced myocardial infarction. However, pretreatment of ischemic rats with Sundarban honey brought the biochemical parameters to near normalcy, indicating the protective effect of Sundarban honey against ISO-induced ischemia in rats. Histopathological findings of the heart tissues further confirmed the biochemical findings, indicating that Sundarban honey confers protection against ISO-induced oxidative stress in the myocardium.
Fulltext Subcutaneous administration of tramadol after elective surgery is as effective as intravenous administration in relieving acute pain and inflammation in dogs

Buhari S, Hashim K, Yong Meng G, Mustapha NM, Gan SH

ScientificWorldJournal, 2012;2012:564939.
PMID: 22778699 DOI: 10.1100/2012/564939

Subcutaneous (SC) administration of tramadol was compared with intravenous (IV) administration to evaluate analgesia following canine ovariohysterectomy (OHE). Healthy female dogs (n = 12) between 1 and 3 years of age (1.95 ± 0.65 years), weighing between 10.5 and 17.1 kg (13.12 ± 1.95 kg), were used. Pain was assessed at baseline before surgery and then hourly for 8 hr after surgery. Tramadol was administered both SC and IV at a dose of 3 mg/kg and provided significant postoperative analgesia, as indicated by analgesiometry, β-endorphin levels, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels. The respiratory rates and rectal temperatures remained normal and were not significantly different between or within the groups. A significant increase in heart rate was observed at 4 hr for dogs in both groups relative to the baseline, but there was no significant difference in heart rates between the groups at any time point. A significant decrease in mechanical pain threshold was observed within each group after surgery, but both groups responded similarly, suggesting that SC administration of tramadol is as effective as IV administration. Increased serum levels of both IL-6 and β-endorphin 3 hr postoperatively further indicate that both routes of administration achieve similar pain control. Thus, the relative analgesic efficacy of SC tramadol is comparable to that of IV administration and can be used to achieve similar effects for postsurgical pain management in dogs undergoing OHE.
Fulltext Stylopine: A potential natural metabolite to block vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in osteosarcoma therapy

Velayutham NK, Thamaraikani T, Wahab S, Khalid M, Ramachawolran G, Abullais SS, et al.

Front Pharmacol, 2023;14:1150270.
PMID: 37056983 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1150270

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signals cell survival, cell migration, osteogenesis, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and vascular permeability by binding to VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer, majorly affects young adults. Activation of VEGFR-2 signaling is a therapeutic target for osteosarcoma. The present study aimed to evaluate the potency of stylopine in regulation of the VEGFR-2 signaling pathway and its anti-tumour effect human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. The in silico study on benzylisoquinoline alkaloids was carried out for analyzing and shortlisting of compounds using a virtual screening, Lipinski's rule, bioavailability graphical RADAR plot, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and molecular docking studies. Among the benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, stylopine was selected and subjected to in-vitro studies against human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. Various experiments such as MTT assay, EtBr/AO staining, mitochondrial membrane potential assessment, transwell migration assay, gene expression analysis by a quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method, SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblotting were performed to evaluate its anti-tumour effect as compared to standard axitinib. The MTT assay indicates that stylopine inhibits cell proliferation in MG-63 cells. Similarly, as confirmed by the EtBr/Ao staining method, the MMP assay indicates that stylopine induces mitochondrial membrane damage and apoptosis as compared to axitinib. Moreover, stylopine inhibits the VEGF-165 induced MG-63 cell migration by a trans-well migration assay. The immunoblotting and qRT-PCR analysis showed that stylopine inhibits the VEGF-165 induced VEGFR2 expression in MG-63 cells. It is concluded that stylopine has potential to regulate VEGFR2 and can inhibit osteosarcoma cells to offer a new drug candidate for the treatment of bone cancer in future.
Stereoselective method development and validation for determination of concentrations of amphetamine-type stimulants and metabolites in human urine using a simultaneous extraction-chiral derivatization approach

Wan Raihana WA, Gan SH, Tan SC

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci, 2011 Jan 1;879(1):8-16.
PMID: 21147046 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2010.10.037

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are a group of chiral amine drugs which are commonly abused for their sympathomimetic and stimulant properties. ATS are extensively metabolised by hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes. As metabolism of ATS has been shown to be highly stereospecific, stereoselective analytical methods are essential for the quantitative determination of ATS concentrations for both in vivo and in vitro studies of ATS metabolism. This paper describes a new stereoselective method for the simultaneous determination of amphetamine (AM), methamphetamine (MA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA), 3,4-hydroxymethamphetamine (HHMA) and 3,4-hydroxyamphetamine (HHA) in human urine samples validated according to the United States Food and Drug Administration guidelines. In this method, analytes are simultaneously extracted and derivatized with R-(-)-α-methoxy-α-(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetyl chloride (R-MTPCl) as the chiral derivatization reagent. Following this, the analytes were subjected to a second derivatization with N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) which targets the hydroxyl groups present in HMMA, HMA, HHMA and HHA. The derivatized analytes were separated and quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method was evaluated according to the established guidelines for specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery and stability using a five-day protocol. Intra-day precision ranged from 0.89 to 11.23% RSD whereas inter-day precision was between 1.03 and 12.95% RSD. Accuracy values for the analytes ranged from -5.29% to 13.75%. Limits of quantitation were 10 μg/L for AM, MA, MDMA, HMA and HMMA and 2μg/L for MDA, HMA and HHA. Recoveries and stability values were also within accepted values. The method was applied to authentic ATS-positive samples.
Standard CYP2D6 genotyping procedures fail for the CYP2D6*5 and duplication alleles when hair roots are used as a source of DNA

Gan SH, Ismail R, Wan Adnan WA, Wan Z

Clin Chim Acta, 2003 Mar;329(1-2):61-8.
PMID: 12589966 DOI: 10.1016/s0009-8981(03)00019-6

BACKGROUND: Hair roots provide a useful alternative to blood as a source of DNA for genotyping. Besides simple and non-invasive collections, the DNA extraction step is also easy to perform and is fast. The aim of our study is to determine if hair roots can be used to genotype all of the common CYP2D6 alleles for routine screening purposes.

METHOD: The study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki. After obtaining informed consents, both blood and hair samples were collected from 92 patients for genotyping of the CYP2D6 gene. PCR was used to detect the following mutations: CYP2D6*1, *3, *4, *5, *9, *10, *17 and duplication gene. The results were compared where hair roots and blood were used as templates for DNA respectively.

RESULTS: When blood was used as a source of DNA for genotyping, all of the investigated CYP2D6 alleles were successfully amplified. However, with hair roots, the genes with the larger fragment sizes: CYP2D6*5 and the duplication gene could not be amplified and the bands of other alleles investigated were faint when visualized under UV light.

CONCLUSIONS: DNA extraction from hair roots and leucocytes yielded similar results but the DNA extracted from hair roots did not allow successful amplification of the longer genes such as the CYP2D6*5 and the duplication gene.
Signaling pathway genes for blood pressure, folate and cholesterol levels among hypertensives: an epistasis analysis

Wei LK, Menon S, Griffiths LR, Gan SH

J Hum Hypertens, 2015 Feb;29(2):99-104.
PMID: 25055800 DOI: 10.1038/jhh.2014.53

Irregular atrial pressure, defective folate and cholesterol metabolism contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, little is known about the combined roles of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), apolipoprotein-E (ApoE) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genes, which are involved in metabolism and homeostasis. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of the MTHFR 677 C>T and 1298A>C, ACE insertion-deletion (I/D) and ApoE genetic polymorphisms with hypertension and to further explore the epistasis interactions that are involved in these mechanisms. A total of 594 subjects, including 348 normotensive and 246 hypertensive ischemic stroke subjects were recruited. The MTHFR 677 C>T and 1298A>C, ACE I/D and ApoEpolymorphisms were genotyped and the epistasis interaction were analyzed. The MTHFR 677 C>T and ApoE polymorphisms demonstrated significant associations with susceptibility to hypertension in multiple logistic regression models, multifactor dimensionality reduction and a classification and regression tree. In addition, the logistic regression model demonstrated that significant interactions between the ApoE E3E3, E2E4, E2E2 and MTHFR 677 C>T polymorphisms existed. In conclusion, the results of this epistasis study indicated significant association between the ApoE and MTHFR polymorphisms and hypertension.
Fulltext Side effects of CoronaVac® COVID-19 vaccination: Investigation in North Jakarta district public health center communities in Indonesia

Ramatillah DL, Gan SH, Novarticia J, Araminda GN, Michael M, Elnaem M, et al.

Heliyon, 2024 May 15;10(9):e30087.
PMID: 38694099 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30087

BACKGROUND: The decreasing prevalence of COVID-19 has highlighted the value of vaccinations. CoronaVac® vaccine was one of the most widely used vaccines in Indonesia, in other Southeast Asian countries, as well as in Latin America. However, to date the safety and side effect profiles of CoronaVac® vaccine among the Indonesian population have not been reported.
OBJECTIVE: In this study, the CoronaVac® safety profiles were determined in a community of a public health center in North Jakarta, Indonesia.
METHOD: This is a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study on vaccine side effects as recorded in the yellow form (MESO). Patients (n = 300) who received CoronaVac® vaccinations between July and August 2021 were enrolled. SPSS was used to analyze the descriptive data.
RESULTS: Most respondents were women (72.7 %) between the ages of 17 and 21 years. A significantly (p = 0.009) positive correlation was established between the vaccine side effects (namely pain at the injection site) with the female gender. Other side effects such as fatigue (p = 0.034) and headache (p
Fulltext Short-term renal outcomes following acute kidney injury among dengue patients: A follow-up analysis from large prospective cohort

Mallhi TH, Khan AH, Adnan AS, Sarriff A, Khan YH, Gan SH

PLoS One, 2018;13(2):e0192510.
PMID: 29481564 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192510

BACKGROUND: Despite myriad improvements in the care of dengue patients, acute kidney injury (AKI) remained least appreciated intricacy of dengue infection. Exiting literature does not provide any information on renal outcomes among dengue patients surviving an episode of AKI.
METHODS: Dengue patients who developed AKI were followed up for post-discharge period of three months and renal recovery was assessed by using recovery criteria based on different thresholds of serum creatinine (SCr) and estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR).
RESULTS: Out of the 526 dengue participants, AKI was developed in 72 (13.7%) patients. Renal recovery was assessed among AKI survivors (n = 71). The use of less (±50% recovery to baseline) to more (±5% recovery to baseline) stringent definitions of renal recovery yielded recovery rates from 88.9% to 2.8% by SCr and 94.4% to 5.6% by eGFR, as renal function biomarkers. At the end of study, eight patients had AKI with AKIN-II (n = 7) and AKIN-III (n = 1). Approximately 50% patients (n = 36/71) with AKI had eGFR primitive to CKD stage 2, while 18.3% (n = 13/71) and 4.2% (n = 3/71) patients had eGFR corresponding to advanced stages of CKD (stage 3 & 4). Factors such as renal insufficiencies at hospital discharge, multiple organ involvements, advance age, female gender and diabetes mellitus were associated with poor renal outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that dengue patients with AKI portend unsatisfactory short-term renal outcomes and deserve a careful and longer follow-up, especially under nephrology care.
Fulltext Screening of 22q11.2DS Using Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification as an Alternative Diagnostic Method

Maran S, Faten SA, Lim SE, Lai KS, Ibrahim WPW, Ankathil R, et al.

Biomed Res Int, 2020;2020:6945730.
PMID: 33062692 DOI: 10.1155/2020/6945730

Background: The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is the most common form of deletion disorder in humans. Low copy repeats flanking the 22q11.2 region confers a substrate for nonallelic homologous recombination (NAHR) events leading to rearrangements which have been reported to be associated with highly variable and expansive phenotypes. The 22q11.2DS is reported as the most common genetic cause of congenital heart defects (CHDs).
Methods: A total of 42 patients with congenital heart defects, as confirmed by echocardiography, were recruited. Genetic molecular analysis using a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique was conducted as part of routine 22q11.2DS screening, followed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), which serves as a confirmatory test.
Results: Two of the 42 CHD cases (4.76%) indicated the presence of 22q11.2DS, and interestingly, both cases have conotruncal heart defects. In terms of concordance of techniques used, MLPA is superior since it can detect deletions within the 22q11.2 locus and outside of the typically deleted region (TDR) as well as duplications.
Conclusion: The incidence of 22q11.2DS among patients with CHD in the east coast of Malaysia is 0.047. MLPA is a scalable and affordable alternative molecular diagnostic method in the screening of 22q11.2DS and can be routinely applied for the diagnosis of deletion syndromes.
Fulltext Satkara (Citrus macroptera) Fruit Protects against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatorenal Toxicity in Rats

Paul S, Islam MA, Tanvir EM, Ahmed R, Das S, Rumpa NE, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2016;2016:9470954.
PMID: 27034701 DOI: 10.1155/2016/9470954

Although Citrus macroptera (Rutaceae), an indigenous fruit in Bangladesh, has long been used in folk medicine, however, there is a lack of information concerning its protective effects against oxidative damage. The protective effects of an ethanol extract of Citrus macroptera (EECM) against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity were investigated in rats. Rats (treatment groups) were pretreated with EECM at doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg, respectively, orally for 30 days followed by acetaminophen administration. Silymarin (100 mg/kg) was administered as a standard drug over a similar treatment period. Our findings indicated that oral administration of acetaminophen induced severe hepatic and renal injuries associated with oxidative stress, as observed by 2-fold higher lipid peroxidation (TBARS) compared to control. Pretreatment with EECM prior to acetaminophen administration significantly improved all investigated biochemical parameters, that is, transaminase activities, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyl transferase activities and total bilirubin, total cholesterol, triglyceride and creatinine, urea, uric acid, sodium, potassium and chloride ions, and TBARS levels. These findings were confirmed by histopathological examinations. The improvement was prominent in the group that received 1000 mg/kg EECM. These findings suggested that C. macroptera fruit could protect against acetaminophen-induced hepatonephrotoxicity, which might be via the inhibition of lipid peroxidation.
Fulltext SLC1A2 Gene Polymorphism Influences Methamphetamine-Induced Psychosis

Yahya DN, Guad RM, Wu YS, Gan SH, Gopinath SCB, Zakariah HA, et al.

J Pers Med, 2023 Jan 31;13(2).
PMID: 36836504 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13020270

SLC1A2 is a gene encoded for the excitatory amino acid transporter 2 which is responsible for glutamate reuptake from the synaptic cleft in the central nervous system. Recent studies have suggested that polymorphisms on glutamate transporters can affect drug dependence, leading to the development of neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders. Our study investigated the association of rs4755404 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the SLC1A2 gene with methamphetamine (METH) dependence and METH-induced psychosis and mania in a Malaysian population. The rs4755404 gene polymorphism was genotyped in METH-dependent male subjects (n = 285) and male control subjects (n = 251). The subjects consisted of the four ethnic groups in Malaysia (Malay, Chinese, Kadazan-Dusun, and Bajau). Interestingly, there was a significant association between rs4755404 polymorphism and METH-induced psychosis in the pooled METH-dependent subjects in terms of genotype frequency (p = 0.041). However, there was no significant association between rs4755404 polymorphism and METH dependence. Also, the rs455404 polymorphism was not significantly associated with METH-induced mania for both genotype frequencies and allele frequencies in the METH-dependent subjects, regardless of stratification into the different ethnicities. Our study suggests that the SLC1A2 rs4755404 gene polymorphism confers some susceptibility to METH-induced psychosis, especially for those who carry the GG homozygous genotype.
Fulltext Rhinacanthus nasutus Improves the Levels of Liver Carbohydrate, Protein, Glycogen, and Liver Markers in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Visweswara Rao P, Madhavi K, Dhananjaya Naidu M, Gan SH

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013;2013:102901.
PMID: 24204387 DOI: 10.1155/2013/102901

The present study was designed to investigate the total carbohydrate, total protein, and glycogen levels in the liver and to measure functional liver markers such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in streptozotocin-(STZ-) induced diabetic rats after treatment with methanolic extract of Rhinacanthus nasutus (R. nasutus). The methanolic extract of R. nasutus was orally administered at 200 mg/kg/day while glibenclamide was administered at 50 mg/kg/day. All animals were treated for 30 days before being sacrificed. The amounts of carbohydrate, glycogen, proteins, and liver markers (AST and ALT) were measured in the liver tissue of the experimental animals. The levels of carbohydrate, glycogen, and proteins were significantly reduced in the diabetic rats but were augmented considerably after 30 days of R. nasutus treatment. The elevated AST and ALT levels in diabetic rats showed a significant decline after treatment with R. nasutus for 30 days. These results show that the administration of R. nasutus ameliorates the altered levels of carbohydrate, glycogen, proteins, and AST and ALT observed in diabetic rats and indicate that R. nasutus restores overall metabolism and liver function in experimental diabetic rats. In conclusion, the outcomes of the present study support the traditional belief that R. nasutus could ameliorate the diabetic state.
Fulltext Rhinacanthus nasutus Ameliorates Cytosolic and Mitochondrial Enzyme Levels in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Visweswara Rao P, Madhavi K, Dhananjaya Naidu M, Gan SH

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013;2013:486047.
PMID: 23662138 DOI: 10.1155/2013/486047

The present study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Rhinacanthus nasutus (R. nasutus) on mitochondrial and cytosolic enzymes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The rats were divided into five groups with 6 rats in each group. The methanolic extract of R. nasutus was orally administered at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day, and glibenclamide was administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day. All animals were treated for 30 days and were sacrificed. The activities of both intra- and extramitochondrial enzymes including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured in the livers of the animals. The levels of G6PDH, SDH, and GDH were significantly reduced in the diabetic rats but were significantly increased after 30 days of R. nasutus treatment. The increased LDH level in diabetic rats exhibited a significant reduction after treatment with R. nasutus. These results indicate that the administration of R. nasutus altered the activities of oxidative enzymes in a positive manner, indicating that R. nasutus improves mitochondrial energy production. Our data suggest that R. nasutus should be further explored for its role in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Relationship between Type A and B personality and debrisoquine hydroxylation capacity

Gan SH, Ismail R, Wan Adnan WA, Zulmi W, Kumaraswamy N, Larmie ET

Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2004 Jun;57(6):785-9.
PMID: 15151524

A person with Type A personality is an 'aggressor' compared with the rarely harried Type B. Although debrisoquine hydroxylase (CYP2D6) capacity has been associated with personality, no study has specifically investigated its association with personality Type A and B. Therefore the aim of this research was to study the impact of CYP2D6 on Type A and B personality.
Fulltext Recent updates in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders using natural compounds

Rasool M, Malik A, Qureshi MS, Manan A, Pushparaj PN, Asif M, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2014;2014:979730.
PMID: 24864161 DOI: 10.1155/2014/979730

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by protein aggregates and inflammation as well as oxidative stress in the central nervous system (CNS). Multiple biological processes are linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as depletion or insufficient synthesis of neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, abnormal ubiquitination. Furthermore, damaging of blood brain barrier (BBB) in the CNS also leads to various CNS-related diseases. Even though synthetic drugs are used for the management of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, autism, and many other chronic illnesses, they are not without side effects. The attentions of researchers have been inclined towards the phytochemicals, many of which have minimal side effects. Phytochemicals are promising therapeutic agents because many phytochemicals have anti-inflammatory, antioxidative as well as anticholinesterase activities. Various drugs of either synthetic or natural origin applied in the treatment of brain disorders need to cross the BBB before they can be used. This paper covers various researches related to phytochemicals used in the management of neurodegenerative disorders.
Recent advances in nanotechnology-based diagnosis and treatments of diabetes

Rao PV, Gan SH

Curr Drug Metab, 2015;16(5):371-5.
PMID: 25429672 DOI: 10.2174/1389200215666141125120215

Nanotechnology is a field encompassing nanostructures, nanomaterials and nanoparticles, which are of increasing importance to researchers and industrial players alike. Nanotechnology addresses the construction and consumption of substances and devices on the nanometer scale. Nanomedicine is a new field that combines nanotechnology with medicine to boost human health care. Nanomedicine is an interdisciplinary field that includes various areas of biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. The most important problems related to diabetes management, such as self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and insulin injections, can now be conquered due to progress in nanomedicine, which offers glucose nanosensors, the layer-by-layer technique, carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, oral insulins, microspheres, artificial pancreases and nanopumps. In this review, the key methodological and scientific characteristics of nanomedicine related to diabetes treatment, glucose monitoring and insulin administration are discussed.

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