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Fulltext Malnutrition among Semai children

Khor GL

Med J Malaysia, 1988 Dec;43(4):318-26.
PMID: 3241597
Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Edible*
Psychoactive properties of mitragynine (kratom)

Jansen KL, Prast CJ

J Psychoactive Drugs, 1988 Oct-Dec;20(4):455-7.
PMID: 3072396
Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal*
Fulltext Smoking in Malaysia. Promotion and control

Teoh SK

N Y State J Med, 1983 Dec;83(13):1317-9.
PMID: 6582387
Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Toxic*
New indole alkaloids from Alstonia macrophylla

Kam TS, Choo YM

J Nat Prod, 2004 Apr;67(4):547-52.
PMID: 15104482

Ten new indole alkaloids, alstomaline (1), 10,11-dimethoxynareline (2), alstohentine (3), alstomicine (4), 16-hydroxyalstonisine (5), 16-hydroxyalstonal (6), 16-hydroxy-N(4)-demethylalstophyllal oxindole (7), alstophyllal (8), 6-oxoalstophylline (9), and 6-oxoalstophyllal (10), in addition to 21 other known ones, were obtained from the leaf extract of the Malayan Alstonia macrophylla. The structures were determined using NMR and MS analysis.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*
Assessment of urinary cotinine as a marker of nicotine absorption from tobacco leaves: a study on tobacco farmers in Malaysia

Onuki M, Yokoyama K, Kimura K, Sato H, Nordin RB, Naing L, et al.

J Occup Health, 2003 May;45(3):140-5.
PMID: 14646288

To assess dermal absorption of nicotine from tobacco leaves in relation to Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS), urinary cotinine concentrations were measured in 80 male tobacco-growing farmers and in 40 healthy males (controls) who did not handle wet tobacco leaves in Kelantan, Malaysia. Among non-smokers, urinary cotinine levels in farmers were significantly higher than those of controls; farmers with urinary cotinine of 50 ng/ml/m2 or above showed eye symptoms more frequently than those below this level (p<0.05). Farmers who did not wear protective equipment had subjective symptoms more frequently than those who used the equipment (p<0.05); some of these symptoms were seen more frequently in organophosphate (Tamaron) users than in non-users. As tobacco farmers evidence a risk of nicotine poisoning from tobacco leaves, assessment including GTS together with effects of pesticides will be necessary.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Toxic*
The effects of betel-nut chewing on the buccal mucosa: a histological study

Lee KW, Chin CT

Br. J. Cancer, 1970 Sep;24(3):433-41.
PMID: 5475751

Sixty-two "leukoplakias" from the cheeks of betel-nut chewers in West Malaysia were studied histologically. Ten biopsies were from non-tobacco betel-nut chewers. An amorphous von Kossa positive layer was seen on the keratin surface in 42 specimens. Tobacco did not appear essential for its formation, and it appeared to be significantly associated with parakeratosis. Its possible significance as a cuticle-like layer prolonging contact between carcinogens and the mucosa is discussed.Parakeratosis appeared to be the most common form of cornification seen, and the mitotic activity in parakeratinized leukoplakias appeared to be significantly greater than orthokeratinized leukoplakias.Comparison with studies on other population samples using different quids suggested that severe histological changes were more likely to be seen when tobacoo-containing quids were chewed as compared to non-tobacco-containing quids.An attempt to correlate the histological changes seen with the clinical habit in leukoplakias from chewers using tobacco-containing quids suggested that epithelial atrophy appeared to be significantly related to the duration of the habit but not to the "intensity" of the habit.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal*
The socio-economic aspects of betel-nut chewing

Ahluwalia HS, Ponnampalam JT

J Trop Med Hyg, 1968 Feb;71(2):48-50.
PMID: 5639811
Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal*
Areca nut: a review

Arjungi KN

Arzneimittelforschung, 1976;26(5):951-6.
PMID: 786304

Areca cattechu Linn is commonly known as areca nut or betel nut. It is a very widely cultivated plant in eastern countries like India, Bangladesh, Ceylon, Malaya, the Philippines and Japan. The importance of this nut is due to its use for chewing purposes. It had an important place as a pharmaceutical in Ayurveda--the ancient Indian system of medicine--also in the Chinese medicinal practices. The pharmaceutical importance of areca nut is due to the presence of an alkaloid, arecoline. Synthetic arecoline hydrobromide is also shown to possess numerous pharmacological properties. Chewing of "betel quid" or areca nut is a typical oriental habit. Betel quid comprises betel leaf, areca nut, catechu, lime and sometimes also tobacco. It is shown that there exists a correlationship between betel quid or areca nut chewing habit and oral cancer. A number of investigators have been able to produce cellular changes such as leukoplakia by application of betel quid or areca nut extract to the buccal mucosa of different animal.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal*
Estimation of carbon pool in soil, above and below ground vegetation at different types of mangrove forests in Peninsular Malaysia

Rozainah MZ, Nazri MN, Sofawi AB, Hemati Z, Juliana WA

Mar Pollut Bull, 2018 Dec;137:237-245.
PMID: 30503430 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.023

This paper evaluated the total carbon stock of mangrove ecosystems in two contrasting sites: a fishing village in Delta Kelantan (DK) and Ramsar sites in Johor Park (JP). In both sites, aboveground carbon was significantly higher than belowground carbon, and stems contained more carbon than leaf and root partitions. The average carbon concentration of individual mangrove species (44.9-48.1%) was not significantly different but the larger biomass of the DK samples resulted in vegetation carbon stock that was higher than that in JP. Season played an important role in soil carbon stock-a pronounced wet season in DK coincided with the dry season in JP. The total carbon pool was estimated to be 427.88 t ha-1 in JP and 512.51 t ha-1 in DK, where at least 80% was contributed by soil carbon. The carbon dioxide equivalent was 1570.32 t ha-1 CO2e (JP) and 1880.91 t ha-1 CO2e (DK).

Matched MeSH terms: Plants/chemistry
Fulltext Transposable Elements Adaptive Role in Genome Plasticity, Pathogenicity and Evolution in Fungal Phytopathogens

Mat Razali N, Cheah BH, Nadarajah K

Int J Mol Sci, 2019 Jul 23;20(14).
PMID: 31340492 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20143597

Transposable elements (TEs) are agents of genetic variability in phytopathogens as they are a source of adaptive evolution through genome diversification. Although many studies have uncovered information on TEs, the exact mechanism behind TE-induced changes within the genome remains poorly understood. Furthermore, convergent trends towards bigger genomes, emergence of novel genes and gain or loss of genes implicate a TE-regulated genome plasticity of fungal phytopathogens. TEs are able to alter gene expression by revamping the cis-regulatory elements or recruiting epigenetic control. Recent findings show that TEs recruit epigenetic control on the expression of effector genes as part of the coordinated infection strategy. In addition to genome plasticity and diversity, fungal pathogenicity is an area of economic concern. A survey of TE distribution suggests that their proximity to pathogenicity genes TEs may act as sites for emergence of novel pathogenicity factors via nucleotide changes and expansion or reduction of the gene family. Through a systematic survey of literature, we were able to conclude that the role of TEs in fungi is wide: ranging from genome plasticity, pathogenicity to adaptive behavior in evolution. This review also identifies the gaps in knowledge that requires further elucidation for a better understanding of TEs' contribution to genome architecture and versatility.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants/microbiology
Constituents of the Edible Leaves of Melicope pteleifolia with Potential Analgesic Activity

Lee BW, Park JG, Ha TKQ, Pham HTT, An JP, Noh JR, et al.

J Nat Prod, 2019 08 23;82(8):2201-2210.
PMID: 31393125 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b00224

Melicope pteleifolia has long been consumed as a popular vegetable and tea in Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and southern mainland China, and is effective in the treatment of colds and inflammation. In the search for active metabolites that can explain its traditional use as an antipyretic, six new phloroacetophenone derivatives (3-8) along with seven known compounds (1, 2, and 9-13) were isolated from the leaves of M. pteleifolia. Their chemical structures were confirmed by extensive spectroscopic analysis including NMR, IR, ECD, and HRMS. All compounds isolated from the leaves of M. pteleifolia (1-13) have a phloroacetophenone skeleton. Notably, the new compound 8 contains an additional cyclobutane moiety in its structure. The bioactivities of the isolated compounds were evaluated, and compounds 1, 6, and 7 inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α-induced prostaglandin E2. Moreover, the major constituent, 3,5-di-C-β-d-glucopyranosyl phloroacetophenone (1), was found to be responsible for the antipyretic activity of M. pteleifolia based on in vivo experiments.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Edible/chemistry
Cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides from plants: The future of antimicrobial therapy

Srivastava S, Dashora K, Ameta KL, Singh NP, El-Enshasy HA, Pagano MC, et al.

Phytother Res, 2021 Jan;35(1):256-277.
PMID: 32940412 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6823

There has been a spurt in the spread of microbial resistance to antibiotics due to indiscriminate use of antimicrobial agents in human medicine, agriculture, and animal husbandry. It has been realized that conventional antibiotic therapy would be less effective in the coming decades and more emphasis should be given for the development of novel antiinfective therapies. Cysteine rich peptides (CRPs) are broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents that modulate the innate immune system of different life forms such as bacteria, protozoans, fungi, plants, insects, and animals. These are also expressed in several plant tissues in response to invasion by pathogens, and play a crucial role in the regulation of plant growth and development. The present work explores the importance of CRPs as potent antimicrobial agents, which can supplement and/or replace the conventional antibiotics. Different plant parts of diverse plant species showed the presence of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which had significant structural and functional diversity. The plant-derived AMPs exhibited potent activity toward a range of plant and animal pathogens, protozoans, insects, and even against cancer cells. The cysteine-rich AMPs have opened new avenues for the use of plants as biofactories for the production of antimicrobials and can be considered as promising antimicrobial drugs in biotherapeutics.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants/chemistry*
Evaluation of a method to determine the natural occurrence of aflatoxins in commercial traditional herbal medicines from Malaysia and Indonesia

Ali N, Hashim NH, Saad B, Safan K, Nakajima M, Yoshizawa T

Food Chem Toxicol, 2005 Dec;43(12):1763-72.
PMID: 16019122

Traditional herbal medicines, popularly known as 'jamu' and 'makjun' in Malaysia and Indonesia, are consumed regularly to promote health. In consideration of their frequent and prolonged consumption, the natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AF) in these products was determined using immunoaffinity column clean-up and high-performance liquid chromatography with pre-column derivatization. The evaluated method, which entails dilution of sample extracts with Tween 20-phosphate buffered saline (1:9, v/v) and a chromatographic system using isocratic mobile phase composed of water-methanol-acetonitrile (70:20:10, v/v/v), was effective in separating AFB1, AFG1 and AFG2 from interference at their retention times. Results were confirmed using post-column derivatization with photochemical reactor. For 23 commercial samples analyzed, mean levels (incidence) of AFB(1), AFB(2) and AFG1 in positive samples were 0.26 (70%), 0.07 (61%) and 0.10 (30%) microg/kg, respectively; one sample was positive for AFG2 at a level of 0.03 (4%) microg/kg. In contrast to the high levels of AF in crude herbal drugs and medicinal plants reported previously by other researchers, the low contamination levels reported in this study may be attributed to the higher selectivity to AF of the method applied. Based on the AFB1 levels and the daily consumption of positive samples, a mean probable daily intake of 0.022 ng/kg body weight was calculated.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*
Self-reported prevalence and severity of opioid and kratom (Mitragyna speciosa korth.) side effects

Saref A, Suraya S, Singh D, Grundmann O, Narayanan S, Swogger MT, et al.

J Ethnopharmacol, 2019 Jun 28;238:111876.
PMID: 31014959 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.111876

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) is a traditional medicinal plant widely used in Southeast Asia for its opioid-like effects. Although kratom produces analgesia through binding of mitragynine and other alkaloids at the mu-opioid receptor (MOR), the association of long-term kratom use with adverse opioid-like effects remains unknown.
AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine the self-reported prevalence and severity of opioid-related adverse effects after kratom initiation in a cohort of illicit opioid users.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 163 illicit opioid users with current kratom use history were recruited through convenience sampling from the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire.
RESULTS: Respondents were all males, majority Malays (94%, n = 154/163), with a mean age of 37.10 years (SD = 10.9). Most were single (65%, n = 106/163), had 11 years of education (52%, n = 85/163) and employed (88%, n = 144/163). Half reported using kratom for over >6 years (50%, n = 81/163), and 41% consumed >3 glasses of kratom daily (n = 67/163). Results from Chi-square analysis showed kratom initiation was associated with decreased prevalence of respiratory depression, constipation, physical pain, insomnia, depression, loss of appetite, craving, decreased sexual performance, weight loss and fatigue.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that kratom initiation (approximately 214.29 mg of mitragynine) was associated with significant decreases in the prevalence and severity of opioid adverse effects.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/adverse effects
Iridoids and anthraquinones from the Malaysian medicinal plant, Saprosma scortechinii (Rubiaceae)

Ling SK, Komorita A, Tanaka T, Fujioka T, Mihashi K, Kouno I

Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo), 2002 Aug;50(8):1035-40.
PMID: 12192133

A further investigation of the leaves and stems of Saprosma scortechinii afforded 13 compounds, of which 10 are new compounds. These were elucidated as the bis-iridoid glucosides, saprosmosides G (1) and H (2), the iridoid glucoside, 6-O-epi-acetylscandoside (3), and the anthraquinones, 1-methoxy-3-hydroxy-2-carbomethoxy-9,10-anthraquinone (4), 1-methoxy-3-hydroxy-2-carbomethoxy-9,10-anthraquinone 3-O-beta-primeveroside (5), 1,3-dihydroxy-2-carbomethoxy-9,10-anthraquinone 3-O-beta-primeveroside (6), 1,3,6-trihydroxy-2-methoxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone (7), 1-methoxy-3,6-dihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone (8), 1,3,6-trihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone 3-O-beta-primeveroside (9), and 3,6-dihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-9,10-anthraquinone (10). Structure assignments for all compounds were established by means of mass and NMR spectroscopies, chemical methods, and comparison with published data. The new anthraquinones were derivatives of munjistin and lucidin.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry
Conodiparines A-D, new bisindoles from Tabernaemontana. Reversal of vincristine-resistance with cultured cells

Kam TS, Sim KM, Koyano T, Toyoshima M, Hayashi M, Komiyama K

Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 1998 Jul 07;8(13):1693-6.
PMID: 9873417

Four new bisindoles of the vobasine-iboga type, conodiparines A-D were obtained from Tabernaemontana corymbosa which showed appreciable activity in reversing resistance in vincristine-resistant KB cells.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants/chemistry*
Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of genetically modified organisms

Yoke-Kqueen C, Radu S

J Biotechnol, 2006 Dec 15;127(1):161-6.
PMID: 16860900

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to analyzed 78 samples comprises of certified reference materials (soya and maize powder), raw seeds (soybean and maize), processed food and animal feed. Combination assay of two arbitrary primers in the RAPD analysis enable to distinguish genetically modified organism (GMO) reference materials from the samples tested. Dendrogram analysis revealed 13 clusters at 45% similarity from the RAPD. RAPD analysis showed that the maize and soybean samples were clustered differently besides the GMO and non-GMO products.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics*
Chemical characterization of Goniothalamus macrophyllus and Goniothalamus malayanus leaves' essential oils

Shakri NM, Salleh WMNHW, Khamis S, Mohamad Ali NA

Z Naturforsch C J Biosci, 2020 Nov 26;75(11-12):485-488.
PMID: 32966236 DOI: 10.1515/znc-2020-0090

This study was aimed to investigate the chemical compositions of the essential oils from Goniothalamus macrophyllus and Goniothalamus malayanus growing in Malaysia. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and fully characterized by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Analyses of the essential oils from G. macrophyllus and G. malayanus resulted in 93.6 and 95.4% of the total oils, respectively. The major components of G. macrophyllus oil were germacrene D (25.1%), bicyclogermacrene (11.6%), α-copaene (6.9%) and δ-cadinene (6.4%), whereas in G. malayanus oil bicyclogermacrene (43.9%), germacrene D (21.1%) and β-elemene (8.4%) were the most abundant components.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry
New Guinea has the world's richest island flora

Cámara-Leret R, Frodin DG, Adema F, Anderson C, Appelhans MS, Argent G, et al.

Nature, 2020 08;584(7822):579-583.
PMID: 32760001 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2549-5

New Guinea is the world's largest tropical island and has fascinated naturalists for centuries1,2. Home to some of the best-preserved ecosystems on the planet3 and to intact ecological gradients-from mangroves to tropical alpine grasslands-that are unmatched in the Asia-Pacific region4,5, it is a globally recognized centre of biological and cultural diversity6,7. So far, however, there has been no attempt to critically catalogue the entire vascular plant diversity of New Guinea. Here we present the first, to our knowledge, expert-verified checklist of the vascular plants of mainland New Guinea and surrounding islands. Our publicly available checklist includes 13,634 species (68% endemic), 1,742 genera and 264 families-suggesting that New Guinea is the most floristically diverse island in the world. Expert knowledge is essential for building checklists in the digital era: reliance on online taxonomic resources alone would have inflated species counts by 22%. Species discovery shows no sign of levelling off, and we discuss steps to accelerate botanical research in the 'Last Unknown'8.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants/classification*
Fulltext Medicinal Plants with Anti-Leukemic Effects: A Review

Maher T, Ahmad Raus R, Daddiouaissa D, Ahmad F, Adzhar NS, Latif ES, et al.

Molecules, 2021 May 07;26(9).
PMID: 34066963 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26092741

Leukemia is a leukocyte cancer that is characterized by anarchic growth of immature immune cells in the bone marrow, blood and spleen. There are many forms of leukemia, and the best course of therapy and the chance of a patient's survival depend on the type of leukemic disease. Different forms of drugs have been used to treat leukemia. Due to the adverse effects associated with such therapies and drug resistance, the search for safer and more effective drugs remains one of the most challenging areas of research. Thus, new therapeutic approaches are important to improving outcomes. Almost half of the drugs utilized nowadays in treating cancer are from natural products and their derivatives. Medicinal plants have proven to be an effective natural source of anti-leukemic drugs. The cytotoxicity and the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of these plants to leukemic cells and their isolated compounds were investigated. Effort has been made throughout this comprehensive review to highlight the recent developments and milestones achieved in leukemia therapies using plant-derived compounds and the crude extracts from various medicinal plants. Furthermore, the mechanisms of action of these plants are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*

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