Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 152 in total

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  1. Fulltext Potential chemoprevention of diethylnitrosamine-initiated and 2-acetylaminofluorene-promoted hepatocarcinogenesis by zerumbone from the rhizomes of the subtropical ginger (Zingiber zerumbet)
    Taha MM, Abdul AB, Abdullah R, Ibrahim TA, Abdelwahab SI, Mohan S
    Chem Biol Interact, 2010 Aug 05;186(3):295-305.
    PMID: 20452335 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2010.04.029
    Zerumbone (ZER), a monosesquiterpene found in the subtropical ginger (Zingiber zerumbet Smith), possesses antiproliferative properties to several cancer cells lines, including the cervical, skin and colon cancers. In this study, the antitumourigenic effects of ZER were assessed in rats induced to develop liver cancer with a single intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 200 mg/kg) and dietary 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) (0.02%). The rats also received intraperitoneal ZER injections at 15, 30 or 60 mg/kg body wt. twice a week for 11 weeks, beginning week four post-DEN injection. The hepatocytes of positive control (DEN/AAF) rats were smaller with larger hyperchromatic nuclei than normal, showing cytoplasmic granulation and intracytoplasmic violaceous material, which were characteristics of hepatocarcinogenesis. Histopathological evaluations showed that ZER protects the rat liver from the carcinogenic effects of DEN and AAF. Serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (AP) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were significantly lower (P<0.05) in ZER-treated than untreated rats with liver cancer. The liver malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations significantly (P<0.05) increased in the untreated DEN/AAF rats indicating hepatic lipid peroxidation. There was also significant (P<0.05) reduction in the hepatic tissue glutathione (GSH) concentrations. The liver sections of untreated DEN/AAF rats also showed abundant proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), while in ZER-treated rats the expression of this antigen was significantly (P<0.05) lowered. By the TUNEL assay, there were significantly (P<0.05) higher numbers of apoptotic cells in DEN/AAF rats treated with ZER than those untreated. Zerumbone treatment had also increased Bax and decreased Bcl-2 protein expression in the livers of DEN/AAF rats, which suggested increased apoptosis. Even after 11 weeks of ZER treatment, there was no evidence of abnormality in the liver of normal rats. This study suggests that ZER reduces oxidative stress, inhibits proliferation, induces mitochondria-regulated apoptosis, thus minimising DEN/AAF-induced carcinogenesis in rat liver. Therefore, ZER has great potential in the treatment of liver cancers.
  2. The Malaysian Society of Toxicology: from establishment to evolution, a promising future!
    Kamaludin NF, Kamarulzaman F, Abdullah R, Chan KM, Inayat-Hussain SH
    Genes Environ, 2023 Dec 11;45(1):34.
    PMID: 38072940 DOI: 10.1186/s41021-023-00290-5
    The Malaysian Society of Toxicology (MySOT), founded in 2010, emerged as a response to the growing need for a collective and interdisciplinary effort to study the effects of substances on human health, and the environment. By fostering collaboration between toxicologists, researchers, regulators, industry experts, and various relevant subject matter experts, MySOT has played a vital role in generating knowledge and promoting safety to safeguard both human and environmental well-being. Within the 13 years since its establishment, MySOT has made substantial progress in the advancement of toxicology in Malaysia. Over the years, MySOT has supported many initiatives, including organizing conferences, seminars, and workshops in which experts from various fields present their research, discuss emerging trends, and propose strategies to reduce toxic substance exposure risk. The society has also been actively involved in the broader landscape of toxicology research and policy influence in Malaysia. MySOT shoulders the responsibility of conveying accurate information and educating the public about health risks associated with toxic substances. Therefore, the society aims to collaborate with governmental organizations, professional bodies, and international toxicology organizations to share ideas, resources, and expertise. MySOT seeks to gather toxicological experts in the region and significantly contribute to a safer and healthier community, therefore supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by being actively involved with all of its stakeholders, both local and international.
  3. Towards circular economy: Potential of microalgae - bacterial-based biofertilizer on plants
    Ng ZY, Ajeng AA, Cheah WY, Ng EP, Abdullah R, Ling TC
    J Environ Manage, 2024 Jan 01;349:119445.
    PMID: 37890301 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119445
    Biofertilizers encompass microorganisms that can be applied to plants, subsequently establishing themselves within the plant's rhizosphere or internal structures. This colonization stimulates plant development by enhancing nutrient absorption from the host. While there is growing literature documenting the applications of microalgae-based and bacterial-based biofertilizers, the research focusing on the effectiveness of consortia formed by these microorganisms as short-term plant biofertilizers is notably insufficient. This study seeks to assess the effectiveness of microalgae-bacterial biofertilizers in promoting plant growth and their potential contribution to the circular economy. The review sheds light on the impact of microalgae-bacterial biofertilizers on plant growth parameters, delving into factors influencing their efficiency, microalgae-bacteria interactions, and effects on soil health. The insights from this review are poised to offer valuable guidance to stakeholders in agriculture, including farmers, environmental technologists, and businesses. These insights will aid in the development and investment in more efficient and sustainable methods for enhancing crop yields, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and principles of the circular economy.
  4. Fulltext Enhanced Intrusion Detection with Data Stream Classification and Concept Drift Guided by the Incremental Learning Genetic Programming Combiner
    Shyaa MA, Zainol Z, Abdullah R, Anbar M, Alzubaidi L, Santamaría J
    Sensors (Basel), 2023 Apr 04;23(7).
    PMID: 37050795 DOI: 10.3390/s23073736
    Concept drift (CD) in data streaming scenarios such as networking intrusion detection systems (IDS) refers to the change in the statistical distribution of the data over time. There are five principal variants related to CD: incremental, gradual, recurrent, sudden, and blip. Genetic programming combiner (GPC) classification is an effective core candidate for data stream classification for IDS. However, its basic structure relies on the usage of traditional static machine learning models that receive onetime training, limiting its ability to handle CD. To address this issue, we propose an extended variant of the GPC using three main components. First, we replace existing classifiers with alternatives: online sequential extreme learning machine (OSELM), feature adaptive OSELM (FA-OSELM), and knowledge preservation OSELM (KP-OSELM). Second, we add two new components to the GPC, specifically, a data balancing and a classifier update. Third, the coordination between the sub-models produces three novel variants of the GPC: GPC-KOS for KA-OSELM; GPC-FOS for FA-OSELM; and GPC-OS for OSELM. This article presents the first data stream-based classification framework that provides novel strategies for handling CD variants. The experimental results demonstrate that both GPC-KOS and GPC-FOS outperform the traditional GPC and other state-of-the-art methods, and the transfer learning and memory features contribute to the effective handling of most types of CD. Moreover, the application of our incremental variants on real-world datasets (KDD Cup '99, CICIDS-2017, CSE-CIC-IDS-2018, and ISCX '12) demonstrate improved performance (GPC-FOS in connection with CSE-CIC-IDS-2018 and CICIDS-2017; GPC-KOS in connection with ISCX2012 and KDD Cup '99), with maximum accuracy rates of 100% and 98% by GPC-KOS and GPC-FOS, respectively. Additionally, our GPC variants do not show superior performance in handling blip drift.
  5. Fulltext Development of a decision support system for analysis and solutions of prolonged standing in the workplace
    Halim I, Arep H, Kamat SR, Abdullah R, Omar AR, Ismail AR
    Saf Health Work, 2014 Jun;5(2):97-105.
    PMID: 25180141 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2014.04.002
    BACKGROUND: Prolonged standing has been hypothesized as a vital contributor to discomfort and muscle fatigue in the workplace. The objective of this study was to develop a decision support system that could provide systematic analysis and solutions to minimize the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing.

    METHODS: The integration of object-oriented programming and a Model Oriented Simultaneous Engineering System were used to design the architecture of the decision support system.

    RESULTS: Validation of the decision support system was carried out in two manufacturing companies. The validation process showed that the decision support system produced reliable results.

    CONCLUSION: The decision support system is a reliable advisory tool for providing analysis and solutions to problems related to the discomfort and muscle fatigue associated with prolonged standing. Further testing of the decision support system is suggested before it is used commercially.

  6. Fulltext Binding mode analysis of zerumbone to key signal proteins in the tumor necrosis factor pathway
    Fatima A, Abdul AB, Abdullah R, Karjiban RA, Lee VS
    Int J Mol Sci, 2015 Jan 26;16(2):2747-66.
    PMID: 25629232 DOI: 10.3390/ijms16022747
    Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. Several signaling pathways have been implicated as causative and progression agents. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α protein plays a dual role in promoting and inhibiting cancer depending largely on the pathway initiated by the binding of the protein to its receptor. Zerumbone, an active constituent of Zingiber zerumbet, Smith, is known to act on the tumor necrosis factor pathway upregulating tumour necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) death receptors and inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. Zerumbone is a sesquiterpene that is able to penetrate into the hydrophobic pockets of proteins to exert its inhibiting activity with several proteins. We found a good binding with the tumor necrosis factor, kinase κB (IKKβ) and the Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) component proteins along the TNF pathway. Our results suggest that zerumbone can exert its apoptotic activities by inhibiting the cytoplasmic proteins. It inhibits the IKKβ kinase that activates the NF-κB and also binds to the NF-κB complex in the TNF pathway. Blocking both proteins can lead to inhibition of cell proliferating proteins to be downregulated and possibly ultimate induction of apoptosis.
  7. Fulltext Thymoquinone-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier exhibited cytotoxicity towards breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and SiHa)
    Ng WK, Saiful Yazan L, Yap LH, Wan Nor Hafiza WA, How CW, Abdullah R
    Biomed Res Int, 2015;2015:263131.
    PMID: 25632388 DOI: 10.1155/2015/263131
    Thymoquinone (TQ) has been shown to exhibit antitumor properties. Thymoquinone-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (TQ-NLC) was developed to improve the bioavailability and cytotoxicity of TQ. This study was conducted to determine the cytotoxic effects of TQ-NLC on breast cancer (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and SiHa). TQ-NLC was prepared by applying the hot high pressure homogenization technique. The mean particle size of TQ-NLC was 35.66 ± 0.1235 nm with a narrow polydispersity index (PDI) lower than 0.25. The zeta potential of TQ-NLC was greater than -30 mV. Polysorbate 80 helps to increase the stability of TQ-NLC. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that TQ-NLC has a melting point of 56.73°C, which is lower than that of the bulk material. The encapsulation efficiency of TQ in TQ-NLC was 97.63 ± 0.1798% as determined by HPLC analysis. TQ-NLC exhibited antiproliferative activity towards all the cell lines in a dose-dependent manner which was most cytotoxic towards MDA-MB-231 cells. Cell shrinkage was noted following treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with TQ-NLC with an increase of apoptotic cell population (P < 0.05). TQ-NLC also induced cell cycle arrest. TQ-NLC was most cytotoxic towards MDA-MB-231 cells. It induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the cells.
  8. Comparison of in vitro developmental competence of cloned caprine embryos using donor karyoplasts from adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells vs ear fibroblast cells
    Kwong PJ, Nam HY, Wan Khadijah WE, Kamarul T, Abdullah RB
    Reprod. Domest. Anim., 2014 Apr;49(2):249-53.
    PMID: 24456113 DOI: 10.1111/rda.12262
    The aim of this study was to produce cloned caprine embryos using either caprine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or ear fibroblast cells (EFCs) as donor karyoplasts. Caprine MSCs were isolated from male Boer goats of an average age of 1.5 years. To determine the pluripotency of MSCs, the cells were induced to differentiate into osteocytes, chondrocytes and adipocytes. Subsequently, MSCs were characterized through cell surface antigen profiles using specific markers, prior to their use as donor karyoplasts for nuclear transfer. No significant difference (p > 0.05) in fusion rates was observed between MSCs (87.7%) and EFCs (91.3%) used as donor karyoplasts. The cleavage rate of cloned embryos derived with MSCs (87.0%) was similar (p > 0.05) to those cloned using EFCs (84.4%). However, the in vitro development of MSCs-derived cloned embryos (25.3%) to the blastocyst stage was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those derived with EFCs (20.6%). In conclusion, MSCs could be reprogrammed by caprine oocytes, and production of cloned caprine embryos with MSCs improved their in vitro developmental competence, but not in their fusion and cleavage rate as compared to cloning using somatic cells such as EFCs.
  9. Fulltext Antiviral and virucidal activities of Duabanga grandiflora leaf extract against Pseudorabies virus in vitro
    Malik FZ, Allaudin ZN, Loh HS, Nee TK, Hani H, Abdullah R
    BMC Complement Altern Med, 2016 May 23;16:139.
    PMID: 27216794 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1120-2
    Duabanga grandiflora or known in Malaysia as Berembang Bukit, Megawasih, or Pedada Bukit, is a native plant of the Southeast Asian countries. In this study, the anti-viral properties of D. grandiflora were investigated.
  10. Dillenia suffruticosa dichloromethane root extract induced apoptosis towards MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells
    Foo JB, Saiful Yazan L, Tor YS, Wibowo A, Ismail N, Armania N, et al.
    J Ethnopharmacol, 2016 Jul 1;187:195-204.
    PMID: 27131434 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.04.048
    Dillenia suffruticosa is traditionally used for treatment of cancerous growth including breast cancer in Malaysia.
  11. Fulltext In Silico Discovery of Potential Uridine-Cytidine Kinase 2 Inhibitors from the Rhizome of Alpinia mutica
    Malami I, Abdul AB, Abdullah R, Bt Kassim NK, Waziri P, Christopher Etti I
    Molecules, 2016 Apr 08;21(4):417.
    PMID: 27070566 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21040417
    Uridine-cytidine kinase 2 is implicated in uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells and it is a hallmark of cancer, therefore, there is need for effective inhibitors of this key enzyme. In this study, we employed the used of in silico studies to find effective UCK2 inhibitors of natural origin using bioinformatics tools. An in vitro kinase assay was established by measuring the amount of ADP production in the presence of ATP and 5-fluorouridine as a substrate. Molecular docking studies revealed an interesting ligand interaction with the UCK2 protein for both flavokawain B and alpinetin. Both compounds were found to reduce ADP production, possibly by inhibiting UCK2 activity in vitro. In conclusion, we have identified flavokawain B and alpinetin as potential natural UCK2 inhibitors as determined by their interactions with UCK2 protein using in silico molecular docking studies. This can provide information to identify lead candidates for further drug design and development.
  12. Predicting points of departure for risk assessment based on in vitro cytotoxicity data and physiologically based kinetic (PBK) modeling: The case of kidney toxicity induced by aristolochic acid I
    Abdullah R, Alhusainy W, Woutersen J, Rietjens IM, Punt A
    Food Chem Toxicol, 2016 Jun;92:104-16.
    PMID: 27016491 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2016.03.017
    Aristolochic acids are naturally occurring nephrotoxins. This study aims to investigate whether physiologically based kinetic (PBK) model-based reverse dosimetry could convert in vitro concentration-response curves of aristolochic acid I (AAI) to in vivo dose response-curves for nephrotoxicity in rat, mouse and human. To achieve this extrapolation, PBK models were developed for AAI in these different species. Subsequently, concentration-response curves obtained from in vitro cytotoxicity models were translated to in vivo dose-response curves using PBK model-based reverse dosimetry. From the predicted in vivo dose-response curves, points of departure (PODs) for risk assessment could be derived. The PBK models elucidated species differences in the kinetics of AAI with the overall catalytic efficiency for metabolic conversion of AAI to aristolochic acid Ia (AAIa) being 2-fold higher for rat and 64-fold higher for mouse than human. Results show that the predicted PODs generally fall within the range of PODs derived from the available in vivo studies. This study provides proof of principle for a new method to predict a POD for in vivo nephrotoxicity by integrating in vitro toxicity testing with in silico PBK model-based reverse dosimetry.
  13. Fulltext Novel Gold Nanoparticles Reduced by Sargassum glaucescens: Preparation, Characterization and Anticancer Activity
    Ajdari Z, Rahman H, Shameli K, Abdullah R, Abd Ghani M, Yeap S, et al.
    Molecules, 2016 Mar 01;21(3):123.
    PMID: 26938520 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21030123
    The current study investigated the anticancer properties of gold nanoparticles (SG-stabilized AuNPs) synthesized using water extracts of the brown seaweed Sargassum glaucescens (SG). SG-stabilized AuNPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The SG-stabilized AuNPs were stable and small at 3.65 ± 1.69 nm in size. The in vitro anticancer effect of SG-stabilized AuNPs was determined on cervical (HeLa), liver (HepG2), breast (MDA-MB-231) and leukemia (CEM-ss) cell lines using fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, caspase activity determination, and MTT assays. After 72 h treatment, SG-stabilized AuNPs was shown to be significant (p < 0.05) cytotoxic to the cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The IC50 values of SG-stabilized AuNPs on the HeLa, HepG2, CEM-ss, MDA-MB-231 cell lines were 4.75 ± 1.23, 7.14 ± 1.45, 10.32 ± 1.5, and 11.82 ± 0.9 μg/mL, respectively. On the other hand, SG-stabilized AuNPs showed no cytotoxic effect towards the normal human mammary epithelial cells (MCF-10A). SG-stabilized AuNPs significantly (p < 0.05) arrest HeLa cell cycle at G2/M phase and significantly (p < 0.05) activated caspases-3 and -9 activities. The anticancer effect of SG-stabilized AuNPs is via the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. The study showed that SG-stabilized AuNPs is a good candidate to be developed into a chemotherapeutic compound for the treatment of cancers especially cervical cancer.
  14. Fulltext Monte Carlo dose calculation in dental amalgam phantom
    Aziz MZ, Yusoff AL, Osman ND, Abdullah R, Rabaie NA, Salikin MS
    J Med Phys, 2015 Jul-Sep;40(3):150-5.
    PMID: 26500401 DOI: 10.4103/0971-6203.165080
    It has become a great challenge in the modern radiation treatment to ensure the accuracy of treatment delivery in electron beam therapy. Tissue inhomogeneity has become one of the factors for accurate dose calculation, and this requires complex algorithm calculation like Monte Carlo (MC). On the other hand, computed tomography (CT) images used in treatment planning system need to be trustful as they are the input in radiotherapy treatment. However, with the presence of metal amalgam in treatment volume, the CT images input showed prominent streak artefact, thus, contributed sources of error. Hence, metal amalgam phantom often creates streak artifacts, which cause an error in the dose calculation. Thus, a streak artifact reduction technique was applied to correct the images, and as a result, better images were observed in terms of structure delineation and density assigning. Furthermore, the amalgam density data were corrected to provide amalgam voxel with accurate density value. As for the errors of dose uncertainties due to metal amalgam, they were reduced from 46% to as low as 2% at d80 (depth of the 80% dose beyond Zmax) using the presented strategies. Considering the number of vital and radiosensitive organs in the head and the neck regions, this correction strategy is suggested in reducing calculation uncertainties through MC calculation.
  15. Resource recovery from hydroponic wastewaters using microalgae-based biorefineries: A circular bioeconomy perspective
    Ajeng AA, Rosli NSM, Abdullah R, Yaacob JS, Qi NC, Loke SP
    J Biotechnol, 2022 Dec 10;360:11-22.
    PMID: 36272573 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2022.10.011
    As the world's population grows, it is necessary to rethink how countries throughout the world produce food in order to replace the conventional and unsustainable agricultural techniques. Microalgae cultivation using a nutrient-rich solution from hydroponic systems not only presents a novel approach to solving problems pertaining to the impact of the discharges on the natural environment but also provides a plethora of other biotechnological applications particularly in the productions of high value-added products and plants growth stimulants, which can be potentially assimilated into the circular bioeconomy (CBE) in the hydroponic sector. In this review, the potential and practicability of microalgae to be merged into hydroponics CBE are reviewed. Overall, the integration of microalgal biorefineries in hydroponics systems can be realized after considering their Technology Readiness Level and System Readiness Level beforehand. Several suggestions on strains and hydroponics system improvement using existing biotechnological tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and nanobiotechnology in support of the CBE will be covered.
  16. Fulltext Intelligent ground vibration prediction in surface mines using an efficient soft computing method based on field data
    Keshtegar B, Piri J, Asnida Abdullah R, Hasanipanah M, Muayad Sabri Sabri M, Nguyen Le B
    Front Public Health, 2022;10:1094771.
    PMID: 36817184 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1094771
    Ground vibration induced by blasting operations is considered one of the most common environmental effects of mining projects. A strong ground vibration can destroy buildings and structures, hence its prediction and minimization are of high importance. The aim of this study is to estimate the ground vibration through a hybrid soft computing (SC) method, called RSM-SVR, which comprises two main regression techniques: the response surface model (RSM) and support vector regression (SVR). The RSM-SVR model applies an RSM in the first calibrating process and an SVR in the second calibrating process to improve the accuracy of the ground vibration predictions. The predicted results of an RSM, which are obtained using the input data of problems, are used as the input dataset for the regression process of an SVR. The effectiveness and agreement of the RSM-SVR model were compared to those of an SVR optimized with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA), RSM, and multivariate linear regression (MLR) based on several statistical factors. The findings confirmed that the RSM-SVR model was considerably superior to other models in terms of accuracy. The amounts of coefficient of determination (R 2) were 0.896, 0.807, 0.782, 0.752, 0.711, and 0.664 obtained from the RSM-SVR, PSO-SVR, GA-SVR, MLR, SVR, and RSM models, respectively.
  17. Dose perturbation effects by metal hip prosthesis in gynaecological 192Ir HDR brachytherapy
    Ab Shukor NS, Abdullah R, Abdul Aziz MZ, Samson DO, Musarudin M
    Appl Radiat Isot, 2023 Jun;196:110751.
    PMID: 36871495 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110751
    The present study was conducted to elucidate the effects of hip prostheses in 192Ir HDR brachytherapy and determine dose uncertainties introduced by the treatment planning. A gynaecological phantom irradiated using Nucletron 192Ir microSelectron HDR source was modeled using MCNP5 code. Three hip materials considered in this study were water, bone, and metal prosthesis. According to the obtained results, a dose perturbation was observed within the medium with a higher atomic number, which reduced the dose to the nearby region.
  18. Harnessing microalgae for metal nanoparticles biogenesis using heavy metal ions from wastewater as a metal precursor: A review
    Chan SS, Khoo KS, Abdullah R, Juan JC, Ng EP, Chin RJ, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2024 Dec 20;957:176989.
    PMID: 39427915 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176989
    Heavy metal contamination of water sources has long been a silent yet potent threat, endangering environmental and human health. Conventional wastewater treatments are costly due to high infrastructure expenses, energy consumption, and chemical usage. These treatments lead to secondary environmental pollution, such as producing toxic sludge, greenhouse gaseous emissions, and residual pollutants discharges. Therefore, more sustainable and cost-effective wastewater treatment alternatives are needed to overcome these challenges. Microalgae biosorption and bioaccumulation can bioremediate wastewater by effectively removing heavy metals and other contaminants, such as nitrate and phosphate. By utilizing sunlight and CO2 for growth, microalgae cultivation reduces the need for expensive chemicals and energy-intensive operations in wastewater treatment. Additionally, microalgae can potentially convert heavy metal ions from wastewater into metal nanoparticles, providing a dual benefit of bioremediation and resource recovery. The primary objectives of this review are to assess the effectiveness of microalgae in heavy metal bioremediation and nanoparticle synthesis while also identifying critical research gaps and future directions for optimizing this biotechnology. Heavy metal ions in wastewater can be used as a metal precursor, and metal nanoparticles can be synthesized from wastewater. A review methodology was carried out to assess the availability of literature for readers to identify the research trends and gaps. Mechanisms of microalgae for the biogenesis of metal nanoparticles, including activation, growth, and termination phases, were elucidated. Various chemical interactions between metal ions and functional groups of microalgae, including amine (-NH2), carboxyl (-COOH), phosphate (-PO4), and hydroxyl (-OH) groups were evaluated. Nonetheless, this review also identifies the current challenges and future research directions for optimizing microalgae biotechnology in heavy metal bioremediation and nanoparticle biogenesis.
  19. Fulltext Health risks evaluation of mycotoxins in plant-based supplements marketed in Malaysia
    Abdullah R, Kamarozaman NS, Ab Dullah SS, Aziz MY, Aziza HBA
    Sci Rep, 2025 Jan 07;15(1):1244.
    PMID: 39774309 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85280-z
    Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi, pose significant health risks when present in plant-based supplements (PBS), necessitating thorough risk assessment to ensure consumer safety. This study evaluates the health risks associated with mycotoxins, specifically aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2) and ochratoxin A (OTA), in PBS sold in Malaysia. Contamination levels of AFB1, AFB2, and OTA were quantified in 14 PBS samples using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. All samples tested positive for AFB2, while 28.57% and 42.86% tested positive for AFB1 and OTA, respectively with some levels exceeding the regulatory limits set by the Malaysian Food Act 1983 and European regulations. The estimated daily intake of these mycotoxins was calculated based on the recommended daily intake of each supplement. To assess risk, Margin of Exposure (MOE) values were determined, showing that all AFB2-positive samples had MOE values below the critical threshold of 10,000, indicating an urgent need for risk management. A quantitative cancer risk assessment also estimated the percentage of hepatocellular carcinoma and kidney cancer attributable to mycotoxin exposure. The findings emphasize the significant public health risks posed by mycotoxins, particularly in samples B2 and B10, where all three mycotoxins studied were present at concerning levels. This study highlights the urgent need for stricter regulations and better monitoring of mycotoxin levels in PBS to protect consumer's health.
  20. Fulltext Comprehensive Advancements in Hydrogel, and Its Application in Microalgae Cultivation and Wastewater Treatment
    Yang G, Zhang J, Abdullah R, Cheah WY, Zhao D, Ling TC
    J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2024 Oct 31;35:e2407038.
    PMID: 39639489 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2407.07038
    Microalgae are recognized as a sustainable resource to produce biofertilizers, biofuels, and pigments, with the added benefits of environmental sustainability, such as carbon sequestration and pollutant removal. However, traditional cultivation methods face challenges like low biomass productivity and high operational costs. This review focuses on the innovative use of hydrogels as a medium for microalgae cultivation, which addresses these challenges by enhancing nutrient permeability, light distribution, and overall growth efficiency. Hydrogels provide a three-dimensional matrix that not only supports higher biomass yields but also facilitates the removal of pollutants from wastewater, contributing to circular economy goals. The review also explores the environmental benefits, challenges, and prospects of integrating hydrogel technology into microalgae cultivation systems. By highlighting influencing factors through which hydrogels improve microalgal productivity and environmental outcomes, this work aims to provide insights into the potential of hydrogel-based systems for sustainable development.
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