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  1. Mustapha Umar Imam, Sasikala M. Chinnappan, Maznah Ismail
    Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:589-595.
    There is growing interest in the use of plant bioresources for managing type 2 diabetes. In this study, Rhodamnia cinerea, which is used traditionally to manage diseases in Malaysia, was explored for its antidiabetic effects. Type 2 diabetic rats were managed for 4 weeks using aqueous extract of R. cinerea or quercetin. Weights and fasting glucose were measured weekly, while serum lipid profiles, insulin, antioxidant status, urea, creatinine and liver enzymes were assayed at the end. Sorbitol contents, antioxidant capacities and aldose reductase activities of the kidney, lens and sciatic nerve were also assessed. The results showed that the aqueous extract of R. Cinerea mainly contained Myricitrin and it reduced glycemia (p>0.05), lipid profiles (p<0.05), F2-isoprostanes (p<0.05) and overall metabolic condition of type 2 diabetic rats. R. cinerea also attenuated sorbitol contents of the nerve (p<0.05) and kidney (p<0.05), partly through regulating the activity of aldose reductase (p<0.05 for nerve) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (p<0.05 for kidney) in comparison with diabetic untreated group. Quercetin is a known aldose reductase inhibitor and can improve several metabolic indices related to Type 2 diabetes. In this study, the results of R. cinerea were comparable to or better than those of quercetin, suggesting that R. cinerea extract can be a good candidate for managing Type 2 diabetes and its complications related to sorbitol accumulation.
  2. Rida Tajau, Siti Farhana Fathy, Mek Zah Salleh, Nor Azowa Ibrahim, Maznah Ismail, Kamaruddin Hashim
    MyJurnal
    The acrylated palm oil (APO) nanoparticle is a potential product that can be used as carriers in
    medical field. The main focus of the present study was to study the potential of the APO
    nanoparticles for used in a controlled drug delivery system. The microemulsion system is used as a
    medium to incorporate an active substance such as Thymoquinone (TQ) into the APO polymeric
    micelle and then the radiation technique is used as a tool for the synthesis of TQ-loaded APO
    nanoparticle. The nano-size TQ-loaded APO particles resulted the particle size of less than 150 nm
    with spherical in shape. The TQ release profile was carried out in potassium buffer saline (PBS)
    solutions (pH 7.4) at 37
    oC. And, the zero-order model has been used to determine the mechanism
    of the drug release from the corresponding nanoparticles, respectively. The TQ release was found
    to be sustained and controlled in pH 7.4. At pH 7.4, the release of TQ followed the zero-order
    model. The in-vitro drug release study showed a good prospect of the APO nanoparticle on being a
    potential drug carrier as there are toxic against colon cancer cells and not toxic towards normal
    cells. This suggested that the APO product produce using this radiation technique can be
    developed into different type of carrier systems for controlled drug release applications.
  3. Mohamad Zulhafiz Shafiq Zulhilmi Cheng, Maznah Ismail, Kim Wei Chan, Der Jiun Ooi, Norsharina Ismail, Norhasnida Zawawi, et al.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: In Malaysia, Heterotrigona itama sp. (stingless bee) industries start to grow rapidly since 2015 but the study on its health benefit is still lacking. This study was aimed to analyse and compare the sugar content, minerals and antioxidant properties of stingless bee honey collected from forest and suburban area in Malaysia. Methods: Sugar content was determined by HPLC, minerals and heavy metals was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS), total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride colorimetry method, respectively. For determining the antioxidant activity of the samples, 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azi- no-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay were used. Results: Fructose, glucose and sucrose are found in all samples in range of 16.03-33.13 g/100g, 8.63-20.72 g/100g and 2.68-34.04 g/100g, respectively. Potassium and sodium were major minerals in all stingless bee honey with an average of 622.36 and 496.01 mg/kg, respectively. Sample from the forest (Sibu, F2) has the highest TPC and TFC with value 520.663±8.119µg GAE/g and 443.25±18.194µg RE/g, respectively. The higher antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP) also found in samples collected from the forest (F2) with 602.15±12.7 µg TE/g, 575.18±9.38 µg TE/g and 641.36±42.11µg TE/g, respectively. Conclusion: All stingless bee honey studied shown a significant amount of important minerals and antioxidant properties with samples from forest clearly shown significantly higher TPC and TFC as well as the antioxidant activity than samples collected from the suburban area.
  4. Ishaka A, Umar Imam M, Mahamud R, Zuki AB, Maznah I
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2014;9:2261-9.
    PMID: 24872689 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S56999
    Policosanol, a mixture of long-chain alcohols found in animal and plant waxes, has several biological effects; however, it has a bioavailability of less than 10%. Therefore, there is a need to improve its bioavailability, and one of the ways of doing this is by nanoemulsion formulation. Different droplet size distributions are usually achieved when emulsions are formed, which solely depends on the preparation method used. Mostly, emulsions are intended for better delivery with maintenance of the characteristics and properties of the leading components. In this study, policosanol was extracted from rice bran wax, its composition was determined by gas chromatography mass spectrophotometry, nanoemulsion was made, and the physical stability characteristics were determined. The results showed that policosanol nanoemulsion has a nanosize particle distribution below 100 nm (92.56-94.52 nm), with optimum charge distribution (-55.8 to -45.12 mV), pH (6.79-6.92) and refractive index (1.50); these were monitored and found to be stable for 8 weeks. The stability of policosanol nanoemulsion confers the potential to withstand long storage times.
  5. Muhammad SI, Maznah I, Mahmud RB, Saeed MI, Imam MU, Ishaka A
    Drug Des Devel Ther, 2013;7:1409-20.
    PMID: 24324328 DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S50861
    The expression of genes regulated by estrogen in the uterus was studied in ovariectomized (OVX) rats treated with germinated brown rice (GBR) bioactives, and compared to Remifemin or estrogen at different doses to identify the regulation of these genes in the uterus and their molecular mechanisms.
  6. Hou ZP, Tang SY, Ji HR, He PY, Li YH, Dong XL, et al.
    Chin J Integr Med, 2021 Apr;27(4):280-285.
    PMID: 31872369 DOI: 10.1007/s11655-019-3209-1
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanistic basis for the attenuation of bone degeneration by edible bird's nest (EBN) in ovariectomized rats.

    METHODS: Forty-two female Sprage-Dawley rats were randomized into 7 groups (6 in each group). The ovariectomized (OVX) and OVX + 6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN and OVX +estrogen groups were given standard rat chow alone, standard rat chow +6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN, or standard rat chow +estrogen therapy (0.2mg/kg per day), respectively. The sham-operation group was surgically opened without removing the ovaries. The control group did not have any surgical intervention. After 12 weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken for serum estrogen, osteocalcin, and osteoprotegerin, as well as the measurement of magnesium, calcium abd zinc concentrations. While femurs were removed from the surrounding muscles to measure bone mass density using the X-ray edge detection technique, then collected for histology and estrogen receptor (ER) immunohistochemistry.

    RESULTS: Ovariectomy altered serum estrogen levels resulting in increased food intake and weight gain, while estrogen and EBN supplementation attenuated these changes. Ovariectomy also reduced bone ER expression and density, and the production of osteopcalcin and osteorotegerin, which are important pro-osteoplastic hormones that promote bone mineraliztion and density. Conversely, estrogen and EBN increased serum estrogen levels leading to increased bone ER expression, pro-osteoplastic hormone production and bone density (all P<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: EBN could be used as a safe alternative to hormone replacement therapys for managing menopausal complications like bone degeneration.

  7. Latifah SY, Armania N, Tze TH, Azhar Y, Nordiana AH, Norazalina S, et al.
    Nutr J, 2010 Mar 26;9:16.
    PMID: 20346115 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-9-16
    Chemoprevention has become an important area in cancer research due to the failure of current therapeutic modalities. Epidemiological and preclinical studies have demonstrated that nutrition plays a vital role in the etiology of cancer. This study was conducted to determine the chemopreventive effects of germinated brown rice (GBR) in rats induced with colon cancer. GBR is brown rice that has been claimed to be richer in nutrients compared to the common white rice. The male Sprague Dawley rats (6 weeks of age) were randomly divided into 5 groups: (G1) positive control (with colon cancer, unfed with GBR), (G2) fed with 2.5 g/kg of GBR (GBR (g)/weight of rat (kg)), (G3) fed with 5 g/kg of GBR, (G4) fed with 10 g/kg of GBR and (G5) negative control (without colon cancer, unfed with GBR). GBR was administered orally once daily via gavage after injection of 15 mg/kg of body weight of azoxymethane (AOM) once a week for two weeks, intraperitonially. After 8 weeks of treatment, animals were sacrificed and colons were removed. Colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were evaluated histopathologically. Total number of ACF and AC, and multicrypt of ACF, and the expression of beta-catenin and COX-2 reduced significantly (p < 0.05) in all the groups treated with GBR (G2, G3 and G4) compared to the control group (G1). Spearman rank correlation test showed significant positive linear relationship between total beta-catenin and COX-2 score (Spearman's rho = 0.616, p = 0.0001). It is demonstrated that GBR inhibits the development of total number of ACF and AC, and multicrypt of ACF, reduces the expression of beta-catenin and COX-2, and thus can be a promising dietary supplement in prevention of colon cancer.
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