Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including both embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), represent valuable cell sources to replace diseased or injured tissues in regenerative medicine. iPSCs exhibit the potential for indefinite self-renewal and differentiation into various cell types and can be reprogrammed from somatic tissue that can be easily obtained, paving the way for cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and personalized medicine. Cell therapies using various iPSC-derived cell types are now evolving rapidly for the treatment of clinical diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, hematological diseases, cardiomyopathy, osteoarthritis, and retinal diseases. Since the first interventional clinical trial with autologous iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPEs) for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was accomplished in Japan, several preclinical trials using iPSC suspensions or monolayers have been launched, or are ongoing or completed. The evolution and generation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-universal iPSCs may facilitate the clinical application of iPSC-based therapies. Thus, iPSCs hold great promise in the treatment of multiple retinal diseases. The efficacy and adverse effects of iPSC-based retinal therapies should be carefully assessed in ongoing and further clinical trials.
Optic neuropathies were estimated to affect 115 in 100,000 population in 2018. Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) as one of such optic neuropathy diseases that was first identified in 1871 and can be defined as a hereditary mitochondrial disease. LHON is associated with three mtDNA point mutations which are G11778A, T14484, and G3460A that affect the NADH dehydrogenase subunits of 4, 6, and 1, respectively. However, in most cases, only one point mutation is involved. Generally, in manifestation of the disease, there are no symptoms until the terminal dysfunction in the optic nerve is observed. Due to the mutations, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) dehydrogenase or complex I is absent and thus ATP production is stopped. This further causes the generation of reactive oxygen species and retina ganglion cells apoptosis. Aside from the mutations, there are several environmental factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption that can be pointed out as the risk factors of LHON. Nowadays, gene therapy has been intensively studied for LHON treatment. Disease models using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been utilized for LHON research.
Introduction: Oral health awareness in Indonesia is still low with more and more oral and/or dental infection becomes more prevalent such as gingivitis, endodontitis, and pericoronitis. These infections could be caused by mouth microflora such as lactobacilli, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus sobrinus. As time goes by, these bacteria could also become more problematic as antibacterial resistance emerges. Betel nut and betel leaf are well known traditional herbs that is often used in combination for "nyirih"; an Indonesian tradition to chew both plants often after meal. It is believed that these plants treat bad breath and also increases oral health as it could inhibit bacterial growth. Method: Betel nut and betel leaf were dried, powdered and macerated using 96% ethanol. The extract was tested on mouth microflora of volunteers grown in BHI using agar using disk diffusion test and modified E-test strip. Results: The betel leaves extract showed antibacterial activity in most of concentration used (1.25%, 2.5%, 5%, 10%) while betel nuts only gave antimicrobial effect in 10% concentration. The E-test results also showed the synergistic action between Piper betel leaves and Areca catechu nuts with some giving significant difference compared to the single treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Piper betel leaves gives antimicrobial effect with MIC value of 1.25% while Areca catechu have MIC value of 10%. Furthermore, combination of both resulted in synergistic effect as indicated with larger diameter of inhibition compared to the single treatments.
Background: Lemongrass and ginger are traditional food ingredients in Asian countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Malaysia. Although their single essential oil has been assessed for its antibacterial activities, no report has been done for their combination. Material and methods: Our study evaluated single and combination of these herbs for their antibacterial properties against food-borne bacteria E. coli (NEB® catalog No. C2989K), B. subtilis (ATCC 6633), S. typhi (ATCC 14028) and S. aureus (InaCC B4). Essential oil of lemongrass and ginger were obtained by steam distillation and their antimicrobial were evaluated using disk diffusion assay with chloramphenicol as the standard antibiotic. Synergistic activity was assessed using the combination of materials at two or four-fold dilution from their respected MIC value. Results: We confirmed that single lemongrass and ginger essential oils inhibited the bacteria growth with MIC value of about 1-5% and 2.5-5%, respectively. Moreover, their synergism activities were observed when both were mixed at two-fold dilution from their respective MIC. Conclusion: We conclude that the combination of the ginger essential oils and lemongrass essential oils may have potential as a natural preservative to prevent food-borne diseases.
Background: Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most well-known spices with antimicrobial activity. However, different extraction methods of ginger will result in different antimicrobial properties due to the various substances extracted. This study aimed to compare antimicrobial activity between ethanolic extract and essential oil of ginger against food-borne bacteria grown in 2.1% Mueller Hinton agar. Methods: Fresh ginger rhizomes were extracted either by using vapor distillation method or maceration using ethanol to obtain ginger essential oils (GEO) and ginger ethanolic extract (GEE), respectively. Ethanolic extract and essential oil of ginger at different concentrations were then tested for their antimicrobial activity using disk diffusion method against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus. Tetracycline was also used as a standard of antibacterial agent. Results: Ginger essential oil in 25%, 50%, and 100% showed significant growth inhibition of four types of bacteria compared to ginger ethanolic extract. This antimicrobial effect of ginger essential oil was shown to be dose-dependent. However, it has been demonstrated that ginger ethanolic extract 50% and 100% has a stronger antimicrobial effect against B.subtilis. Conclusion: Ginger essential oil and ethanolic extract showed different degree of antibacterial activity against food-borne bacteria due to compound contained within respective extracts, with a higher degree of activity found in ginger essential oil. These may show that different ginger extract may have different antibacterial activity.
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