Chronic (90 days) oral toxicity studies on ethanolic extracts of the rhizome Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. and Curcuma zedoaria Roscoe were carried out in mice. The chronic dosage was 150 mg/kg/day as the extract. Hematological and spermatogenic changes in addition to body weight and external morphological were recorded. C. xanthorrhiza treatment had no significant effect on hematological and spermatogenic changes. C. zedoaria-treated animals revealed a significant fall in RBC, Hb level, and spermatozoa quality as compared to the control. The both extracts failed to show changes of external morphological and body weight and hematological.

The skin of mackerel scad fish (Decapterus macarellus) is a new source for pepsin-soluble collagen and its hydrolysate, both of which have never been explored. This study aims to characterize and determine the in vitro antioxidant, antiglycation, and antityrosinase activity of pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) and hydrolyzed collagen (HC) from mackerel scad skin. PSC was extracted using 0.5 M acetic acid containing 0.1% pepsin for 48 h at 4 °C. The obtained PSC was then hydrolyzed with collagenase type II (6250 U/g) to produce HC. The PSC yield obtained was 6.39 ± 0.97%, with a pH of 6.76 ± 0.18, while the HC yield was 96% from PSC. SDS-PAGE and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis showed the typical features of type I collagen. HC demonstrated high solubility (66.75–100%) throughout the entire pH range (1–10). The PSC and HC from mackerel scad skin showed antioxidant activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), with IC50 values of 148.55 ± 3.14 ppm and 34.966 ± 0.518 ppm, respectively. In the antiglycation test, PSC had an IC50 value of 239.29 ± 15.67 ppm, while HC had an IC50 of 68.43 ± 0.44 ppm. PSC also exhibited antityrosinase activity, with IC50 values of 234.66 ± 0.185 ppm (on the L-DOPA substrate), while HC had an IC50 value of 79.35 ± 0.5 ppm. Taken together, these results suggest that the skin of mackerel scad fish has potential antiaging properties and can be further developed for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes.

Rhizomes of Boesenbergia pandurata (Roxb.) Schlecht have been reported to contain active compounds with anticancer properties. This research was carried out to examine anti-proliferative and apoptotic induction against HeLa and Vero cells-line. Dried powder of B. pandurata rhizomes was extracted by a maceration method using 90% ethanol. Cytotoxic assays to determine IC 50 and anti-proliferative effects were carried out by MTT methods. Observation of apoptosis was achieved with double staining using acridine orange and ethidium bromide. The results showed that ethanolic extract of B. pandurata was more cytotoxic against HeLa cells (IC 50 of 60 µg/ mL) than Vero cells (IC 50 of 125 µg/mL). The extract had higher anti-proliferative activity as well as apoptotic induction in HeLa than Vero cells. Therefore, it was concluded that the ethanolic extract of B. pandurata had anti-proliferative as well as apoptosis induction activity dependent on the cell type.

The aims of this research were to find out the effects of orally intakes of cogon grass rhizome (Imperata cylindrica L.) extract on physical characteristics and NaCl content of urine, and the dosage of the extract that able to significantly change the physical characteristics and the content of NaCl on the urine white males rat (Rattus norvegicus L.). Complete Randomized Design with six groups and five replications to each group was used in this study. The treatment applied for those groups were: aquadest 2 ml/200 g BW, HCT 0,32 mg/200 g BW, CMC 2% 2 ml/200 g BW, the cogon grass rhizome extract 5 mg/200 g BW, the cogon grass rhizome extract 10 mg/200 g BW and the cogon grass rhizome extract 20 mg/200 g BW for groups I to VI respectively. The parameters used for the physical characteristics of the urine were volume, color, clearness, pH, density and urine sediments. Analysis of NaCl content was done by Fantus method. Data collected were then analyzed using ANOVA and continued with DMRT test at the level of 5% significance. The result showed that orally intakes of cogon grass rhizome extract at all level dosages (5 mg/200 g BW, 10 mg/200 g BW and 20 mg/200 g BW) were significantly increased the volume of urine and reduced of NaCl content, but no effect on pH and density of the urine. Orally intakes of cogon grass rhizome extract have also resulted in changing of color, clearness and amount of urine sediment components.

The objectives of the research were to find out the effect of giving sedges root extract orally on the number of writhing after chemical pain induction and time reaction after thermal pain induction of mice and also to find out the extract dosage which had an influence on decreasing number of writhing after chemical pain induction and length of reaction time after thermal pain induction of mice. The Complete Random Design (CRD) with 6 treatment groups and each treatment used 5 repetitions were used in this study. The groups were: Group I , control group, treated with sedges root extract of 0 mg/ 20 g BW , 0,5 ml; Group II treated with sedges root extract of 1 mg/ 20 g BW, 0,5 ml; Group III treated with sedges root extract of 3 mg/ 20 g BW, 0,5 ml; Group IV treated with sedges root extract of 5 mg/ 20 g BW, 0,5 ml; Group V treated with sedges root extract of 7 mg/ 20 g BW, 0,5 ml; Group VI treated with asetosal 200 mg/ kg BW , 0,5 ml/ 20 g BW and for the activity test, the sedges root extract was suspended in CMC 1%. Induction of chemical pain was done according to Witkin et al. (1965) in Pudjiastuti et al. (2000), in which 0,1 ml 3% of Acetic Acid/ 20 g BB was injected intraperitoneally 30 minutes after giving oral-material test. The mouse gave a respond in the way of writhing. Thermal pain induction was done by placing the mouse on hot plate with constant temperature of 55oC. The mouse gave a respond in the way of lick its back foot or even jumping. The data collected was analyzed using one direction ANOVA model and it was continued with LSD test in order to find out the difference every treatment group. The result of the analysis showed that the sedges root extract dosage of 7 mg/ 20 g BB decreased the number of writhing after chemical pain induction and length of mouse time reaction after thermal pain induction, so that sedges root extract dosage 7 mg/ 20 g BB had an analgetic function.