Objective. This study was aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the latex of three species members of Jatropha (J. curcas, J. gossypilofia Linn., and J. multifida) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase- (ESBL-) producing Escherichia coli and ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumonia, carbapenemase-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)-E. coli, K. pneumoniae-carbapenemase (KPC), and carbapenemase-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA). Method. The antibacterial activities were calculated based on the inhibition zones using the Mueller–Hinton agar diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using Mueller–Hinton broth in a microdilution method, and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) using blood agar plate. Results. The latex of Jatropha showed antibacterial activities against the MRSA and CRPA. All latex of Jatropha appeared to have the antibacterial activities against MRSA and CRPA in the diffusion method (20.4–23.7 mm and 12–15 mm), MIC (0.19–6.25%, and 25%), and MBC (0.39–12.5% and 50%). Phytochemical screening of latex indicated the presence of flavonoids. Conclusions. The latex of J. curcas, J. gossypilofia Linn., and J. multifida has the potential to be developed as antibacterial agents, especially against MRSA and CRPA strain, but further in vivo research and discovery of the mode of its action are required to shed the light on the effects.

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Abstract. Zeolite ZSM-5 is one of the major catalysts in the petroleum and finechemical industries. The synthesis of zeolite ZSM-5 is usually carried out at a temperature above 100 °C using an immense amount of organic structuredirecting agents (OSDA). It is interesting to note that fine-tuning the initial gel mixture can be used to enhance the typical slow crystallization rate of ZSM-5. Herein, we report the effect of the surface-to-volume ratio of the reactor vessel on the crystallization of ZSM-5 at low temperature. The surface-to-volume ratio of the reactor vessel influences the heat-transfer during the synthesis, which further governs the crystallization of ZSM-5. It was found that the higher the surface-to-volume of the reactor, the more crystalline the resulting product. The products with the highest crystallinity exhibited a nearly spherical morphology composed of smaller ZSM-5 crystallites. This phenomenon allows the presence of inter-crystallite mesopores, which is an advantage for the catalytic reaction of bulky molecules. Keywords: low OSDA; low temperature; mesopores; surface-to-volume ratio; ZSM-5. IntroductionZeolite is a class of crystalline microporous (< 2 nm) aluminosilicate materials, arranged in a long-range order by TO4 (T = Si or Al) units. Zeolite is widely known for its application in particular fields such as sorption [1], catalysis [2,3] and ion-exchange [4]. Recently, its use has been extended to wider applications, including optical [5] and membrane technology [6]. Catalysis is the most known application of zeolite, for instance ZSM-5, especially for boosting the octane number in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units [7]. This is due to its peculiar structure comprising straight and zig-zag channels within sizes of around 5.5 Å and the presence of strong acid sites.

Abstract. Prastiyanto ME, Rohmah N, Efendi L, Arifin R, Wardoyo FA, Wilson W, Mukaromah AH, Dewi SS, Darmawati S. 2021. Antifungal activities of the rhizome extract of five member Zingiberaceae against Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum. Biodiversitas 22: 1509-1513. Fungal infections have now become serious health issues. One of the strategies to avoid the problems of fungal infections is by using natural product from plants that are effective against many human pathogenic fungi. The study portrayed the use of the extracts of plant rhizomes as the alternatives to fight against number of human pathogenic fungi. This research aimed to investigate the antifungal activities of crude ethanol extract of five member of the family Zingiberaceae (Curcuma longa, Alpinia galanga Zingiber officinale. var. rubrum, Zingiber officinale var. officinarum and Zingiber officinale var. amarum), which are widely used as folk medicines against Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum. Crude ethanol extracts of five members of Zingiberaceae were evaluated for their antifungal activities and the results were calculated based on the zones of inhibition using the diffusion method. The extract showed antifungal activity against Candida. albicans in the agar well diffusion assay (10.2-27.1 mm inhibition diameter) and against T. rubrum (27.3-44.3 mm inhibition diameter). The data have revealed that all rhizomes have the potential to be developed as antifungal agents, particularly against C. albicans and T. rubrum. Studies on the antifungal activity against yeast-like (C. albicans) and filamentous (T. rubrum) can provide new information about the benefits of members Zingiberaceae as a source of natural antifungal. Researchers can select the type of rhizome that has more potential for further extraction to obtain pure compounds that can be used as antifungals.