No abstract

Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) protein plays an important role in glucose and lipid metabolisms. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TCF7L2 gene contribute to increased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and body mass index (BMI), and altered lipid concentrations in various population. We investigated whether the TCF7L2 SNPs were associated with obesity, high FPG and altered lipid profile in the Balinese. A total of 608 Balinese from rural and urban Bali, Indonesia, were recruited. Triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC) and FPG were measured, and BMI was calculated. Ratios of TG/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C were determined. Genotyping of SNPs rs7903146, rs10885406, and rs12255372 were done in all samples. Genetic association analyses under a dominant model showed that the rs7903146 (OR 5.50, 95% CI 2.34-12.91, p = 8.5 × 10), rs12255372 (OR 4.15, 95% CI 1.66-10.33, p = 0.003) and rs10885406 (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.39-4.25, p = 0.003) were significantly associated with high TC/HDL-C ratio. The rs10885406 also presented a significant association with high TG (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.29-3.81, p = 0.004) and low HDL-C (OR 3.02, 95% CI 1.58-5.80, p = 0.001) concentrations, as well as high TG/HDL-C ratio (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.16-3.27, p = 0.013). None of the SNPs exhibited significant association with obesity or high FPG. SNPs in the TCF7L2 gene are associated with altered lipid profile in the Balinese.

The member of Zingiberaceae, Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. (C. aeruginosa) has been recognized as medicine for cancer. However, not enough effort has been invested on this herb as chemoprevention agent on cancer development. In this current study, we investigated the influence of C. aeruginosa extracts as a chemo-preventive agent in Wistar rat induced by 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). As methods, female Wistar rats were treated with three C. aeruginosa extract doses (CA1: 40mg/ 200g BW; CA2: 80mg/ 200g BW; CA3: 120mg/ 200g BW) in the entire course of the experiment, and were induced with DMBA after one week of administering the extract. As comparison, commercial drugs containing Phyllanthus niruri L. were being used as positive control group, while the group given only DMBA represents the negative control group. Based on experiment, we found that the administration of C. aeruginosa during experiment promotes an increasing in TNF-α, IL-2, and IL-12 levels. The dose of 80mg/ 200g BW (CA2) appeared to be best potential dose as chemo-preventive agent represented the smallest tumor incidence and tumor multiplicity at the end of the experiment. Moreover, this plant also efficient to eliminate the cancer cells at the beginning of the tumor until the metastatic phase.

No abstract