Songi (Dillenia serrata) is a tree endemic to Southeast Sulawesi and its stem bark been used in folk medicine. Nonetheless, only a handful scientific knowledge regarding chemistry and biological activities has been investigated on the plant. The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity of the stem bark of the plant. Methanol extract and organic fractions (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and methanol) of the dried powdered stem bark of songi were evaluated for phytochemical screening, total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), DPPH, FRAP, and XO in vitro assays. Flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, steroids, and saponins present in the extract. TPC and TFC in extract were 59.2 mg GAE/g and 23.4 mg QE/g. The contents in organic fractions were in solvent-dependent manner (methanol>ethyl acetate>petroleum ether). Extract and fractions scavenged DPPH radicals (48.2–59.7%) at 100 μg/mL compared to ascorbic acid, trolox, and gallic acid (90.3–93.8%). FRAP values varied from 0.8–3.4 μg/μg equivalent trolox amount (quercetin and gallic acid were 25.7 dan 32.4 μg/μg, respectively). They also inhibited xanthine oxidase (15.3–50.3%) at 100 μg/mL (allopurinol, 98.2%). The study concluded the potential of methanol extract and organic fraction of the stem bark of songi, thus highlighted the prospect of songi to be used in herbal and drugs development from nature.

The fruit of Melothria scabra Naudin is traditionally used by natives of South East Sulawesi and has economic values in the local markets. Nonetheless, little scientific information was gained from this plant to support its development for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical aspects. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemicals contained in the ethanol extract and organic fractions (methanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane) of the fruits using specific reagents and an LC-MS/MS analysis, as well as to evaluate their total phenolics, total flavonoids, and DPPH radical scavenging activity using a dot-blot staining and spectrophotometric assays. Results showed that the fruits of M. scabra contained alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and saponins. Six compounds were successfully identified from the ethanol extract of the fruits for the first time that is D-1-[(3-carboxypropyl)amino]-1-deoxyfructose (1), fructose-C3H5NO (2), valine (3), 1β, 3α, 9β-trihydroxyeudesma-5,11(13)-dien-12-oic acid (4), Cucurbitacin B-2-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), and 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4(H)-quinolone (6). Total phenolics in the extract and organic fractions were in the range of 54.2 ± 2.4 to 259.1 ± 8.4 mg GAE/g, while total flavonoids were in the range of 1.6 ± 0.2 to 22.4 ± 0.2 mg QE/g. The ethanol extract and its organic fractions (methanol and ethyl acetate) were potent radical scavengers with SC50 values ranging from 20.7 to 37.5 µg/mL when compared with ascorbic acid, gallic acid, and quercetin (SC50 of 2.8 to 9.4 µg/mL). This study concludes that M. scabra fruits could be developed as a source of natural antioxidant agents for nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals purposes.

Pemanfaatan tanaman obat secara tradisional oleh masyarakat Kolaka telah berlangsung selama turun-temurun. Namun, hingga saat ini upaya pembinaan asuhan mandiri pemanfaatan taman obat keluarga masih belum giat dilakukan. Sebagai langkah awal program pembinaan, pengabdian ini bertujuan untuk menginventarisasi dan menanam bibit tanaman obat yang digunakan oleh masyarakat di Kelurahan Mangolo yang secara geografis merupakan wilayah taman wisata alam Kolaka. Kegiatan yang dilakukan meliputi survei potensi wilayah, identifikasi permasalahan, koordinasi dan perizinan, inventarisasi tanaman obat, pelatihan pembuatan pupuk alami, perbanyakan bibit dan pemeliharaan tanaman obat, penanaman bibit secara serentak, monitoring, dan evaluasi kegiatan. Kegiatan pengabdian menghasilkan inventarisasi tanaman obat sebanyak 49 tanaman dan penanaman bibit tanaman obat sebanyak 297 bibit oleh masyarakat Kelurahan Mangolo. Melalui kegiatan ini, masyarakat memperoleh pengetahuan, keterampilan, dan motivasi untuk membudidayakan tanaman obat secara mandiri dan berkelanjutan sebagai wujud kesadaran terhadap kesehatan bagi diri sendiri dan keluarga.

Background: Sawo fruit (Manilkara zapota (L.) P.Royen) is rich in antioxidant compounds like polyphenols, and has long been used to treat diarrhea and thypoid by natives of Toari and Langori villages of Kolaka district of Southeast Sulawesi Province. Both villages located at different geographical location according to their altitudes from the sea level. The polyphenols content of sawo fruit from these villages that has a correlation with its antioxidant activity has yet investigated and thus need more research. Objective: This study was aimed to determine the content of polyphenols in sawo fruit based on geographical growth difference, that are Toari and Langori villages. Material and Methods: The fruits were collected from two locations of the Kolaka district that are Langori and Toari villages. The polyphenols content in the methanol extract of Sawo fruit was determined qualitatively using FeCl3 and quantitatively using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent measured by UV-Visible spectrophotometry. Gallic acid was used as the standard polyphenol of the assay. Results: The polyphenols content of sawo fruit from Langori found to be 1.48113 mg/g, while fruits from Toari contained 1.55747 mg/g of polyphenolics. Conclusion: The study showed that there was an influence of the geographical growth on the content of polyphenolics of sawo fruits.