Haruan (Channa striatus) is a type of fresh water fish in Malaysia that is known to promote wound healing. Haruan water extract has been formulated in an aerosol system which can produce a film for wound dressing. As topical preparation, Haruan spray needs to be evaluated in terms of the possibility to cause irritation reaction or toxic response. Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the safety of Haruan spray which are Primary Skin Irritation test, Intracutaneous test and Systemic Injection test. The result shows that Haruan spray gave no significant responses to all the above tests. The investigation of the effect of Haruan spray as wound dressing in the healing process was performed in Sprague-Dawley rats where 6-cm long full-thickness incision wound and burn wound were made on the back of the animals. Haruan spray was tested and compared with blank formula as control. Tensile strength test of treated wound was carried out at the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th day after wounding and treatment. The burn wounds contraction was measured daily for 21 days. Results showed that haruan water extract spray formula is not only effective but also safe for application to both incision and burn wounds.

Background and purpose: Recently, we have highlighted the immunomodulatory activity of Curcuma mangga Val. on phagocytosis ability. The current study was conducted to determine the immunomodulatory effects of the standardized extract of C. mangga rhizomes by in vitro and in vivo studies. Experimental approach: The C. mangga extract was standardized according to a guideline for herbal preparation. The extract was investigated for its immunomodulatory effects on gene expression of cytokines, cytokines and antibody production as well as delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response. The gene expression of cytokines on lipopolysaccharide-induced-RAW 264.7 cells was analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The effect of the extract on DTH response was investigated by the paw edema method, meanwhile the effects of the extract on antibody and cytokine production from normal and cyclophosphamide-induced Salmonella typhimurium infected rats were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Findings/Results: The extract of C. mangga demonstrated an inhibitory effect on gene expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-6 as compared to lipopolysaccharide-induced cells. The extract also depicted inhibitory activity on IL-4 production as compared to the negative control. Whereas, the DTH response and production of immunoglobulin G from both groups after treatment with C. mangga extract were higher than those of negative control ( P < 0.05). Conclusion and implications: The results indicated that the C. mangga extract has immunomodulatory effects, emphasizing its potential to be developed as immunotherapeutic agent.

BACKGROUND: The product development of an anti-aging dosage for human skin is a very interesting issue because every human wants to be looked young as long as possible. A studies and development of plant that contain of antioxidant properties need to be studied further. AIM: The aim of this research was to formulate and evaluate the physical and anti-aging effect of the Peel-Off Gel Mask from Red Bean Ethanol Extract (PGMRB). METHODS: The Extract Ethanol of Red Bean was extracted by maceration methods with ethanol 96%. The Peel-off base was consisted of Polyvinyl alcohol, glycerin and carbomer 940. The gel formulation was made in 3 formulas (F1, F2, and F3) consisted with 1%, 3% and 5% ethanol extract, respectively. The blank formula (F0) was also prepared as a control formula. The evaluation of gel formulation included organoleptic test, pH determination, stability test, homogeneity test, peeling time, irritation test and anti-aging effect test included moisture level, skin pore size, the evenness test and dark spot test by using skin analyzer. RESULTS: All of the formula showed a homogen, pH around 6, peeling time less than 20 minutes, no irritation and stable for 12 weeks storage at room temperature. The treatment with PGMRB demonstrated an improvement on the moisture level, pore size, evenness and the number of black spots with F3 containing 5% extract as the best formula. CONCLUSION: The ethanol extract of red bean can be formulated become a peel-off gel mask and having the anti-aging effect.

Previous studies have shown that the extracts of Curcuma mangga Valeton & Zijp rhizomes and Picria fel-terrae Lour. leaves could modulate cellular- and humoral-mediated immunity in macrophages and animal models. In the present study, the immunomodulatory effects of combined ethanol extracts of C. mangga rhizomes and P. fel-terrae leaves were investigated on cellular- and humoral-mediated immunity in Wistar rats and mice. The phytochemical constituents of the ethanol extracts of C. mangga and P. fel-terrae, and combined extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Mice were orally administered with combined extracts of C. mangga and P. fel-terrae (1 : 1) at doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg·bw for 7 days, and the carbon clearance method was used to investigate their phagocytosis activity. Wistar rats were treated orally with the combined extracts 72 h prior to sensitization with Staphylococcus aureus and continued for 14 days. The effect of extracts on delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response was determined by the paw edema method, while the effects on antibody (IgG and IgM) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Picfeltarraenin VI and ferruginol were the major components in the extracts of P. fel-terrae and C. mangga, respectively. The combined extracts at 1 : 1 ratio demonstrated a dose-dependent stimulation of both cellular- and humoral-mediated immunity in both animal models. The combined extracts displayed the strongest stimulation on DTH response and phagocytosis activity at 100 mg/kg·bw, which were comparable with those of the positive control, levamisole. IgG and IgM production and IL-2 release were also stimulated after treatment with extracts. The combined extracts of C. mangga and P. fel-terrae possess strong stimulatory activities on cellular- and humoral-mediated immunity and may be developed as a potential nutraceutical for the modulation of immune responses.