Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) which could induce skin damage and skin disease is a growing concern due to the increase in global warming. Brown macroalgae Sargassum cristaefolium has been recognized to exhibit UV protective activities. However, the mechanism of its photoprotective activity remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential mechanism of S. cristaefolium’s photoprotective activity against UV radiation. Phytochemical analyses revealed valuable bioactive compounds in SCE, such as fucoxanthin which is widely known as an anti-inflammatory carotenoid. Treatment with SCE before UV-A radiation show reduced levels of wrinkles and desquamation. Interestingly, SCE treatment induces the skin healing process after UV radiation. SCE effectively inhibited proinflammatory TNF-α and IL-6 expression while increasing IL-10 production in the BALB/c mice skin. Current results suggest that SCE potentially protects the skin by attenuation of inflammatory cytokines. In addition, SCE demonstrates promising antibacterial activity (MIC = 1.302 µg/mL) against Staphylococcus aureus. Overall, SCE could be a source of an effective anti-inflammatory agent protecting against UV irradiation-induced skin damages.

The red macroalga Gelidium latifolium is widely distributed in the coastal areas of Indonesia. However, current knowledge on its potential biological activities is still limited. In this study, we investigated the potential bioactive compounds in Gelidium latifolium ethanol extract (GLE), and its cytotoxic effects against the murine B16-F10 melanoma cell line. GLE shows high total phenolic content (107.06 ± 17.42 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid content (151.77 ± 3.45 mg QE/g), which potentially contribute to its potential antioxidant activity (DPPH = 650.42 ± 2.01 µg/mL; ABTS = 557.01 ± 1.94 µg/mL). ESI-HR-TOF-MS analysis revealed large absorption in the [M-H]- of 327.2339 m/z, corresponding to the monoisotopic molecular mass of brassicolene. The presence of this compound potentially contributes to GLE’s cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 84.29 ± 1.93 µg/mL). Furthermore, GLE significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells (66.83 ± 3.06%) compared to controls (18.83 ± 3.76%). Apoptosis was also confirmed by changes in the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (i.e., p53, Bax, Bak, and Bcl2). Downregulated expression of Bcl2 indicates an intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Current results suggest that components of Gelidium latifolium should be further investigated as possible sources of novel antitumor drugs.

Microplastics (MPs) are plastic fragments that are degraded into small particles with a diameter of <5 mm. Pollution in the ocean by MPs has become a global threat which damages aquatic and marine ecosystems. There are several types of MPs detected in the digestive tract and in edible fish tissue. However, such report remains limited in Indonesia. Despite the high rate of plastic pollution in Indonesian coastal areas. This study aims to determine the presence, abundance and characteristics of MPs including type, shape, and color in the edible tissue of commercially important pelagic fish species from the Bintaro fish market, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Flying Fish (Parexocoetus mento) was evaluated for MPs content in their edible tissue. Isolation of MPs in fish meat was conducted by firstly adding 10% KOH solution followed by incubation for 24 h. Furthermore, the solution was incubated in the oven for 48 h at a temperature of 90oC. The WPO (Wet Peroxide Oxidation) reaction was carried out by adding 30 mL of 0.05 M Fe(II) oxide and 30 mL of 20% Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) continued by heating on a hotplate at 75oC at 350 rpm for 45 minutes to remove organic matter from fish. The remaining filtrateswere treated by further heating, followed by filtration with stainless steel sieves (45//m). Current results show five types of MPs detected in fish sample were Fragment, Filament/fiber, Film, Foam and Pellet. The most abundant type of MPs was fragment type (368.67 particle/fish). Current results show a significant amount of MPs were found in edible tissue of flying fish in Bintaro market. However further characterization of MPs would be needed to confirm the MPs types. Nevertheless, current study show the potential contamination of MPs in P. mento fish commercially sold in fish market at Lombok, Indonesia. Hence, awareness should be raised in local communities to reduce plastic pollution in marine and coastal areas.

Background: Tekelan leaves (Chromolaena odorata) has been commonly used traditionally as a medicine. It is known that Tekelan leaves have bioactivity as an antibacterial. These leaves have antibacterial activity for both gram-positive and negative bacteria so that it can be made for semi-solid preparation namely hand sanitiser gel (HSG). This study aims to determine the optimum concentration of HSG base with TLE and determine the physical characteristics of the optimum formula.Methods: Sample extraction was done by maceration method with 96% of ethanol (1:10). Dechlorophyllation with n-hexane also used to separate the chlorophyll and to get a better colour of extract while it formulated in gel form. Optimisation of the gel is conducted with the simplex lattice design (SLD) method. SLD method is available in Design-Expert software. The method was designed to optimise the formula with different concentration of different component (Gliserin, TEA, and Carbopol) so it can produce the optimum formula. The evaluation of HSG involves spreadability test, sticky power and pH test. Furthermore, the acceptability evaluation was done by 20 respondents.Results: The optimum gel base formula is consists of 1.860% glycerin, 2.901% TEA, and 0.739% carbopol with spreadability 3.673 cm, sticky power 1.181 s, and pH 7.187. The acceptability of the C. odorata HSG also compared with one of the commercial HSG. The percentage of acceptability of C. odorata HSG is 75.25% and 80.25% for the commercial HSG.Conclusion: HSG preparations of TLE which are formulated using optimum base formula have good physical properties.

Indonesia has high biodiversity of algae that are under-utilised due to limitations in the processing techniques. Here, we observed the effect of two different extraction methods (cold maceration and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE)) on multiple variables of Indonesian brown algae ethanol extracts (Sargassum polycystum, Sargassum cristaefolium, Sargassum aquifolium and Turbinaria ornata). The variables observed included metabolites screening by untargeted metabolomics liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), observation of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), anti-oxidant and B16-F10 melanoma cells cytotoxicity. UAE extracts had higher extraction yield and TPC, but no TFC difference was observed. UAE extract had more lipophilic compounds, such as fatty acids (Palmitic acid, Oleamide, Palmitoleic acid, Eicosapentaenoic acid, α-Linolenic acid, Arachidonic acid), lipid-derived mediators (11,12-Epoxyeicosatrienoic acid ((±)11(12)-EET)), steroid derivatives (Ergosterol peroxide), lipophilic metabolite (Fucoxanthin), and lipid-soluble vitamins (all-trans-retinol). Principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that TPC, not TFC, in the UAE extracts was correlated with the anti-oxidant activities and cytotoxicity of the extracts towards B16-F10 melanoma cells. This means other non-flavonoid phenolic and lipophilic compounds may have contributed to its bioactivity. These results suggest that out of the two methods investigated, UAE could be a chosen method to extract natural anti-melanogenic agents from brown algae.