Nephrolepis exaltata Herbal Mask Increases Nasal IgA Levels and Pulmonary Function in Textile Factory Workers

Abstract

Background Chronic occupational exposure in textile workers lowers the pulmonary function and levels of sinonasal IgA. A Nephrolepis exaltata herbal mask can protect the respiratory tract. This study aims to understand the effect of this herbal mask on the IgA levels and pulmonary function in textile workers. Thirty employees were selected for this study. Methods The pre- and post-test randomized experimental control trials were conducted in a garment industry of Bawen, Semarang, Indonesia. The subjects that qualified to participate (n = 30) fulfilled the inclusion criteria i.e., 20–35 years old, healthy, and willing to be a research subject; and exclusion criteria i.e., having history of alcohol consumption, smoking, history of liver disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, pulmonary and heart disease and/or being pregnant. The subjects were then divided randomly into control group (n = 15), who used regular mask that was rewashed and changed every month for eight weeks, and treatment group (n = 15), who used Nephrolepis exaltata mask that was changed every two days for eight weeks. Pulmonary function tests were carried out using MIR Spirolab III before and after the experiment. IgA levels were measured by nasal wash method using ELISA. Results IgA levels of the treatment group before and after usage of mask were significantly different (p<0.001) compared to the control group. There were significant difference in FVC of the control group, but no significant difference was observed for FEV1 (p = 0.507) and PEF (p = 0.001). In the treatment group, all three parameters showed significant differences [FVC (p = 0.038), FEV1 (p = 0.004), and PEF (p = 0.001)]. The means of ΔFVC, ΔFEV1, and ΔPEF were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the treatment group with OR = 5.1 for higher IgA levels. Conclusions The herbal mask is better in increasing IgA and improving the pulmonary function compared to the regular mask.

Nephrolepis exaltata - Hibiscus rosa-sinensis combination herbal mask decreases levels of reactive oxygen species in nasal wash

“…Our previous study on different subjects recommended the further study of the potency of the NE herbal mask on the sinonasal cellular immune system (6) and the present study added the measurement variables to prove the effect of the NE-HRS combination herbal mask on sinonasal oxidative stress. This study was expected to prove the effectiveness of the NE-HRS combination herbal mask in decreasing the levels of ROS and SOD3 in textile dyeing factory workers.…”

“…The sample was not similar to that of our previous study. (6) The sample comprised 30 male textile factory workers, 25-50 years old, and working in the dyeing and sizing areas. The sample size determination was based on the total number of male workers in the dangerously polluted area of the factory (dyeing area).…”

“…(5) An experimental study showed that the NE herbal mask is better in increasing IgA and improving the pulmonary function in textile workers compared to the regular mask. (6) The ethanol extract of Hibiscus rosasinensis (HRS) contains flavonoids, saponins and steroids and might be responsible for significant inhibition of inflammation, which may involve inhibition of prostaglandins, (7) as well as blocking of the oxidative stress.…”

Perbedaan Kadar IgA dan IL6 Pada Penumpang “Biosmart and Safety Bus” pada Memakai Masker Herbal dan Masker Medis

“…Penggunaan masker herbal kombinasi dalam moda transportasi biosmart and safety bus diharapkan dapat mengurangi dampak dari persebaran virus dengan sistem dan protokol yang tepat. Hasil setelah penggunaan masker herbal diharapkan dapat menaikkan jumlah IgA dan menurunkan IL6 pada penumpang biosmart and safety bus (Prasetyo et al, 2019).…”

Trend Analysis of Superoxide Dismutase 3 (SOD3) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels on BioSmart and Safe Bus Passengers

“…The previous research on herbal masks has shown the ability of these herbal masks to improve nasal mucociliary transport, increase sinonasal IgA antibody levels, and improve pulmonary function in textile factory employees. (9) In addition, herbal masks have the potential to prevent the free radicals from damaging cells and strengthen endogenous antioxidant activity such as the Superoxidase dismutase (SOD) enzyme, due to antioxidants and antiinflammatory compounds they were contained of. (10,11) However, the effectiveness of this herbal mask has never been tested in public bus transportation, which has a high risk of exposure to both infectious airborne particles and toxic air pollution compounds.…”