Increasing demands for stingless bee honey in Malaysia have prompted alternative method using plastic cups as artificial
honey pots within beehives to enhance yield. However, honey’s acidity may lead to migration of plastic additives, affecting
body’s physiological responses on prolonged consumption. This study was performed to determine the presence of dibutyl
phthalate (DBP) and oleamide in stingless bee honey collected from plastic cups. A method for simultaneous extraction
and detection of both analytes by solvent terminated dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (ST-DLLME) coupled with high
performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. Good linearity was observed with coefficient of determination
R2
≥ 0.97 in the concentration range of 0.5-50 and 10-250 µg/g for DBP and oleamide, respectively. The limit of detection
for DBP was 0.15 µg/g; while oleamide was 4 µg/g. The limit of quantitation for DBP and oleamide was 0.5 and 11 µg/g,
respectively. DBP and oleamide were not detected in all the honey samples collected.
Melastoma is a genus that belongs to the Melastomataceae family and consists of 50–70 species distributed around India, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific Island. Numerous species of this plant show potential therapeutic purposes. This review summarizes the scientific findings on the ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry and pharma- cological activities of Melastoma sp. The leaves of Melastoma sp. was widely used by Asian as decoction for the remedy of gastrointestinal disorder apart from root, which was consumed as juice for skin diseases, fever and pain. Majority of the scientific studies focused on M. malabathricum showing high antimicrobial activity towards selected gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria from different parts of the plant. In vitro studies showed that Melastoma sp. possessed anti-coagulant, antioxidant, antiproliferative and immunomodulatory activities. Apart from in vitro, various in vivo studies have been conducted involving methanolic leaf extracts using Sprague Dawley rats for inhi- bition of anti-ulcer, anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic activities. Flavonoids, triterpenes, tannins, saponins and steroids are the main classes of secondary metabolites identified from Melastoma sp. Kaempferol derivatives exhibited significant main constituents from the flowers and leaves using various semi polar solvent extracts. Few phytosterols were also isolated from the leaves extract albeit the absence of alkaloids. This review shows that Melastoma sp. is an important genus of Melastomataceae family, however, the phytochemical and pharmacological findings of various species in this genus are still limited, indicating a great opportunity to explore new therapeutic activities with novel bioactive constituents.
The development and application of organic based drug carrier in drug delivery system (DDSs) with greater efficacy and
fewer side effects remains a significant challenge in modern scientific and medical research. The aim of current study
was to evaluate the ability of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as drug delivery carrier to encapsulate Curcumin (CUR), a promising
chemotherapeutic that exhibits low aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability forming inclusion complex by kneading
method to enhance its delivery to cancer cells. Different methods and analysis such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)
spectrometer, 1
H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1
H NMR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
and Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA) were employed to approve the successful formation of the inclusion complex
where the aromatic ring of CUR has been encapsulated by the hydrophobic cavity of β-CD. UV absorption indicated that
β-CD complex with CUR with an apparent formation constant of 1.09 × 10-8mol-1dm-3. Based on the data obtained by
methylthiazole tetrazolium (MTT), β-CD showed that not only did it enhanced Curcumin delivery, but it also improved
and promoted the anti-proliferative effect of CUR during the complexation rather than CUR alone on the MCF-7 human
breast cancer cells at 24 h incubation period with IC50 lower than that of Curcumin alone. The toxicities of the β-CD-CUR
towards MCF-7 cells were also compared to the free tamoxifen, Curcumin and β-CD. This study provides a preliminary
toxicity evaluation based on β-CD-CUR inclusion complex as potential delivery system towards the selected cancer cells.