Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae) is a perennial creeping vine that can be found in South and North America, Africa, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, including Southern China and Malaysia. Previous studies have reported that this plant possesses several pharmacological properties which can be used to prevent and cure several diseases. Phytochemicals found from various parts of M. micrantha have been linked to beneficial medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and also anti-diabetic activities. The primary aim of this paper is to review available scientific information on the nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of M. micrantha to provide baseline information for future studies.
ntroduction of new weed management strategy for coconut plantation in Malaysia is essential since the current weed control methods are less effective and highly herbicide dependent, thus leading to development of herbicide resistance in weeds as well as environmental and human health concerns. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the phytotoxic effects of oil palm frond mulch treated with imazethapyr at a reduced rate on weed emergence and growth. The results of glasshouse experiments have shown that imazethapyr at 12 g a.i. ha-1 in combination with oil palm residues of leaflet (OPL), rachis (OPR) or frond (OPF) at rates of 1.4-1.8 t ha-1 inhibited Eleusine indica emergence and growth by 90-100%, implying that imazethapyr is compatible with oil palm residue mulches. In the field experiment, hand weeding followed by OPF at 3.4 t ha-1 treated with imazethapyr at 24 g a.i. ha-1 have demonstrated excellent control of Mikania micrantha, Asystasia gangetica, Phyllanthus amarus, Panicum sp. and Echinochloa colona by reducing their total dry weight up to 95% at three months after treatment. The present results suggested that the integration of chemical, physical and mechanical methods can provide effective weed control in the coconut plantation for months.
The present study aimed to determine the effect of an ethyl acetate extract of Mikania micrantha stems (EAMMS) in hypercholesterolemia-induced rats. Rats were divided into a normal group (NC) and hypercholesterolemia induced groups: hypercholesterolemia control group (PC), simvastatin group (SV) (10 mg/kg) and EAMMS extract groups at different dosages of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively. Blood serum and tissues were collected for haematological, biochemical, histopathological, and enzyme analysis. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, creatinine, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, as well as enzymes of HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) and acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 2 (ACAT2), were measured. Feeding rats with high cholesterol diet for eight weeks resulted in a significantly (p < 0.05) increased of TC, TG, LDL-C, AST, ALT and MDA levels. Meanwhile, the administration of EAMMS extract (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) and simvastatin (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C and MDA compared to rats in the PC group. Furthermore, all EAMMS and SV-treated groups showed a higher HDL-C level compared to both NC and PC groups. No significant difference was found in the level of ALT, AST, urea and creatinine between the different dosages in EAMMS extracts. Treatment with EAMMS also exhibited the highest inhibition activity of enzyme HMGCR and ACAT2 as compared to the control group. From the histopathological examination, liver tissues in the PC group showed severe steatosis than those fed with EAMMS and normal diet. Treatment with EAMMS extract ameliorated and reduced the pathological changes in the liver. No morphological changes showed in the kidney structure of both control and treated groups. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that EAMMS extract has anti-hypercholesterolemia properties and could be used as an alternative treatment for this disorder.