Cinchona ledgeriana produces several secondary metabolites. The main quinoline alkaloid, quinine that is widely used as an antimalarial drug, is most commonly extracted from the bark of Cinchona, and its leaves contain several other metabolites. Many studies have revealed that cell culture of Cinchona also produces quinine. Nevertheless, the sites of secondary metabolites accumulation are still elusive. This study is aimed at describing specific anatomical structures where alkaloids and some other secondary metabolites are accumulated as well as their localization in leaves and barks of C. ledgeriana, compared to those found in cultured cells. Fresh leaves and barks, and cells of C. ledgeriana were used for anatomical observation and histochemical tests. It was found that these plant parts have specialized structures, idioblast cells with elliptical- and spherical-shapes, scattered in leaf hypodermis, stem cortex, and secondary phloem. Unspecialized structures such as epidermis and palisade mesophyll tissues were also found accumulating some metabolites. Histochemical tests showed that bark and leaves contained alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolic, and lipophilic compounds. Cultured cells presented positive results for alkaloids and terpenoids.

Volatile metabolites are produced by plants for self-defense and as communication mediators with the environment. Terpenes are volatiles emitted as odorant cues for herbivores and microorganisms. This study was aimed to investigate volatile metabolites produced by banana flowers that attract insect vectors of BBD. The volatile metabolites from banana flowers were extracted by headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). It was apparent that the concentrations of the metabolite alpha-pinene gradually increased from the first to the the third stage. Comparison of metabolites produced by symptomatic banana male flowers for BBD infection with non-symptomatic ones showed that the concentration of alpha-pinene was higher in symptomatic male flowers. In addition, preference for alpha-pinene was tested on three insect vector species (Rhodesiella bhutanensis, Drosophila sp., and Musca sp.), analyzed by M. Anova p<0.001, F(1.5) =12.539 and Duncan test. Results showed that the insect vectors were mostly attracted to 20 µl volume of alpha-pinene compared to the other volumes and that alpha-pinene functioned as an attractant to these insects. This research is important for the formulation of attractants for insect vectors of BBD to control transmission of banana blood disease.

Most of the alcohol analytical methods are robust and instrumentally expensive. An alternative of ethanol biosensor based on selected biofilm forming Acetobacter aceti bacteria producing alcohol oxidase was constructed on a screen-printed carbon electrode. The enzyme specifically oxidizes the ethanol and generate electrical current that then electrochemically detected and measured by cyclic voltammetry method. A scanning electron microscopic analysis indicated that the biofilm was formed firmly in the electrode. This constructed biosensor reached its optimum at biofilm formed by bacteria of 1.33 × 1010 cells/ml, temperature of 27°C, and pH 7. The enzyme kinetic had KM and Vmax AOX values of 3.5 mm and 125 μA respectively. The biosensor had detection and quantization limit of 0.003 and 0.009%, respectively, and a sensitivity of 57.29 μA (%)-1. A linearity and relative deviation value were revealed at 0.993 and 1.95% respectively. The biosensor was relatively specific and had no interferences with methanol, sodium chloride and citric acid as the common interferences of ethanol compounds. Furthermore, the biosensor had been stably for at least 55 days. Therefore, this constructed biosensor should be developed into a prototype for a practical effective analysis.

Three new compounds, namely sulabiroins A (1) and B (2), and 2',3'-dihydro-3'-hydroxypapuanic acid (3), were isolated from the propolis of stingless bees (Tetragonula aff. biroi) collected on South Sulawesi, Indonesia. In addition, ten known compounds, (–)-papuanic acid (4), (–)-isocalolongic acid (5), isopapuanic acid (6), isocalopolyanic acid (7), glyasperin A (8), broussoflavonol F (9), (2S)-5,7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-8-prenylflavanone (10), isorhamnetin (11), (1'S)-2-trans,4-trans-abscisic acid (12), and (1'S)-2-cis,4-trans-abscisic acid (13) were identified. The structures of the new and known compounds were determined by spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of sulabiroins A (1) and B (2) were determined by X-ray crystallography analysis and ECD calculation, respectively. The propolis from stingless bee (Tetragonula aff. biroi) collected on South Sulawesi contained compounds not present in propolis from other regions. Sulabiroin A (1) and isorhamnetin (11) were examined for xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity as one of biological activities; isorhamnetin (11) exhibited potent XO inhibitory activity, with an IC50 value of 3.9 µm.

Worker bees actively forage to supply colony necessity i.e., pollens, nectar, and resin. Flight activities of the worker bees are influenced by food availability and environmental conditions. This study aimed to measure flight activities of Lepidotrigona terminata in terms of leaving and returning to the nest (including carrying of pollen and pollen type) and their relation to environmental conditions. The observation of flight activities of L. terminata were conducted from August to December 2016, at 07.00-17.00 for 1 minute with 1 hour interval. Pollen load and pollen types were analyzed by the acetolysis method. Flight activities of leaving and returning to the nest were lower at 07.00-08.00 (1 individual/min) and at 16.00-17.00 (2 individuals/min). However, the peak activities occurred at 10.00 until 13.00 (8 and 6 individuals/min for leaving and returning to the nest, respectively). Temperature and light intensity were positively correlated with flight activities of bees that carried nectar and resin, as well as leaving the nest without garbage. The returned workers averagely carried 32,696 pollen grains from four pollen types. Based on selection index values, this stingless bee species mostly preferred Araceae (ⱳi=1.522) plant family for pollen resources to others, Anacardiaceae, Aceraceae, and Acanthaceae (x2=39.32, p<0.01).

Increasing energy demand is not alongside the availability of limited fossil fuels. Alternative and renewable energy sources are not only an option to overcome energy problems but also essential to minimize global warming. Another critical and promising renewable energy source is biomass-derived from livestock feces. Beef cattle feces contain a microorganism consortium that can be used as a starter with coal media to form biogas. Indonesia recently developed coal waste processing into renewable energy, such as biogas. This study aimed to overview the ecological diversity of microbial consortium of beef cattle feces, lignite coal waste, and a combination of livestock and lignite coal waste under mesophilic conditions. This research is an explorative method, the data obtained were analyzed descriptively. The process of formation was carried out anaerobically on a bottle containing the rumen fluid medium. The fermentation process lasted 42 days at 39℃ of temperature. After that, the sample was electrophoresis, followed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. NGS data is processed with the MG-Rast website. This study demonstrates the ecological diversity of microbial consortium of beef cattle, lignite coal waste, and a combined consortium. The results showed ecological diversity in the form of taxonomy dominated by bacteria, eukaryotes, and archaea.

The extensive use of synthetic fungicides in controlling plant disease generates detrimental impacts on the environment and human health. In response to this problem, an alternative method was developed, known as biological control using antagonistic microorganisms. Since investigation on fungal endophytes of Garcinia atroviridis is still unclear, it was chosen for the study. The aim of the present work was to evaluate biocontrol potential of endophytic fungi against Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes, a phytopathogen that caused anthracnose disease. A total of 92 endophytic fungi were isolated from different tissue parts of Garcinia atroviridis including leaves, petioles, branches, and fruits. Results demonstrated that, most of endophytic fungal isolates showed some inhibitory action over the growth of C. gloeosporiodes during dual culture growth. Endophyte isolate F14 showed the highest antagonistic activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes with 67.38% percentage inhibition radial growth (PIRG). However, 7 out of 92 isolates showed no inhibitory effect against Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes. In conclusion, endophytic fungi isolated from G. atroviridis indicate the potential as biocontrol agents. It is hoped that the finding of isolated endophytic fungi in this study with antagonistic activity against anthracnose pathogen may be used in biocontrol programmes of plant disease in the region.

Dengue fever is caused by the mosquito-borne virus termed (DENV). However, DENV-2 has been identified as the most prevalent amongst the Indonesian pediatric urban population, in contrast with the other four serotypes. Therefore, it is important to reduce severe infection risk by adopting preventive measures, including through vaccine development. The aim of this study, therefore is to use various in silico tools in the design of epitope-based peptide vaccines (T-cell and B-cell types), based on the DENV-2 envelope glycoprotein sequences available. Therefore, in silico methods were adopted in the analysis of the retrieved protein sequences. This technique was required to determine the most immunogenic protein, and is achieved through conservancy analysis, epitope identification, molecular simulation, and allergenicity assessment. Furthermore, B4XPM1, and KAWLVHRQW were identified from positions 204-212, while the 77 to 85 peptide region was considered the most potent T-cell and B-cell epitopes. The interaction between KAWLVHRQW and HLA-C*12:03 occurs with maximum population coverage, alongside high conservancy (96.98%) and binding affinity. These results indicated a potential for the designed epitopes to demonstrate high immunity against DENV-2.

Tongka Langit or Fe’i banana (Musa troglodytarum L.) has the T genome and a very high content of beta-carotene. It only grew and spread around the regions of Maluku islands and Papua. However, recently our team found this banana on the foot of mount Galunggung, West Java, so this raised the question about its origin. The objective of this study was to understand the genetic relationship between Tongka Langit from Galunggung and Maluku islands and compared it with other bananas with different genomes. Genetic diversity analysis was done using ITS2 DNA marker and dendrogram analysis showed three groups. From the comparison of the ITS2 sequences, there were no difference (100% identity) between the ITS2 sequence of Tongka Langit originating from Galunggung and Maluku. In conclusion, based on the ITS2 marker, the Tongka Langit were more distantly related to cultivars with A and B genomes, and there was no difference in the ITS2 sequence of Tongka Langit originating from Galunggung and Maluku. To the best of our knowledge, there is no previous report of genetic relationship between Tongka Langit from Galunggung and other regions.

Caesalpinia sappan is studied for several biological activities. The aim of this research is to determine the cytotoxic and antimigratory activities of Caesalpinia sappan active fraction in combination with cisplatin on human TNBC cells (MDA-MB-231). Caesalpinia sappan heartwood was extracted with methanol. Then, several fractions of the methanol extract were obtained by using a liquid-liquid extraction method followed by column chromatography. The cytotoxicity was determined using MTT assay. Synergistic effects were analyzed by calculating the combination index (CI). Migration was examined using wound-healing assay. Levels of MMP2 activity were determined with gelatin zymography assay. The results showed that most of the fractions included in this study exhibited cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB-231 cells, and C fraction demonstrated the highest cytotoxic activity of all fractions. The combination of C-cisplatin revealed a synergistic inhibitory effect on MDA-MB-231 cell growth (CI<1). Furthermore, C fraction, alone and in combination with cisplatin, inhibited migration of MDA-MB-231 and suppressed MMP2 activity. The C fraction isolated from Caesalpinia sappan increased the cytotoxic and antimigratory activities of cisplatin on MDA-MB-231 cells. Based on these findings, the potential of Caesalpinia sappan to act as a supportive agent in metastatic TNBC treatment with cisplatin warrants further exploration.