Abstract: This study examined the antimalarial activity of a furanosesquiterpene, furodysinin, one of the major metabolites of the dorid nudibranch Hypselodoris tryoni. The nudibranchs were collected from Balinese waters and the metabolites were purified by chromatography. Ex vivo rodent malaria Plasmodium berghei assays were conducted to determine the metabolite antimalarial activity. In silico molecular docking was employed to investigate the interaction between furodysinin against wild-type P. berghei and atovaquone-resistant P. berghei (Y268C). This study reported for the first time that the furodysinin displayed a promising antimalarial activity based on the ex vivo tests against wild-type P. berghei and atovaquone-resistant P. berghei. In silico molecular docking study showed that furodysinin inhibits the parasite mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) by binding to the protein Qo pocket (ef-helix) where it interacts with residue 268, the mutation of which is known to confer resistance to atovaquone. Furodysinin binds to the mutated tyrosine at residue 268, which has changed to cysteine, forming an alkyl bond with C268 at a distance of 4.6 Å. Therefore, we predict that furodysinin has a target in Plasmodium mitochondria.

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150921

Abstract: Biodiversity  research,  especially  marine  biodiversity  in  Indonesia,  is  one  of  the  crucial  research  topics. This  is  due  to  Indonesia’s  high  biodiversity  which  requires  supporting  research,  such  as  species  identification, population status, and also genetic stock using a molecular approach. This research was conducted from May to August 2023. A total of six individual samples were collected from three locations in Karangasem Regency, Bali, namely Amed, Batu Dawa, and Batuniti. This research aims to report theresults of activities carried out with the theme  of  identifying  fish  species  using  a  molecular  approach.  DNA  replication  was  carried  out  using  the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method targeting the COI (Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I) gene. The types of fish  obtained  included  four  individuals  of  tuna (Auxis  rochei),  one  pompano  (Caranx  sp.),  and  one keel-jawed needlefish (Tylosurus acus). The analysis results show that all samples are closely related to the NCBI comparison results, namely Auxis rochei, Caranx sexfasciatus, and Tylosurus acuswith similarity percentage values ranging from 98-100%.

Read more: https://doi.org/10.14710/bioma.2024.62478