Anti-Cancer Assessment of a Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud.) Leaf Extract Using Mcf-7 Cell Line and a Yeast-Based Bioassay

Introduction: One strategy for molecular cancer therapy is to know the key mechanism of cytotoxic compounds that can kill cancer cells. Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud.) leaves contain active compounds that have important effects on cancer chemoprevention. Objective: To obtain the active fraction of a Ramie leaf extract in inhibiting the proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and to determine the mechanism of apoptosis induction using MCF-7 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains 1140, 1353, and 1138. Method: Fractions were prepared using n-hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), ethyl acetate, and n-butanol as solvents. All fractions were tested qualitatively through phytochemical. The MTT-based cytotoxicity assay used MCF-7 (in vitro) to obtain the IC50 value, whereas the model system that targets the enzymatic (topoisomerase) used a yeast-based bioassay to obtain the IC12 value. Apoptotic induction of the active fraction in MCF-7 was performed using flow cytometry and qPCR (2-ΔΔCt method). Results: The phytochemical analysis indicated that the extract fraction consisted of alkaloids and steroids. The smallest IC50 value was obtained from the CH2Cl2 fraction as 3.79 g/mL, potentially act as an anticancer. A higher percentage of apoptosis than that of necrotizing cells and live cells was observed through flow cytometry. The CH2Cl2 fraction with an IC12 value < 8000 in strains 1140, 1353, and 1138 consistently showed the mechanism of apoptosis induction as topoisomerase I and II inhibitors. Also, another mechanism could be through the intrinsic pathway, indicated by the highest expression level in p53. Conclusions: The CH2Cl2 fraction of Ramie leaves can inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in the active and strong categories. The CH2Cl2 fraction induces apoptosis by increasing p53 gene expression and inhibiting topoisomerase I and II. Thus, it showed potential as an anticancer drug candidate.

Regulating role of abscisic acid on cadmium enrichment in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.)

Abscisic acid (ABA) is known as an important hormone regulating plant stress resistance, such as salt, drought and heavy metal resistance. However, the relationship between ABA and cadmium (Cd) enrichment in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) is still unclear to date. This study aimed to reveal the effect of ABA on Cd enrichment in ramie, and we received the following results: (1) Under Cd treatment, the Cd uptake of ramie increased with the increase of Cd concentration, but the chlorophyll content decreased. Under Cd treatment, the ABA content was highest in roots of ramie, followed by that in old leaves, and lowest in new leaves. Long-time treatment of high Cd concentration reduced the ability of endogenous ABA biosynthesis. (2) Spraying ABA on ramie plants (SORP) and adding ABA directly to the culture solution (ADCS) with low concentration can promote the growth of ramie and increase the amount of Cd uptake, and the effect of SORP is better. (3) The molecular reason for the decrease of chlorophyll content due to Cd stress, may be resulted from the down-regulated expression of the chlorophyll synthesis genes (BnPAO and BnNYC1) and the up-regulated expression of the chlorophyll degradation genes (BnCHLH, BnCHLG, BnHAP3A and BnPPR1). The elevated ABA content in ramie plants may due to the up-regulated expression of the ABA synthesis related genes (BnABA1, BnNCED3, and BnNCED5) and the genes (BnABCG40, BnNFXL2, BnPYL9, BnGCR2, BnGTG1, BnBGLU1, BnUTG1, BnVHAG1 and BnABI5) that encoding ABA transport and response proteins, which was consistent with the enhance the Cd uptake in ramie. Our study revealed the relationship between ABA and Cd uptake in ramie, which provided a reference for improving the enrichment of Cd in ramie.

The cellulose of Boehmeria nivea as natural flocculants: synthesis, modification, and flocculation analysis

Due to their non-toxicity and biodegradability, natural polymeric flocculants have gained popularity in water and wastewater treatment in recent years. Because of its broad availability, renewability, sustainability, and surface modification potential, cellulose, the most common polymer on the planet, is regarded as one of the foundation polymers for flocculant production and modification. The following article consists of a review of the latest developments regarding biopolymers, in particular, cellulose as a natural flocculant. One of the plants that can be developed in Indonesia is Boehmeria nivea, or what is known as Ramie, which contains cellulose that is still not utilized optimally. There is a method of isolation of alpha-cellulose derived from Boehmeria nivea and its application as a flocculant in synthetic wastewater presented in this paper. The alpha-cellulose of Boehmeria nivea was used as a flocculant in jar testing using kaolin suspension (5 g/L). The study shows that adding alpha-cellulose as an aid to PAC slightly increased the turbidity removal efficiency, and further modification of alpha-cellulose by cationic grafts into cationic cellulose is needed.

Prioritas Strategi Pengembangan Serat Rami (Boehmeria nivea proper) Jenis Ina Grass di Kabupaten Wonosobo

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui prioritas strategi dalam pengembangan produk serat rami ina grass di Kabupaten Wonosobo. Informasi mengenai prioritas strategi ini merupakan salah satu komponen penting dalam menentukan kemajuan perkembangan produk dan mengembangkan potensi serat rami sebagai salah satu produk unggulan daerah khususnya di Kabupaten Wonosobo Provinsi Jawa Tengah. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis deskriptif dengan pendekatan secara kualitatif untuk mengekplorasi permasalahan dari segi faktor internal eksternal dan memetakan prioritas strategi dari beberapa alternatif strategi yang terkait. Eksplorasi dilakukan dengan cara wawancara mendalam terhadap tiga orang informan kunci dan wawancara terstruktur terhadap enam orang informan pendukung. Analisis data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan alat analisis Matriks QSP (Quantitative Strategic Planning). Secara garis besar hasil studi yang didapatkan dari hasil Matrix QSP diperoleh tiga strategi yang mempunyai nilai tertinggi yaitu memberikan pelatihan terhadap tenaga kerja agar lebih terampil, menggunakan teknologi modern dan meningkatkan promosi produk jadi dari serat rami ina grass agar dikenal oleh masyarakat luas.

NGHIÊN CỨU TUYỂN CHỌN CHỦNG VI SINH VẬT PHÂN GIẢI CHẤT HỮU CƠ PHÁT SINH TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH SẢN XUẤT SỢI TỪ CÂY GAI XANH (Boehmeria nivea tenacissima (L.) Gaud.)

Trong quá trình chuyển đổi cơ cấu cây trồng, cây gai nổi lên như một đối tượng sáng giá để nhiều địa phương lựa chọn thay cho các cây trồng khác kém hiệu quả. Diện tích cây gai xanh lấy sợi của Việt Nam đã trên 1000 ha (2018). Sau khi lấy vỏ làm sợi, một lượng lớn bã thải thân lá cây gai được thải ra ngoài môi trường. Các chất thải hữu cơ sau một thời gian để ngoài tự nhiên nó bị phân hủy sinh học gây ra mùi hôi, thối môi trường xung quanh. Việc tạo ra một chế phẩm vi sinh chuyên để xử lý bã thải cây gai làm sạch môi trường là cần thiết. Để giải quyết vấn đề đó, đề tài đã nghiên cứu thu thập, phân lập và tuyển chọn được những chủng vi sinh vật có khả năng phân giải xenluloza và lignin thành phần chính trong thân lá cây gai. Kết quả đã chọn được 4 chủng vi sinh vật có hoạt tính phân giải xenluloza và lignin cao để sản xuất chế phẩm sinh học phân giải bã thải cây gai xanh và có khả năng tổ hợp tốt là các chủng xạ khuẩn RR04, BG05, BG08, vi khuẩn RR05. Nghiên cứu cũng đã lựa chọn được môi trường lên men thích hợp nhất là MT2 để các chủng vi sinh vật có được hoạt tính sinh học xử lý bã thải cây gai tốt nhất.