- Central Mindanao University, University Town, Musuan, Bukidnon 8714
Mark Lloyd G Dapar
Central Mindanao University, Biology Department, Faculty Member
The purpose of this study was to explore the cytotoxicity of Gloydius brevicauda venom on tumor cells. Hela and Hep G2 cells were used as the research subjects. The MTT assay was employed to investigate the proliferative activity of snake... more
The purpose of this study was to explore the cytotoxicity of Gloydius brevicauda venom on tumor cells. Hela and Hep G2 cells were used as the research subjects. The MTT assay was employed to investigate the proliferative activity of snake venom on tumor cells. The cell scratch assay was conducted to study the migration ability of tumor cells treated with snake venom. The Hoechst 33258 fluorescent staining method was utilized to examine the damage caused by snake venom on tumor cells. The results demonstrated that the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the venom on Hela and Hep G2 cells at 48 hours was 8.176 µg/ml and 12.276 µg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, at a concentration of 4 µg/ml, the venom was able to inhibit the migration of tumor cells. Cell nuclear fluorescence staining revealed that the venom at concentrations of 8 µg/ml and 12 µg/ml induced DNA condensation in Hela and Hep G2 cells, respectively. In conclusion, the venom of Gloydius brevicauda was found to ...
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Research Interests: Sociology, Geography, Ethnobotany, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Traditional Medicine, and 11 moreTraditional Ecological Knowledge, Ethnopharmacology, Medicinal Plants, Ethnobiology, Medicine, Ethnomedicine, Traditional Knowledge, Tribe, Public health systems and services research, Ethnic Group, and Indigenous
This study provides ethnomedicinal information and conservation status of medicinal trees used by the Manobo and Higaonon indigenous communities of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, Philippines. Data were obtained through semi-structured... more
This study provides ethnomedicinal information and conservation status of medicinal trees used by the Manobo and Higaonon indigenous communities of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur, Philippines. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, group discussion, and guided field walks with a total of 145 informants comprising of 95 Manobo and 50 Higaonon people with their traditional medical knowledge. A total of 43 tree species belonging to 36 genera and 22 plant families were recorded as ethnomedicinally important. Family importance value (FIV) was highest in Moraceae (99.33), followed by Lamiaceae (97.33), Rutaceae (96.00), Lauraceae (94.00), and Fabaceae (93.33). Plant parts are used for fracture and dislocation, weakness and fatigue, snakebite, diarrhea, and postpartum care and recovery, respectively. Highest relative frequency of citation (RFC) was cited for both Cinnamomum mercadoi S.Vidal and Ficus concinna (Miq.) Miq. Assessment of conservation status revealed that most of the medicinal trees with 20 species were not assessed (NA), followed by 15 species as least concern (LC), two species as vulnerable (VU), two species as other threatened species (OTS), two species as data deficient (DD), and one species each as endangered and near threatened, namely Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq., and Calamus megaphyllus Becc., respectively. Only seven species (16%) are endemic in the Philippines. These findings provide a rationale for future in-situ conservation strategies of these important medicinal trees in indigenous ancestral lands for sustainable utilization of these genetic resources as part of the traditional heritage of the Manobo and Higaonon.
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Lead (Pb) is a neurotoxic heavy metal element with many recognized adverse health side effects, and its main target of lead toxicity is the central nervous system. The mechanism of lead toxicity is still uncertain. However, there are few... more
Lead (Pb) is a neurotoxic heavy metal element with many recognized adverse health side effects, and its main target of lead toxicity is the central nervous system. The mechanism of lead toxicity is still uncertain. However, there are few studies investigated the cytokines changes caused by lead exposure in children. The BLLs was quantified using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The novel cytokines were detected by RayBio@ Human Cytokine Antibody Array. A total of 4 children with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) and 4 children with low BLLs were chosen in the study. Volcano plot analysis was performed to identify significant proteins, with the criteria: P value <0.05 and log2 fold change >1. The mean BLLs of children with elevated BLLs (5.675±1.018 μg/dL) has significant difference compared with those with low BLLs (1.975±0.3966 μg/dL) (P=0.0148, t=3.385). And 9 kinds of novel cytokines were identified. The expression of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-17 was significantly up-regulated...
Snake venom, as a natural biotoxin, is widely present in nature and can act in coordination with a variety of signal regulatory proteins, playing a significant role in the regulation of tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, invasion, and... more
Snake venom, as a natural biotoxin, is widely present in nature and can act in coordination with a variety of signal regulatory proteins, playing a significant role in the regulation of tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, invasion, and angiogenesis. Malignant tumors have long attracted the attention of the medical community as the leading cause of death in humans. In this paper, we focus on reviewing the progress of snake venom in the regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, metastasis, invasion, and angiogenesis of tumor cells in malignant tumors in order to clarify the mechanisms by which snake venom suppresses malignant tumors and to provide a reference for the study of malignant tumors.
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Medicinal plants are a valuable resource for a variety of products which are important for human needs. The fundamental step in the process has always been the characterization of species. This is the reason which connects the... more
Medicinal plants are a valuable resource for a variety of products which are important for human needs. The fundamental step in the process has always been the characterization of species. This is the reason which connects the phytopharmaceutical sciences with taxonomy and species identification. The DNA-based method of identification has revolutionized this field in taking the taxonomy to the molecular level. 50 medicinal plants were selected. Two nucleotide sequences of each collected plant were selected and 100 nucleotide sequences downloaded from the NCBI database. MEGA11 Software was used to analyze those nucleotide sequences, and then Maximum Likelihood tree was reconstructed to reveal genetic relationship of 50 medicinal plants. The phylogenetic tree showed that majority nucleotide sequences of 50 medicinal plants can be clustered on the same branch with the same plants of their network.
Research Interests: Biology and Euphorbiaceae
YKT6, as a Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein with vesicle trafficking, plays an essential role in the development and progression of tumor. However, the gene of YKT6 has not been fully... more
YKT6, as a Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein with vesicle trafficking, plays an essential role in the development and progression of tumor. However, the gene of YKT6 has not been fully assessed in pan-cancer studies. We aim to investigate the gene of YKT6 across 33 different types of tumor by using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and other several kinds of bioinformatic tools. YKT6 is significantly up-regulated in most tumors, and we found that overexpression of YKT6 is positively associated with poor prognosis of overall survival (OS) and poor disease-free survival (DFS) prognosis in several tumors, such as Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (BLCA), Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC). We also detected distinct associations exist between YKT6 and tumor mutational burden (TMB) or microsatellite instability (MSI) with tumors. YKT6 expression was positively re...
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The pediatric population constitutes the most vulnerable patients due to a dearth of approved drugs. Consequently, there is a pressing need to probe novel natural pharmacological agents in an endeavour to develop new drugs to address... more
The pediatric population constitutes the most vulnerable patients due to a dearth of approved drugs. Consequently, there is a pressing need to probe novel natural pharmacological agents in an endeavour to develop new drugs to address pediatric illnesses. To date, no studies have explored the use of natural therapies for pediatric health care in Mauritius. Parents (n = 325) from different regions of the island were interviewed. Quantitative indexes such as fidelity level (FL), informant consensus factor (F IC), and use-value (UV) were calculated. Thirty-two plants were reported to be used by pediatric patients. Gastrointestinal disorders (F IC = 0.97) encompassing regurgitation, infantile colic, and stomach aches were the most common ailments managed with herbs. Matricaria chamomilla used for infantile colic and its pharmacological properties has previously been documented for pediatric patients. Product from A. mellifera (UV = 0.75) was the most utilized zootherapy for managing coug...
Research Interests: Sociology, Technology, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Adolescent, and 15 moreMedicine, Biological Sciences, Humans, Child, Mauritius, Female, Male, Infant, Biomed, Middle Aged, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Gastrointestinal Diseases, Child preschool, and Biological products
Article history: Received 25 January 2014 Received in revised form 12 March 2014 Accepted 14 April 2014 Available online 25 April 2014
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This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial and cellular metabolic inhibitory properties of the ethanolic extract from the bark of ‘Lunas-bagon’, Lunasia sp. Extracts were evaluated using the agar well diffusion method for... more
This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial and cellular metabolic inhibitory properties of the ethanolic extract from the bark of ‘Lunas-bagon’, Lunasia sp. Extracts were evaluated using the agar well diffusion method for antimicrobial assay. The standard phytochemical screening was done for the determination of compounds that can be considered toxic and MTT assay for the effects of the extract on cellular metabolism. Results showed that the extracts have ability to inhibit selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial isolates indicating that the extracts are effective antibacterials. Results from the MTT assay revealed at doses lower than 100.0 ug/ml, extracts will not inhibit cellular metabolism of the splenocytes. Higher dose, however shows reduction of metabolic activity which may indicate the onset of apoptosis in cells. Basic biochemical tests indicated the absence of cyanogenic glycosides and anthraquinones, thus the extracts may not have toxic effects. Iden...
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Rice bran is a byproduct of rice milling process which contains significant amount of natural phytochemicals. The IR64 rice variety is a high-yielding, semi-dwarf and mostly grown variety in the tropics. This study aims to determine the... more
Rice bran is a byproduct of rice milling process which contains significant amount of natural phytochemicals. The IR64 rice variety is a high-yielding, semi-dwarf and mostly grown variety in the tropics. This study aims to determine the cytotoxic and antioxidant potentials of IR64 rice bran. The sample was subjected to sequential extraction using hexane and ethanol. The concentrated extracts were diluted in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The cytotoxic activity of hexane and ethanol extracts was analyzed using the Methyl Thiazol Tetrazollium (MTT) Assay for human lung and colon carcinomas. Both extracts were also analyzed by Cytotoxicity Assay using lymphocytes from normal blood. The antioxidant property was evaluated by free radical diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The result of MTT Assay revealed that ethanol extract inhibit proliferation of human lung and colon carcinomas at 10181 µg/ml and 6650 µg/ml, respectively. The ethanol extract demonstrated 79.79% inhibition ag...
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Many studies show the human face can provide insights or predictions of the character and behavior of the individual. While many persons argue that one should focus on how the individual acts and not how they look, studies have shown that... more
Many studies show the human face can provide insights or predictions of the character and behavior of the individual. While many persons argue that one should focus on how the individual acts and not how they look, studies have shown that many individuals perceive the face can describe the person&#39;s identity, emotional states, and the social categories. Several studies had been conducted to assess the facial morphology in individuals pertaining to recognition, investigations, and most to health-related issues but not on sexual preference. One of the most interesting topic for research is describing biological traits such as the face of homosexuals. Studies on sexual preference use traditional methods but these were only limited to the application of multivariate statistical analysis to sets of quantitative variables. With the advances in statistics, biology, geometry and imaging, the facial morphological characteristics of the homosexual and heterosexual populations in Iligan City, Philippines, were described using the tools of Geometric Morphometrics (GM). Digital images were taken from 60 heterosexual and 72 homosexual males who participated in the study. Using the standard number of landmarks, forty-three points were positioned on the front face images, the Cartesian of which were extracted using an image analysis and processing software. Four relative warps were generated for definite results in shape variations between the two groups. The significant relative warps revealed that most homosexuals have drooping eyes, eyebrows and nose that are slightly distanced from the eyes, smaller chin, obvious facial width and prominent jaws and cheekbones which could overall give us a picture of a relative widened face compared to the consensus (mean) shape while most heterosexuals have a shorter distance between the eyes and the nose region, longer chin, less facial width and less prominent jaws and cheeks that could be imagined as faces with a slight elongated shape. In this particular study, sexual orientation is strongly associated with changes in the face shape and thus, it adds to the growing evidence that there could be biological basis in the expression of such facial characteristics in exclusive homosexuals.
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Abstract. Jamera JKAM, Manting MME, Dapar MLG. 2020. Ritual plants used by the Manobo tribe of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Asian J Ethnobiol 3: 41-50. Manobo tribe is culturally rich in traditional practices, medicinal uses, diversity,... more
Abstract. Jamera JKAM, Manting MME, Dapar MLG. 2020. Ritual plants used by the Manobo tribe of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Asian J Ethnobiol 3: 41-50. Manobo tribe is culturally rich in traditional practices, medicinal uses, diversity, and traditional knowledge based on their community plant resources. They dwell in hinterlands and mountainous regions in the southern part of the Philippines and live an intricate life dependent on agriculture and forest plants. Traditional ecological knowledge and beliefs of indigenous peoples play an essential role in the conservation of biodiversity. This study seeks to investigate the use of ritual plants of the Manobo tribe in Hinapuyan, Carmen and Cabangahan, Cantilan, Surigao del Sur and to identify the availability of ritual plants being used. Plant information with the local name, plant parts used, methods of preparation, ritual uses, and Cultural Importance Index (CI) were quantified. This study documented a total of 12 traditional rituals...
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Ethnobotany encompasses multidisciplinary fields such as systematics and taxonomy, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, phytochemistry, ecology, and conservation biology. This review article gives an account of the current status, challenges,... more
Ethnobotany encompasses multidisciplinary fields such as systematics and taxonomy, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, phytochemistry, ecology, and conservation biology. This review article gives an account of the current status, challenges, recommendations and future perspectives of Philippine ethnobotanical studies on indigenous communities. Data mining related to ethnobotanical studies was performed retrieving updated search from online databases using series of keywords showing the elements of Philippine ethnobotany. Other literature was sourced from the university library. Philippine ethnobotanical studies still prevail and strengthen the dynamic nature of traditional knowledge among diverse cultural communities. Medical ethnobotany remains the central interest and continually attracted researchers in various fields of discipline. While some of these traditional practices have existed throughout the centuries, most studies reported a threatening loss of knowledge as the younger generation has changed or vanishing. We assessed that the traditional knowledge of indigenous communities is still under- documented across several ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines. Challenges may vary in different cultures and localities. Philippine ethnobotanical studies enhance the quality of science by providing compensation to cultural groups with benefit-sharing and taking into account the importance of their plant resources and environmental concerns. Ethnobotanical surveys present the rich traditional plant knowledge of ethnic groups allowing them to make more educated decisions about their future directions. We recommend quantitative evaluations and experimental assessments of medicinal plants following ethics and standardized data-collecting protocols. Given our findings, we hope to encourage future researchers to formulate clear plans and systematically document ethnobotanical knowledge in the country before it is lost and forgotten.
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This study was conducted to investigate the ethnomedicinal plants used by the Agusan Manobo as potential drug leads for the treatment of cuts and wounds. Despite the prominence of the locality on medicinal plant use, the area was... more
This study was conducted to investigate the ethnomedicinal plants used by the Agusan Manobo as potential drug leads for the treatment of cuts and wounds. Despite the prominence of the locality on medicinal plant use, the area was previously ignored due to distance and security threat from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army. Oral medicinal plant knowledge was documented. Ethnomedicinal survey was conducted from October 2018 to February 2019 among 50 key informants through a semi-structured questionnaire; open interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to gather information on medicinal plants used as a treatment for cuts and wounds. Nonparametric inferential statistics Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were set at 0.05 level of significance to determine if there was a significant difference of ethnomedicinal knowledge among respondents when grouped according to location, social position, occupation, educational level, civil status, gender and age. Quantitative ethnomedicinal data was obtained from Family Importance Value and Relative Frequency of Citation. Present documentation enumerates 48 species of medicinal plants belonging to 45 genera and 26 families used by the community and their only tribal healer for the treatment of cuts and wounds. Asteraceae (7 species) was the best-represented family and Piper species were cited to be the most frequently used medicinal plant species. Statistically, the medicinal plant knowledge among respondents was significantly different (p < 0.05) when grouped according to occupation, educational level, civil status, gender, and age but not when grouped according to location (p = 0.234) and social position (p = 0.580). The current study documents the medicinal plant knowledge of Agusan Manobo in the treatment of cuts and wounds. The traditional medicinal systems of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) are sources of knowledge for bioprospecting. More ethnobotanical studies should be encouraged before the traditional knowledge of indigenous people vanishes.
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The leaves of Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp. have been reported to have ethnomedicinal uses such as wound healing, skin itching or dermatitis, and others. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate its biological properties, whether... more
The leaves of Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp. have been reported to have ethnomedicinal uses such as wound healing, skin itching or dermatitis, and others. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate its biological properties, whether ethanolic leaf extract of G. sepium (Jacq.) Walp. has antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, and whether these are reflected in the presence of antimicrobial and antioxidant phytochemicals in the extract. Antimicrobial properties using the agar well-diffusion method showed inhibition against bacterial organism Bacillus subtilis and fungus Candida albicans. The antioxidant activity evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) photometric assay showed that G. sepium (Jacq.) Walp. is a medium antioxidant with an IC50 of 144 ppm. Phytochemicals present in the extract showed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, steroids, and tannins, which are known as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. Evaluation of the bioactive compounds in the extract using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry identified twenty-two (22) possible bioactive compounds. Of these, ten (10) were found to be known antimicrobials, while eight (8) compounds were found to be known antioxidants based on published literature. This study has shown support to the ethnomedicinal uses of the leaves of G. sepium (Jacq.) Walp. as an antimicrobial and antioxidant plant.
Atuna racemosa is a fruit-bearing tree popular in Asia and Polynesia for its medicinal uses. Traditionally, the inner bark of the plant is used to treat hypertension and severe abdominal pain. This study was conducted to determine the... more
Atuna racemosa is a fruit-bearing tree popular in Asia and Polynesia for its medicinal uses. Traditionally, the inner bark of the plant is used to treat hypertension and severe abdominal pain. This study was conducted to determine the phytochemical components, antimicrobial properties and antioxidant properties in the ethanolic extract of the inner bark of the plant. Phytochemical screening reveals the presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins and alkaloids, and the absence of anthraquinones and cyanogenic-glycosides. Through the DPPH assay, the inner bark extract showed antioxidant potential. The antibacterial assay showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis UPCC129, Staphylococcus aureus UPCC1142, Escherichia coli UPCC1195, Klebsiella pneumoniae UPCC1360, Salmonella typhimurium UPCC1368, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa UPCC1244. The biochemical components in the plant extract determined by GCMS analysis and identified by comparison with the reference standard found in the NIST library showed the compounds have antimicrobial, antioxidant and other biological properties. These results enhance the medicinal value of the plant as a potential source for pharmaceutical drugs and therapeutics.
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The roots of Cocos nucifera L. have been used in folk medicine to treat several health problems including infections, inflammations, hypertension, wound healing, and others. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate their biological... more
The roots of Cocos nucifera L. have been used in folk medicine to treat several health problems including infections, inflammations, hypertension, wound healing, and others. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate their biological properties, whether they have antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and whether these are reflected in the presence of antimicrobial and antioxidant phytochemicals in the extract. Antimicrobial properties using the agar well-diffusion method showed inhibition against bacterial organisms Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans but no growth inhibition was found in the fungus Aspergillus niger. The antioxidant activity evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) photometric assay and compared with Vitamin C showed that the half maximal inhibitory concentration of the root extract was 24.25 ppm, 14x lower in inhibitory efficiency than the standard Vitamin C. Phytochemicals present in the extract showed the presence of tannins, saponins, alkaloids, steroids, glycosides, and flavonoids which are known antioxidants. Qualitative assessment of the presence of compounds in the extract using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry identified twenty-one (21) possible bioactive compounds. Of these, eight (8) were found to be known antimicrobials while seven (7) compounds were found to be known antioxidants. This study has shown support to the ethnomedicinal use of the root of C. nucifera as an antimicrobial and antioxidant.
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The bark and wood of sapwood, Dracontomelon dao (Anacardiaceae) are used in traditional medicine to treat several health problems including infections, inflammations, and tumors. This study was therefore conducted to provide some... more
The bark and wood of sapwood, Dracontomelon dao (Anacardiaceae) are used in traditional medicine to treat several health problems including infections, inflammations, and tumors. This study was therefore conducted to provide some information on the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cellular metabolic activities of the ethanolic extract of the bark and wood of D. dao. The phytochemical components were assessed to evaluate whether the extract contains the presence of phytochemicals that are considered antioxidants. GCMS analysis was done to identify the compounds present and evaluate their functions through data mining. Antimicrobial activity evaluated using agar well diffusion method showed inhibition of the extract against the gram- positive and gram-negative bacteria Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and the two disease-causing species of fungi, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. The antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated using 1, 1- diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method showed strong antioxidant activity with an IC50 <<<<5 ppm comparable to the antioxidant activity of Vitamin C. Cytotoxic activity of the extract evaluated using trypan blue exclusion test showed low survival of normal human lymphocytes with only 20.3% live cells remaining after and being subjected to 1 mg/ml of the extract. Phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinones, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, and tannins which are known as antimicrobial and antioxidants. Identification of the bioactive compounds in the extract using GCMS revealed a total of 54 compounds. Twenty-one of these compounds have antimicrobial properties while 15 of these compounds have antioxidant properties based on published literature. Other compounds also suggest biological activities other than antimicrobial and antioxidant that also indicate potential biomedical applications. The information from the results in this study supports the traditional medicinal claims of D. dao have scientific bases.
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One of the most popular plants used as a spice by the Maranao Muslims of Marawi City is a white variety of Allium ampeloprasum. This plant is not only popular for the preparation of a variety of dishes but also for the treatment of common... more
One of the most popular plants used as a spice by the Maranao Muslims of Marawi City is a white variety of Allium ampeloprasum. This plant is not only popular for the preparation of a variety of dishes but also for the treatment of common infections. This study was conducted to determine the phytochemical constituents, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of ethanolic extracts of the plant variety. Alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and steroids were the phytochemicals that were detected in the samples, while tannins, cyanogenic glycosides and anthraquinones were absent. The plant extract showed strong antioxidant activity based on DPPH assay. The antimicrobial assay showed no inhibition of growth of P. aeruginosa UPCC1244 and B. subtilis UPCC1295 but strong inhibition of E. coli UPCC1195, K. pneumoniae UPCC1360, S. typhimurium UPCC1368 and S. aureus UPCC1142. GCMS analysis showed the presence of compounds with biological properties. This study, therefore, indicated that the plant has potential medicinal and antimicrobial properties.
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The Philippines is renowned as one of the species-rich countries and culturally megadiverse in ethnicity around the globe. However, ethnopharmacological studies in the Philippines are still limited especially in the most numerous ethnic... more
The Philippines is renowned as one of the species-rich countries and culturally megadiverse in ethnicity around the globe. However, ethnopharmacological studies in the Philippines are still limited especially in the most numerous ethnic tribal populations in the southern part of the archipelago. This present study aims to document the traditional practices, medicinal plant use, and knowledge; to determine the relative importance, consensus, and the extent of all medicinal plants used; and to integrate molecular confirmation of uncertain species used by the Agusan Manobo in Mindanao, Philippines. Quantitative ethnopharmacological data were obtained using semi-structured interviews, group discussions, field observations, and guided field walks with a total of 335 key informants comprising of tribal chieftains, traditional healers, community elders, and Manobo members of the community with their medicinal plant knowledge. The use-report (UR), use categories (UC), use value (UV), cultural importance value (CIV), and use diversity (UD) were quantified and correlated. Other indices using fidelity level (FL), informant consensus factors (ICF), and Jaccard's similarity index (JI) were also calculated. The key informants' medicinal plant use knowledge and practices were statistically analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. This study enumerated the ethnopharmacological use of 122 medicinal plant species, distributed among 108 genera and belonging to 51 families classified in 16 use categories. Integrative molecular approach confirmed 24 species with confusing species identity using multiple universal markers (ITS, matK, psbA-trnH, and trnL-F). There was strong agreement among the key informants regarding ethnopharmacological uses of plants, with ICF values ranging from 0.97 to 0.99, with the highest number of species (88) being used for the treatment of abnormal signs and symptoms (ASS). Seven species were reported with maximum fidelity level (100%) in seven use categories. The correlations of the five variables (UR, UC, UV, CIV, and UD) were significant (rs ≥ 0.69, p < 0.001), some being stronger than others. The degree of similarity of the three studied localities had JI ranged from 0.38 to 0.42, indicating species likeness among the tribal communities. Statistically, the medicinal plant knowledge among respondents was significantly different (p < 0.001) when grouped according to education, gender, social position, occupation, civil status, and age but not (p = 0.379) when grouped according to location. This study recorded the first quantitative ethnopharmacological documentation coupled with molecular confirmation of medicinal plants in Mindanao, Philippines, of which one medicinal plant species has never been studied pharmacologically to date. Documenting such traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and practices is highly essential for future management and conservation strategies of these plant genetic resources. This ethnopharmacological study will serve as a future reference not only for more systematic ethnopharmacological documentation but also for further pharmacological studies and drug discovery to improve public healthcare worldwide.
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This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial and cellular metabolic inhibitory properties of the ethanolic extract from the bark of 'Lunas-bagon', Lunasia sp. Extracts were evaluated using the agar well diffusion method for... more
This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial and cellular metabolic inhibitory properties of the ethanolic extract from the bark of 'Lunas-bagon', Lunasia sp. Extracts were evaluated using the agar well diffusion method for antimicrobial assay. The standard phytochemical screening was done for the determination of compounds that can be considered toxic and MTT assay for the effects of the extract on cellular metabolism. Results showed that the extracts have ability to inhibit selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial isolates indicating that the extracts are effective antibacterials. Results from the MTT assay revealed at doses lower than 100.0 ug/ml, extracts will not inhibit cellular metabolism of the splenocytes. Higher dose, however shows reduction of metabolic activity which may indicate the onset of apoptosis in cells. Basic biochemical tests indicated the absence of cyanogenic glycosides and anthraquinones, thus the extracts may not have toxic effects. Identification of bioactive compounds in through GC-MS analysis showed the presence of compounds that are known as antimicrobials and also effective in the treatment of selected health-related problems and conditions. The information generated in this study clearly indicates that the folk medical uses of 'Lunas-bagon', Lunasia sp. have antimicrobial and biochemical bases.
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This paper presents a folkloric survey of the traditional uses and preparations of Lunasia amara (Blanco). Interviews among the snowball-sampled key informants composed of a resident, a traditional healer and a Manobo healer from each of... more
This paper presents a folkloric survey of the traditional uses and preparations of Lunasia amara (Blanco). Interviews among the snowball-sampled key informants composed of a resident, a traditional healer and a Manobo healer from each of the sampled areas in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. Results show that the plant is sourced for its medicinal value either from the tree ('lunas-kahoy') and/or the vine ('lunas-bagon'). The bark of the tree or the vine is used as anti-inflammatory (for wounds, bites, skin diseases, fever, ulcer, nausea, heartburn and gastroenteritis); antimotility (diarrhea); antihistamines (for skin allergies and itchiness); antiparasitic (for malaria); antibacterial (for skin diseases and stomach troubles); antitoxin (for food poison, poisoning, tetanus, snake and insect venom); and antiviral (for rabies, chikungunya and dengue). Key informants typically infused the bark with coconut oil and/or tinctured with a local wine ('Kulafu') being affordable and convenient to use. The application of the plant preparations was either by rubbing the infusion to the affected areas or drinking the infusion or tincture if the problem is internal. The current study is in concurrence with those reported ethnomedical applications of the plant done elsewhere indicating that this plant has important pharmacological and chemical properties that should be further investigated.
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Many studies show the human face can provide insights or predictions of the character and behavior of the individual. While many persons argue that one should focus on how the individual acts and not how they look, studies have shown that... more
Many studies show the human face can provide insights or predictions of the character and behavior of the individual. While many persons argue that one should focus on how the individual acts and not how they look, studies have shown that many individuals perceive the face can describe the person's identity, emotional states, and the social categories. Several studies had been conducted to assess the facial morphology in individuals pertaining to recognition, investigations, and most to health-related issues but not on sexual preference. One of the most interesting topic for research is describing biological traits such as the face of homosexuals. Studies on sexual preference use traditional methods but these were only limited to the application of multivariate statistical analysis to sets of quantitative variables. With the advances in statistics, biology, geometry and imaging, the facial morphological characteristics of the homosexual and heterosexual populations in Iligan City, Philippines, were described using the tools of Geometric Morphometrics (GM). Digital images were taken from 60 heterosexual and 72 homosexual males who participated in the study. Using the standard number of landmarks, forty-three points were positioned on the front face images, the Cartesian of which were extracted using an image analysis and processing software. Four relative warps were generated for definite results in shape variations between the two groups. The significant relative warps revealed that most homosexuals have drooping eyes, eyebrows and nose that are slightly distanced from the eyes, smaller chin, obvious facial width and prominent jaws and cheekbones which could overall give us a picture of a relative widened face compared to the consensus (mean) shape while most heterosexuals have a shorter distance between the eyes and the nose region, longer chin, less facial width and less prominent jaws and cheeks that could be imagined as faces with a slight elongated shape. In this particular study, sexual orientation is strongly associated with changes in the face shape and thus, it adds to the growing evidence that there could be biological basis in the expression of such facial characteristics in exclusive homosexuals.
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The human face is an intricate heritable structure with crucial social functional cues. This study aims to describe detailed variations and correlate the human face with measured intelligence among selected freshmen students in the... more
The human face is an intricate heritable structure with crucial social functional cues. This study aims to describe detailed variations and correlate the human face with measured intelligence among selected freshmen students in the university using landmark-based geometric morphometrics. Psychology test results were based on the conducted tests in the institute Guidance Counselling Center (GCC) to freshmen students of the College of Science and Mathematics. Static facial images of the 170 (68 males and 102 females) student respondents in a neutral orientation were landmarked using the 43 standard anatomical landmarks in the face. Relative warps scores generated were used for the analysis of shape variation among the six Intelligence Quotient (IQ) groups. Bivariate linear regression of RW and IQ scores were employed to determine the correlation of shape variation associated with measured intelligence. The results show variations in facial shapes within and between IQ groups but no correlation between facial shapes and measured intelligence was observed.
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Rice bran is a byproduct of rice milling process which contains significant amount of natural phytochemicals. The IR64 rice variety is a high-yielding, semi-dwarf and mostly grown variety in the tropics. This study aims to determine the... more
Rice bran is a byproduct of rice milling process which contains significant amount of natural phytochemicals. The IR64 rice variety is a high-yielding, semi-dwarf and mostly grown variety in the tropics. This study aims to determine the cytotoxic and antioxidant potentials of IR64 rice bran. The sample was subjected to sequential extraction using hexane and ethanol. The concentrated extracts were diluted in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The cytotoxic activity of hexane and ethanol extracts was analyzed using the Methyl Thiazol Tetrazollium (MTT) Assay for human lung and colon carcinomas. Both extracts were also analyzed by Cytotoxicity Assay using lymphocytes from normal blood. The antioxidant property was evaluated by free radical diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The result of MTT Assay revealed that ethanol extract inhibit proliferation of human lung and colon carcinomas at 10181 μg/ml and 6650 μg/ml, respectively. The ethanol extract demonstrated 79.79% inhibition against DPPH. Based on the cytoxicity assay conducted, it shows that the sample is not toxic to normal cells (lymphocytes) having an average of only 14 cells died at a 193 cell population (7.25 per 100 cells) compared to the base cell medium as untreated control and 2.5% DMSO in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). No cytotoxicity and antioxidant potentials were exhibited by the hexane extract. It was concluded that IR64 rice bran ethanol extract is a potential source of bioactive compound/s against both human lung and colon carcinomas and a potential antioxidant against free radicals.
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Scales have numerous hidden details in their structures that contribute effectively to fish identification and classification. A traditional approach has been made to study the scale morphology of the Indian goatfish Parupeneus indicus... more
Scales have numerous hidden details in their structures that contribute effectively to fish identification and classification. A traditional approach has been made to study the scale morphology of the Indian goatfish Parupeneus indicus using a stereomicroscope in tandem with a 12.2 megapixel Samsung ST500 digital camera in which digitized images were processed using Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended software. Two specimens of fish sample of both sexes were described qualitatively and observed quantitatively. Thirty scales in every region were obtained for description and comparison. In describing the scales, several distinguishable characteristics were considered such as the type of the scale, overall scale shape, scale size, the shape of the posterior margin group of ctenii square, the position of the focus, circuli appearance, and the type of radii. Results of the study revealed that there are significant variations of shapes observed between male and female species. The presence of disrupted circuli, the same type of radii existing in each body regions in both sexes of the fish cannot be used to establish sexual dimorphism in P. indicus due to their similarities. The existence of an oblong scale shape is unique to males and that of a cycloid shape unique to females. Also, the variation of other scale shapes in region G where male has rectangular while female has triangular shapes but both have square scale shape and in region J where male has rectangular shape while female has square shape but both have triangular shape. Thus, these are significant indicator of sexual dimorphism between the sexes of P. indicus.
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Pomacea canaliculata is a gastropod species that has been highly recognized as a fast growing and invasive serious agricultural pests of rice in Asia particularly the Philippines. The rapid invasion of this species in many variable... more
Pomacea canaliculata is a gastropod species that has been highly recognized as a fast growing and invasive serious agricultural pests of rice in Asia particularly the Philippines. The rapid invasion of this species in many variable habitats and in the past several years attempts were made to clearly understand the nature of this pest. It was therefore the objective of the study to describe geographic variations in this pest especially the snail has been found not only in agricultural rice farms but also in canals and ponds. The adaptation could be inherent in the pest and could be reflected in the phenotype. Thus to describe possible phenotypic diversity in this organism, the shape of the shell was quantitative analyzed and described using relative warp analysis, the principal components of the covariance matrix of the partial warp scores generated. Results showed that P. canaliculata shells vary in whorl shell shape between geographical locations. There were many factors hypothesized that may have affected the shapes of the shell such as habitat types and other environmental gradients. While the use of the relative warp analysis was useful in the quantitative description of the shape of the shell, more studies are needed to relate these variations to factors that may influence variations in shapes.
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The graffiti in the Philippines can be traced back to the Angono petroglyphs (Paleolithic rock art), but it was in the 1970s that graffiti as a political statement became rampant. It started to invade academic institutions as evidenced by... more
The graffiti in the Philippines can be traced back to the Angono petroglyphs (Paleolithic rock art), but it was in the 1970s that graffiti as a political statement became rampant. It started to invade academic institutions as evidenced by graffiti found in corridors, comfort rooms, desks/armchairs, and even books. In 1993, western graffiti (graffiti as an art) was introduced in the Philippines by a group of graffiti writers. Since then, annual conventions and exhibits have been scheduled for graffiti writers. In the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, Philippines, graffiti on students' restrooms is rampant. Majority of the walls and doors (59%) in the students' restrooms have graffiti. Students used felt-nibbed pen, ballpoints, pencils, paints, and sharp materials to engrave markings the most common forms of which are drawings, texts and symbols. Texts are mostly written in the Visayan dialect and English. To determine the history, extents and intents, status, functionality, and dysfunctionality of graffiti on male and female students' restrooms in eight colleges at MSU-IIT, an ocular survey and use of a digital camera were employed to document the form and style of graffiti. Analysis made use of secondary data from utility workers, historical documentation of records, interviews, and narratives from select respondents. Results showed the scribbles are in the form of cartoons, names of persons and school organizations, quotations, lines of songs, love messages, religious phrases, and expressions of feelings. Furthermore, the male restrooms where found to have the highest magnitude and intensity of graffiti. The use of the functional theory revealed that the making of graffiti manifests a student's boredom and for them to express their feelings and emotions to exercise their freedom of expression. The graffiti is also dysfunctional because it causes damage to public property-students restrooms. The student respondents recognized that their action is illegal. They admitted that dirty, messy and untidy restrooms cause visual pollution and burden the university with expenditures for repainting.