Indonesian Journal of Pharmacology and Therapy

Inhibitory effect of yellow cempaka leaf (Michelia champaca Linn.) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

2026-06-19T14:44:01+07:00

Several studies have been conducted to develop herbal plants as alternatives to address infections. Yellow cempaka (Michelia champaca Linn.) is a natural ingredient that can serve as an alternative treatment. This study used a posttest-only control group to examine the antibacterial activity of the disc diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. This study included four treatment groups (10, 20, 40, and 80% ethanol extracts) and two control groups (10 μg amoxicillin for S. aureus, 5 μg ciprofloxacin for E. coli, and 96% ethanol as a negative control). The results showed that the ethanol extract of M. champaca leaves exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus at all concentrations tested, with mean inhibition zone diameters ranging from 13.70 mm to 23.11 mm. Statistical analysis showed that the 20% extract concentration had antibacterial
activity comparable to the positive control (p > 0.05), whereas the 40% and 80% concentrations showed significantly different inhibition zone diameters from the positive control (p < 0.05). In contrast, the ethanol extract of M. champaca leaves showed weak antibacterial activity against E. coli at all concentrations tested, with mean inhibition zone diameters ranging from 6.38 mm to 7.63 mm, which were significantly different from the positive control (p<0.05). These findings revealed that the ethanol extract of M. champaca leaves has potential as an alternative treatment for S. aureus infections. However, further research is needed to isolate
and identify specific active compounds and to evaluate their efficacy and safety.

Ethnic variability in methotrexate pharmacogenetics among rheumatoid arthritis populations: a narrative review

2026-06-19T14:44:01+07:00

Methotrexate is the recommended first-line conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug for rheumatoid arthritis; interindividual variability in treatment response and toxicity remains a major clinical challenge. Pharmacogenomics provides a biological basis for this variability, yet reported associations between genetic polymorphisms and methotrexate outcomes are often inconsistent across populations. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on ethnic variability in methotrexate pharmacogenetic associations among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar up to January 2026, including human studies evaluating genetic polymorphisms in methotrexate-related pathways and reporting outcomes related to treatment effectiveness or toxicity. The available evidence is dominated by observational studies in populations of European and East Asian ancestry, with limited data from Southeast Asian cohorts. Polymorphisms in genes involved in methotrexate transport, intracellular activation, folate-dependent metabolism, and drug efflux demonstrate substantial interethnic differences in allele frequencies and reported clinical associations. Variants in folate metabolism genes are more consistently associated with methotrexate-related toxicity than with treatment effectiveness, whereas transporter and downstream pathway variants show population-dependent and heterogeneous associations with effectiveness. These inconsistencies are further influenced by methodological heterogeneity, including differences in outcome definitions, methotrexate dosing, folate supplementation, sample size, and adjustment for concomitant therapies. Overall, ethnic variability appears to be a key determinant of methotrexate pharmacogenetic associations in rheumatoid arthritis. Population-specific studies using standardized disease activity outcomes are required, particularly in underrepresented Southeast Asian populations especially Indonesia, to support equitable implementation of precision medicine strategies.

Comparative analysis of the treatment costs of cisplatin-paclitaxel and cisplatin-gemcitabine in patients with advanced nsclc: a narrative review

2026-06-19T14:44:01+07:00

Platinum-based chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC. Cancer treatment is known to be time-consuming and expensive, resulting in numerous studies evaluating the costs of commonly used chemotherapy regimens. This narrative review aims to analyze and compare two of the most widely used regimens, cisplatin-paclitaxel and cisplatin-gemcitabine, in terms of costs and clinical outcomes. Articles were searched through various databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar, used a combination of keywords ("cisplatin-paclitaxel" OR "cisplatin-gemcitabine") AND "advanced NSCLC" AND "cost", with a publication timeframe from 2000 to the most recent year of the search. Articles were reviewed based on topic relevance and content suitability. Articles were selected based on topic relevance and compliance with the inclusion criteria, then data related to treatment costs were extracted and compared descriptively. Six of the seven selected articles showed that the cisplatin-gemcitabine regimen resulted in lower total therapy costs than cisplatin-paclitaxel. Although the clinical outcomes produced by both regimens were generally comparable, cisplatin-gemcitabine tended to have slightly higher efficacy, but not significantly different. These findings suggest that cisplatin-gemcitabine may be a more cost-effective alternative in the treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC. The results of this review can be used as supporting data for consideration in selecting chemotherapy regimens for patients with advanced NSCLC.