Cancer therapeutics inspired by defense mechanisms in the animal kingdom

Anti-Mitoticpotential Identification of Nyale (Eunice sp.) in The Tourism Area of Kuta Beach, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara

BACKGROUND: BauNyale festival is a Lombok tradition that originated in the Kuta beach tourism area in Central Lombok. The locals of Lombok Island gathered in this location to harvest marine worms known as Nyale (Eunice sp.). The ability of marine worms to act as anticancer agents has received little attention in Indonesia. AIM: This study aimed to examine the biomolecules compounds of Nyale as antimitotic candidates. METHODS: This was a preliminary study using post-test only with a control group design. The sample of this study was Nyale (Eunice sp.), and sea urchin (Tripneustes ventricosus) collected from Kuta beach, Central Lombok. The Nyale was extracted with 96% ethanol as the solvent. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) was used to determine the content of bioactive compounds. Sea urchin embryos were divided into four treatment groups (control; 10 mg, 100 mg, and 1000 mg; 1000 mg of Nyale extract). After 2 h of fertilization incubation, the number of cell division phases (2–32 cells) was counted. The data were analyzed using ANOVA. RESULTS: The results of the GCMS test revealed that there were ten different compounds in the Nyale ethanol extract. There was a tendency for cleavage when testing the anti-mitotic potential of Nyale extract in each group. There was a significant difference in the percentage of cell changes in all treatments (control, 10 mg, 100 mg, and 1000 mg) (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: Bioactive compounds found in marine worms (nyale) influence the percentage of cell division (anti-mitotic) in sea urchin embryos.

Biomimetics provides lessons from nature for contemporary ways to improve human health

Homo sapiens is currently living in serious disharmony with the rest of the natural world. For our species to survive, and for our well-being, we must gather knowledge from multiple perspectives and actively engage in studies of planetary health. The enormous diversity of species, one of the most striking aspects of life on our planet, provides a source of solutions that have been developed through evolution by natural selection by animals living in extreme environments. The food system is central to finding solutions; our current global eating patterns have a negative impact on human health, driven climate change and loss of biodiversity. We propose that the use of solutions derived from nature, an approach termed biomimetics, could mitigate the effects of a changing climate on planetary health as well as human health. For example, activation of the transcription factor Nrf2 may play a role in protecting animals living in extreme environments, or animals exposed to heat stress, pollution and pesticides. In order to meet these challenges, we call for the creation of novel interdisciplinary planetary health research teams.