Mercury (Hg) is a toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative heavy metal that can contaminate the environment and pose risks to human health. Laboratory wastewater containing mercury requires effective and environmentally friendly treatment technologies before being discharged into water bodies. One promising alternative is bioremediation using heavy metal-resistant bacteria. This study aimed to determine the optimum conditions for mercury (Hg) bioremediation using Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and their consortium based on variations in pH, incubation time, and initial Hg concentration, as well as to evaluate the ability of each bacterial culture and the consortium to reduce Hg concentrations in laboratory wastewater. The study employed a laboratory-based experimental design, with optimization experiments conducted at pH 5, 6, 7, and 8; incubation times of 24–120 hours; and initial Hg concentrations of 5–25 mg/L. Mercury concentrations were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The results showed that the optimum bioremediation conditions were pH 7, an incubation time of 96 hours, and an initial Hg concentration of 5 mg/L. P. aeruginosa exhibited a higher mercury reduction capacity than B. cereus, whereas the use of the bacterial consortium resulted in the highest removal efficiency. When applied to laboratory wastewater, the bacterial consortium reduced the mercury concentration by up to 73.45%, which was higher than that achieved using individual bacterial cultures. Nevertheless, the final mercury concentration remained above the applicable quality standard, indicating that further treatment is required before the wastewater can be discharged into the environment. These findings demonstrate that the combination of B. cereus and P. aeruginosa has potential as an environmentally friendly bioremediation agent for the treatment of mercury-containing wastewater.
Situ Tlajung Hilir is a small lake in Wanaherang Village (Gunung Putri, Bogor Regency) that supports irrigation, recreational fishing, and small-scale aquaculture for the surrounding community. After reports of severe pollution in late 2021, when blackened and malodorous water accompanied by fish kills was linked to domestic and industrial discharges, its present condition warranted re-assessment. This study evaluated the lake’s water-quality status using the STORET method against the Class II criteria of Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021. Samples drawn from three representative points (Points 1–3) on a single sampling occasion (19 March 2023) were examined for temperature, TDS, TSS, pH, COD, BOD, DO, total phosphate, sulphate, dissolved cadmium and lead, and fecal coliform, following the relevant Indonesian National Standards (SNI) and Standard Methods (23rd ed.) through gravimetric, titrimetric, spectrophotometric, ICP-OES, and Most Probable Number techniques. Averaged over the three points, the physical indicators and the dissolved metals stayed within Class II limits, whereas COD (27.35 mg/L), BOD (5.43 mg/L), DO (4.2 mg/L), total phosphate (0.10975 mg/L), and fecal coliform (2000 MPN/100 mL) each breached their thresholds. Summing the penalty scores produced a STORET value of –90, classifying the lake as Class D (heavily polluted), with organic and microbial loading from domestic and adjacent land-use activities as the dominant drivers.
Inflammation is the body's defense response to infections, physical injuries, metabolic disorders, and autoimmune diseases. Foreign agents will attach to TLR (Toll Like Receptor) and initiate the activationNF-κB within nucleus. This signaling induce release of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and iNOS. The manalagi apple and sukari date fruit are known to have bioactive compounds like flavonoids and phenols that could help reduce inflammation. This study seeks to identify the potential compounds in Malus sylvestris Mill, and Phoenix dactylifera L. as anti-inflammatory agents that inhibit the cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and iNOS. These compounds were tested with parameters such as binding affinity (∆G), inhibition constant (Ki), physicochemical properties, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET), as well as molecular dynamics. Ellagic acid, one of the 76 compounds obtained, has the potential to be an effective anti-inflammatory agent. It inhibits IL-1β (-4.901 kkal/mol and 0.9918 uM), IL-6 (-6.424 kkal/mol and 0.9892 uM), iNOS (-8.597 kkal/mol and 0.9856 uM), and TNF-α (-9.347 kkal/mol and 0.9843 uM). Ellagic acid has a molecular weight of 302.194 g/mol, a LogP partition coefficient of 1.3128, 4 hydrogen donors, and 8 hydrogen acceptors. Ellagic acid also has good ADME properties with a toxicity class of 6, non-mutagenis, and non-hepatotoxic.
Feed is one of the key factors in fish culture, including the use of plant-based ingredients such as soybean meal as an alternative protein source that may affect the physiological condition of organs, particularly the liver. This study aimed to analyse the effect of soybean meal supplementation in feed on the liver histological response of catfish (Clarias sp.). Liver histological characteristics were evaluated in three treatment groups: a control group (without soybean meal supplementation), 5% soybean meal-supplemented diet, and 10% soybean meal-supplemented diet. The results showed that the control group exhibited a relatively normal liver histological structure, characterised by an orderly arrangement of hepatocytes, centrally located nuclei, and clearly visible sinusoids. In the 5% soybean meal treatment, more pronounced histological alterations were observed, particularly cytoplasmic vacuolization of hepatocytes, indicating moderate to severe steatosis. Meanwhile, hepatocyte vacuolization was also observed in the 10% soybean meal treatment, but with a severity ranging from mild to moderate compared with the 5% treatment. These findings indicate that dietary soybean meal supplementation affects liver histology in catfish through a non-linear response pattern. The 5% dose caused greater tissue alterations than the 10% dose, which may be associated with the adaptive response of hepatocytes to feed exposure. These findings indicate that the use of soybean meal in fish feed should consider an appropriate dosage to maintain liver health.
The distribution of herbal medicines containing chemical substances (BKO) that are dangerous for the public is prohibited based on the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia No. 007 of 2012, however, they are still often found in the community. The types of BKO found in herbal medicines for aches and pains include dexamethasone, phenylbutazone and paracetamol. Paracetamol is an active substance used in modern medicine that has analgesic and antipyretic properties, so it can relieve pain in certain doses. Paracetamol in herbal medicines can be identified qualitatively using thin layer chromatography (TLC) with a standard paracetamol reference solution that has an Rf value of 0.77 with a mobile phase of ethyl acetate-ethanol-ammonia (85:10:5, v/v), and a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. Therefore, authentication of herbal medicines in circulation is needed as a guarantee of safety to the public. The purpose of this study was to detect BKO paracetamol in herbal medicines for aches and pains qualitatively and quantitatively using TLC and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The research stages included sampling herbal medicine from three industrial areas, namely Sentul, Cakung, and Cikarang with the types of herbal medicine selected being packaged and bulk as well as powder and liquid forms; identification of paracetamol using TLC; and analysis of paracetamol using a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. Based on the TLC analysis, it was found that 3 out of 24 samples of herbal medicine for aches and pains were positive for containing paracetamol. The three samples were obtained from the Cikarang Industrial Area with liquid preparations from branded and bulk packaging types with the codes C1Xl, C2Xl, and C2Yl. The paracetamol concentrations in these samples were 3.8417; 2.1390; and 15.1980 mg/L, respectively.
