FMIPA UII – Indonesia has an abundance of natural resources. Of the approximately 40,000 medicinal plant species known in the world, an estimated 30,000 are found in Indonesia. This number represents 90% of the medicinal plants in Asia.

This was conveyed by Prof. Dr. apt. Yandi Syukri, S.Si., M.Si., Professor of Pharmaceutics at UII during the ICPRP-2022 (International Conference on Pharmaceutical Research and Practice) on Nanotechnology – Nano Pharmacy. The workshop was held over two days, Friday–Saturday (June 10–11).

“There are three potential approaches for natural product applications, including cosmetics, food, and traditional medicine based on empirical practices. Two scientifically promising approaches are through pharmacology and phytochemistry,” said Yandi Syukri.

He further explained the importance of utilizing nanotechnology prospects for developing natural medicines. Scientists believe that materials have a “critical length scale.”

“If the dimensions of a material reach the critical length scale, its properties change significantly, including its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. This critical range lies in the nanometer scale,” he stated.

Yandi Syukri revealed that plant extracts contain secondary metabolites such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids, which function in reducing ions to form metallic nanoparticles. In primitive times, metals and plants were used to treat infections, but due to their random use without accurate diagnosis, many deaths occurred even from mild infections.

Meanwhile, nanoparticle technology in pharmaceutics can serve to improve drug solubility. A drug’s solubility in water is a fundamental property that affects its absorption after administration. In drug discovery, nearly 70% of newly discovered chemical compounds are poorly water-soluble. The Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) is a scientific classification of drugs based on water solubility and intestinal permeability, relating to in vitro dissolution and in vivo bioavailability of drug products.

“The biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles is an alternative in the search for antibiotics due to increasing bacterial resistance. Alternatives include the discovery of new-generation antibiotics, combination therapies (complex formation), natural antibacterial compounds (peptides, plant extracts), and nanoparticle systems,” Yandi Syukri explained.

There are two requirements in solubility testing for selecting oil, surfactants, and co-surfactants. The first is that the carrier must have a high drug-dissolving capacity to achieve optimal drug loading. Second, the selected carrier must be capable of forming nanoemulsions.

Additionally, Yandi Syukri explained the importance of dilution resistance testing. This parameter needs to be considered as it affects spontaneous emulsification systems and serves as an early effort to mimic in vivo conditions, where formulations undergo gradual dissolution. “SNEDDS are diluted 25, 50, 100, and 250 times with distilled water, and the particle sizes are then evaluated using a particle size analyzer,” he explained.

“NEEDS is a type of nanoparticle formula based on oils or fats. Formulations that show no change in particle size after dilution in different dispersion media are selected for in vitro testing,” said Yandi Syukri. (A/RS)

Source: https://pharmacy.uii.ac.id/prospek-nanoteknologi-dari-bahan-alam-di-indonesia/