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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a bone disease that affects various joints, including the knee. It is a leading cause of morbidity, physical activity limitations, and disability.
In 2020, there were 595 million OA sufferers worldwide, or 7.6% of the population, while Indonesia reported 55 million cases, or 24.7% of the population, in 2018.
OA is influenced by age, gender, genetics, and race and exacerbated by joint misalignment, infections, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
Current treatment options for knee OA include pharmacological drugs like analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can cause side effects and dependency.
Surgery is the most effective treatment, but not all patients can undergo this procedure.
Addressing this issue, under the guidance of Dr. Retno Murwanti, the PKM-RE Peek a Boo team, led by Rima Arvisya Natania Putri from the 2022 Biology cohort with members Regina Nilamsari, Reny Ras Ninta Br Tarigan, Widha Nur Yuliharjanti, and Felicia Averine, developed a preventive therapy for OA. This therapy involves creating a nanoemulsion of fermented Mucuna pruriens extract.
Nanoemulsions are nanomedicine technologies that enhance bioavailability, thermodynamic stability, protection from degradation, and absorption of macromolecular compounds.
Rima and her team chose Mucuna pruriens due to its potential as a local Indonesian commodity that has yet to be fully utilized.
This species is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which are attributed to its secondary metabolite compounds, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, and terpenoids.
“These compounds can help prevent the formation and progression of OA,” said Rima Putri in a statement to journalists Monday (Aug. 12).
The beans and tempeh samples collected from Kulon Progo were processed into three extract preparations: control extract, fermented Mucuna pruriens extract with Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus casei, and tempeh extract.
“After testing antioxidant activity and total flavonoid content, we decided that the tempeh extract would be the basis for the nanoemulsion,” she explained.
Following the nanoemulsion formulation, Putri and her team conducted organoleptic tests, pH, viscosity, particle size analysis (PSA), and polydispersity index (PDI) tests to ensure the preparation met oral drug requirements.
To analyze effectiveness, the team used Rattus norvegicus induced with OA using papain enzyme.
The test animals were assessed using ELISA, which included knee diameter measurements, walking track analysis, radiographic analysis, histopathological analysis, and pro-inflammatory cytokine production analysis.
Putri reported that their results showed that Mucuna pruriens nanoemulsion at 100 mg/mL, 200 mg/mL, and 400 mg/mL significantly prevented OA formation.
Putri and the supervising lecturer hope their research will enhance the utility of Mucuna pruriens through nanoemulsion standardization and the development of an OA preventive therapy.
“This research could provide new information on utilizing Mucuna pruriens for osteoarthritis therapy,” she concluded.
Author: Rahma
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photo: Wikipedia
Post-editor: Afif