My Dissertation

Today is #ThesisTuesday!!! Yey! So, today I'll be giving a sneak pick of my #researchproject. 😊

#Herbalmedicine has always been an integral part of our tradition in the #Philippines. Remember drinking boiled leaves of "tawa-tawa" to treat #dengue or fever? I bet you some of you did. However, there is the harm in doing this kind of medication. Unwanted effects can occur and may lead to a bigger problem. 🤓

In my research project, I wanted to assess the safety and the #chemopreventive properties of our common vegetable, Corchorus olitorius, a.k.a. SALUYOT. 🙌🏻 The Department of Science and Technology considers "Saluyot" as a functional food or nutraceuticals. #Nutraceuticals are food containing health-giving additives and having medicinal benefits. 🤯

#Saluyot is rich in kaempferol glycosides, rutin, isoquercetin flavonoids, vitamins A, B1, B2, C and E, dietary fiber, carotenoids, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, minerals including calcium and iron, and other micronutrients (Matsufuji et al., 2001; Oboh et al., 2012). 🤤

Saluyot has also shown a wide array of therapeutic potentials such as anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antihemorrhagic, antituberculosis, antibacterial, antiseptic, and antitumor (Garcia et al., 2003; Zakaria et al., 2006). 🤯

Currently, we are working on the leaf extracts of saluyot and its two bioactive compounds we have selected. We are almost done with our experimentation and completing our results. 😍

Photo description:

1. These are different leaf extracts of saluyot using different extraction methods. 🌱

2. Measurement of the total phenolic content of the extracts. ✨

3. DPPH scavenging assay, a colorimetric test, used to measure the #antioxidant properties of a sample. 💪🏻

4. MTT assay is an effective method to determine the #anticancer properties of a sample. 🦠

5. A #tumor extracted from one of our bioassays. Using this tumor implantation assay, we can assess the effectiveness of our samples in preventing tumor progression and angiogenesis. 🩸