Natural Products, Anti-Aging & Life Science

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Objectives of Research Projects

• To investigate the antioxidative compounds found in natural products linked to anti-aging properties. (SDG3 & SDG15)

• To inhibit virulence proteins (eg: peptidyl arginine deiminase and gingipains) present in Porphyromonas gingivalis, the oral bacterium associated with a number of age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s and rheumatoid arthritis. (SDG3)

• To incorporate bioengineering approaches into natural product research for regenerative medicine. (SDG3)

Research Project

1. Bioactivities of Natural Products

Natural products such as plants are rich in phytochemicals that are well-known for their various bioactivities which include anti-aging properties. My team has experimented on different plant extracts derived from Carica papaya, Cratoxylum cochinchinense, Clinacanthus nutans as well as Chrysanthemum morifolium. Cell culture methods, phytochemical profiling and in silico analysis are utilized in our studies. Our external collaborators are from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), International Medical University (IMU), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Obrandme Sdn. Bhd. This research is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 15: Life on Land.

Team Members:

Lead by AP Dr. Sheri-Ann Tan , co-researchers: AP Dr. Loke Chui Fung, AP Dr. Loh Khye Er, Dr. Yue Chen Son & AP Dr. Tang Pei Ling

Related Publications:

Lee, S. Y., Mojulat, M. B. C., Cristhappa Thangaperagasam, G. J., Surugau, N., Tan, S.-A. and John, O. D. (2023). A Review on the Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Properties of Xanthones from Cratoxylum cochinchinense, Journal of Tropical Life Science, 13(1), pg. 219–230. (Scopus-indexed)

Bok, C. Y., Low, E. K. J., Augundhooa, D., Ariffin, H., Mok, Y. B., Lim, K. Q., Chew, S. L., Salvamani, S., Loh, K. E., Loke, C. F., Gunasekaran, B. and Tan, S.-A. (2023). Comprehensive Review of Cratoxylum Genus: Ethnomedical Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Properties. Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, Pre-Press, DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjtas.46.1.12. (ISI-indexed)

Quah, Y., Tong, S.-R., Bojarska, J., Giller, K., Tan, S.-A., Ziora, Z.M., Esatbeyoglu, T. and Chai, T.-T. (2023). Bioactive Peptide Discovery from Edible Insects for Potential Applications in Human Health and Agriculture. Molecules, 28, pg. 1233. (ISI-indexed, IF: 4.927)

Tan, S.-A., Bendran, A. P., Hamdan, M. R., Kamaruzaman, N. A., Rajoo, S., Agarwal, T., Ramanathan, S. and Murugaiyah, V. (2022). Platelet boosting effect of commercial herbal supplements in chemically-induced thrombocytopenic rats. Annals of Phytomedicine, 11(1), pg. 276-282. (ISI-indexed)

Ng, K. S., Tan, S.-A., Bok, C. Y., Loh, K. E., Ismail, I. S., Yue, C. S. and Loke, C. F. (2022). Metabolomic approach for rapid identification of antioxidants in Clinacanthus nutans leaves with liver protective potential. Molecules, 27(12), pg. 3650. (ISI-indexed, IF: 4.927)

Ng, T. L., Loh, K. E., Tan, S.-A., Tan, H. Y., Yue, C. S., Wee, S. P. and Tey, Z. T. (2022). Anti-hyperuricemic effect of ethyl ecetate sub-fractions from Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. dried flowers on potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic rats. Applied Sciences, 12(7), pg. 3487. (ISI-indexed, IF: 2.838)

Ong, J. H., Koh, J. A., Cao, H., Tan, S.-A., Abd Manan, F., Wong, F. C. and Chai, T. T. (2021). Purification, identification and characterization of antioxidant peptides from corn silk tryptic hydrolysate: An integrated in vitro- in silico approach. Antioxidants, 10(11), 1822. (ISI-indexed, IF: 7.675)

Rosarior, V. L., Lim, P. S., Yam, H. C., Yue, C. S. and Tan, S.-A. (2021). Standardized-clove extract, a more efficacious antimicrobial agent towards UTIs-causing pathogens than commercial clove oil, Tropical Life Sciences Research, 32(2), pg. 45-63. (ISI-indexed)

Tan, S.-A., Lim, S. Y., Law, C. S., Yue, C. S., Poh, T. V., Saad, W. Z., Ismail, S., Khatijah, M. Y. and Loke, C. F. (2019). Antioxidative and photocytotoxic effects of standardized Clinacanthus nutans and Strobilanthes crispus extracts towards HepG2 liver cells. Pharmacognosy Magazine, 15 (65), pg. 613-620. (ISI-indexed, IF: 0.948)

Yue, C. S., Hong, W. L., Tan, S.-A., Loh, K. E., Liew, Y. C., Yap, R. E., Chong, Z. Y. and Chai, J. C. (2019). Identification and validation of synthetic phenolic antioxidants in various foods commonly consumed in Malaysia by HPLC. Indonesian Journal of Chemistry, 19 (4), pg. 907-919. (ISI-indexed)

Tan, S.-A., Goya, L., Ramanathan, S., Sulaiman, S. F., Alam, M. and Navaratnam, V. (2014). Chemopreventive effects of standardized papaya leaf fraction on oxidatively stressed human liver cells. Food Research International, 64, pg. 387-395. (ISI-indexed, IF: 7.425)

Tan, S.-A., Ramos, S., Martin, M. A., Mateos, R. Harvey, M, Ramanathan, S., Najimudin, N., Alam, M., Bravo, L. and Goya, L. (2012). Protective effects of papaya extracts on tert-butyl hydroperoxide mediated oxidative injury to human liver cells (An in-vitro study). Free Radicals and Antioxidants, 2 (3), pg. 10-19.

Quah, Y., Tong, S. R., Tan, S.-A., Chow, Y. L., Chai, T. T. (2022). ‘Phytochemicals and biological activities of Stenochlaena palustris’, in Murthy, H. N. (ed.) Reference series in phytochemistry. Bioactive compounds in bryophytes and pteridophytes. Switzerland: Springer Nature. (Scopus-indexed)

2. Inhibition of Virulence Factors of the Oral Bacterium, Porphyromonas gingivalis

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a gram-negative, anaerobic coccobacillus that is commonly present in the oral cavities of patients with poor oral health leading to periodontitis. Interestingly, recent studies have associated this bacterium to various age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s and rheumatoid arthritis due to the present of its virulence proteins. My team is actively investigating three virulence proteins from this bacterium which are the peptidyl arginine deiminase, gingipain R and gingipain K. Cell culture method, enzymatic assays, molecular techniques and in silico analysis are performed to answer our research questions. Our external collaborators for this project are from UCSI University and International Medical University (IMU). This research is aligned with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Team Members:

Lead by AP Dr. Sheri-Ann Tan, co-researchers: Asst. Prof. Dr. Ong Yien Yien

Related Publications:

Chow, Y. C., Yam, H. C., Gunasekaran, B., Lai, W. Y., Wo, W. Y., Agarwal, T., Ong, Y. Y., Cheong, S. L. and Tan, S.-A. (2022). Implications of Porphyromonas gingivalis peptidyl arginine deiminase and gingipain R in human health and diseases. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 12:987683. (ISI-indexed, IF: 6.073)

Tan, S.-A., Yam H. C., Cheong, S. L., Chow, Y. C., Bok, C. Y., Ho, J. M., Lee, P. Y. and Gunasekaran, B. (2022). Inhibition of Porphyromonas gingivalis peptidyl arginine deiminase, a virulence factor, by antioxidant-rich Cratoxylum cochinchinense: In vitro and in silico evaluation. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 29(4), pg. 2573-2581. (ISI-indexed, IF: 4.052)

3. Bioengineering Approaches for Regenerative Medicine

Tissue repair and regeneration is highly dynamic, complex and a relatively slow process. An enormous amount of research has been directed towards devising effective strategies to accelerate this healing process, establishing a separate domain of science - “Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicines (TERM). TERM combines various biomaterials, cells, and engineering principles to fabricate tissue constructs that could assist in the healing process by providing an adequate microenvironment for cell growth and restoration of their functional performance (Agarwal et al., 2021). My team is keen to incorporate our strength in natural product research into this new realm of science and technology. Our collaborators for this project are from Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (CTERM) and Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (India). This research is aligned with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

Related Publications:

Agarwal, T., Tan, S. A., Rathnam Vuppaladadium, S. S., Sajja, T., & Maiti, T. K. (2023). Commercially Available Textiles as a Scaffolding Platform for Large-Scale Cell Culture. International Journal of Biomaterials, 2227509. (ISI-indexed)

Agarwal, T., Tan, S.-A., Onesto, V., Law, J. X., Agrawal, G., Lim, W. L., Sharifi, E., Moghaddam, F. D. and Maiti, T. K. (2021). Engineered herbal scaffolds for tissue repair and regeneration: Recent trends and technologies. Biomedical Engineering Advances, 2. 10.1016/j.bea.2021.100015.

Agarwal, T., Chiesa, I., Presutti, D., Irawan, V., Vajanthri, K. Y., Costantini, M., Nakagawa, Y., Tan, S.-A., Makvandi, P., Zare, E. N., Sharifi, E., De Maria, C., Ikoma, T. and Maiti, T. K. (2021). Recent advances in bioprinting technologies for engineering different cartilage-based tissues, Materials Science and Engineering: C, 123, 112005. (ISI-indexed, IF: 7.328)

Harwate, N., Biswas, P., Agarwal, T., Tan, S.-A., Vuppaladadium, S. S. R., Kulantheveil, S., Makvandi, P. and Maiti, T. K. (2020). ‘Gelatin-Chitosan macroporous scaffolds integrated with customizable hollow channels for liver tissue engineering’, in Pal, K., Banerjee, I., Sarkar, P., Bit, A., Kim, D., Anis, A., Maji, S. (eds.) Food, medical, and environmental applications of polysaccharides. Cambridge: Elsevier, pp. 667-682. (Scopus-indexed)

Tan, S.-A., Agarwal, T., Kar, S., Borelli, M. R., Maiti, T. K. and Makvandi, P. (2020). ‘A progressive review on paper-based bacterial colorimetric detection and antimicrobial susceptibility testing’, in Pal, K., Banerjee, I., Sarkar, P., Bit, A., Kim, D., Anis, A., Maji, S. (eds.) Food, medical, and environmental applications of polysaccharides. Cambridge: Elsevier, pp. 687-719. (Scopus-indexed)

Agarwal, T., Tan, S.-A., Nie, L., Zahmatkesh, E., Ansari, A., Rad, N. K., Zarkesh, I., Maiti, T. K. and Vosough, M. (2022). ‘Electroconductive nanofibrillar biocomposite platforms for cardiac tissue engineering’, in Jegatheesan, V., Bandara, N., Sarkar, P., Sarkar, A., Pal., K. (eds.) Food, medical, and environmental applications of nanomaterials. Cambridge: Elsevier, pp. 305-330. (Scopus-indexed)

Research Funding:

Mechanisms of Cellular Destruction and Regulation of Bcl2 Family Gene Expression via Photosensitivity of Leaves Extracts from Clinacanthus nutans and Strobilanthes crispus .

FUNDAMENTAL RESERCH GRANT SCHEME

AUGUST 2016 – JULY 2018

RM99550

[Co-investigator and Co-supervisor] – completed

A Study on the Activity of Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitors Isolated from Chrysanthemum morifolium using Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

TARUC INTERNAL GRANT

[Co-supervisor] – completed

Synthesis, Characterization and Cytotoxicity Studies of Chalcone- derived Schiff Bases and their Copper (II) Complexes

TARUC INTERNAL GRANT

JANUARY 2018 – DECEMBER 2018

RM47600

[Co-investigator and Co-supervisor] – completed

Comparative Antioxidative Potential and Hepatocellular Protective Effects of Clinacanthus nutans Leaves and Stems against Oxidative Stress In vitro

TARUC INTERNAL GRANT

JANUARY 2018 – SEPTEMBER 2021

RM50000

[Principal Investigator and Supervisor] – completed

Extraction and Characterization of Bioactive Constituents from Jicama Root and Skin TARUC INTERNAL GRANT

JANUARY 2020 – DECEMBER 2021

RM64400

[Co-investigator] – ongoing

In vitro Validation of Selected FDA-approved Drugs as Inhibitors of Porphyromonas gingivalis Peptidylarginine Deiminase (PPAD), a Causal Agent of Rheumatoid Arthritis TARUC INTERNAL GRANT

APRIL 2020 – DECEMBER 2021

RM46432

[Principal Investigator and Supervisor] – completed

Isolation of Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor Possessing Anti-inflammatory and Antihyperuricemic Activity from Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. Dried Flowers

FUNDAMENTAL RESERCH GRANT SCHEME

NOVEMBER 2020 – OCTOBER 2023

RM187400

[Co-investigator] – ongoing

Repositioning of FDA-approved Drugs as Inhibitors of Porphyromonas gingivalis Gingipain R, a Putative Causal Agent of Rheumatoid Arthritis: In silico and Biological Evaluation

Grant for Master of Science in Analytical and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (MAPC) Research Project

NOVEMBER 2020 – JUNE 2021

RM10000

[Co-investigator and Co-supervisor] – completed

Repositioning of FDA-approved Drugs as Inhibitors of Porphyromonas gingivalis Gingipain K, a Causative Agent for Alzheimer’s Disease: In silico and Biological Evaluation Grant for Master of Science in Analytical and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (MAPC) Research Project

MAY 2020 – NOVEMBER 2021

RM10000

[Co-investigator and Co-supervisor] – ongoing

Establishment of an In vitro Model for Investigating the Inhibitory Effects of Carica papaya Leaves Fraction on Necroptosis Cell Death Pathway in Liver Cells

TARUC INTERNAL GRANT

JANUARY 2022 – DECEMBER 2023

RM90880

[Principal investigator and Supervisor] – ongoing

Investigation of Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammation and Cytotoxic Activities of Various Plant Extracts

MOA (signed with Oriental Inchaway Sdn. Bhd.)

JULY 2022 – JUNE 2024

RM19980

[Co-investigator] – ongoing

Bioactivity Investigation of Agarwood oil (derived from resin and leaves) and Agarwood-based Formulations for Cosmeceutical Applications.

MOA (signed with Obrandme Sdn. Bhd.)

NOVEMBER 2022 – NOVEMBER 2024

RM12808

[Principal investigator] – ongoing

In silico Repurposing of FDA-approved Drugs as Inhibitors of Porphyromonas gingivalis gingipain K, a Causative Agent for Alzheimer’s Disease.

IMU Internal Research Grant

JUNE 2023 – AUGUST 2023

RM6000

[Co-investigator] – ongoing

Study of Glycolytic Capacity, Metabolic Shift Mechanism and Apoptosis of Selected Tumour Cells Using Monosaccharides Combination as a Potential Non-Invasive Metabolic-Targeting Therapy for Cancers.

MOA (signed with Reunion Foundation)

JANUARY 2023 – DECEMBER 2025

RM308,000

[Co-investigator] – ongoing

Research Members

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sheri-Ann Tan Shu Wei

Email: tansw@tarc.edu.my

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2637-9202

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sheri-Ann-Tan-2

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8Vrw5lIAAAAJ&hl=en

Research Interest – Anti-aging:

Dr. Sheri-Ann Tan’s main research interest is on age-related disorders caused by oxidative stress and the utilization of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties to combat this stress specifically through Nrf-2 activation. Currently, she is also investigating the oral bacterium, Porphyromonas gingivalis, which is linked to many age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and rheumatoid arthritis due to the presence of its virulence proteins. Dr. Tan utilizes in vitro cell culture methods and in silico analysis along with various molecular techniques to facilitate her research work. Furthermore, Dr. Tan possesses an extensive collaborative network with researchers from various disciplines to gain new insight and perspective to further improve and expand her research scope. Her research outcomes are presented in reputable journals and various international conferences. She is actively involved in industrial projects relating to anti-skin aging properties of plant extracts.

TAR UMT Collaborators:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Loke Chui Fung , Asst. Prof. Dr. Ong Yien Yien , Assoc. Prof. Dr. Loh Khye Er , Assoc. Prof Dr. Tang Pei Ling & Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yue Chen Son