Jakarta, August 19th 2023. Prof. Dr. dr. Ninik Mudjihartini, M.S. this morning was inaugurated as a professor in the fields of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Universitas Indonesia (UI). In her inaugural speech, she said that the body’s cells need a supply of oxygen to be able to carry out all the body’s activities while growing and developing. This is related to the energy requirements that can be generated from the metabolism of metabolic substrates, both in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Energy in large quantities can be generated only from the aerobic pathway, i.e. if there is enough oxygen available.
Hemoglobin (Hb) is a hemoprotein whose role is to capture oxygen in order to be distributed to all cells that need it, while myoglobin (Mb) is in the muscles and its role is to store oxygen as a reserve of oxygen supply for energy production of muscle cells. Hemoglobin and myoglobin have been known for centuries, which are proteins of the globin group or also known as hemoproteins.
She further said that two new globin group proteins had been discovered, namely Neuroglobin (Ngb) and Cytoglobin (Cygb) which had a hexacoordinated structure. Ngb is a protein of the third globin group with a structure in the form of a hemoprotein monomer such as myoglobin (Mb) with a molecular weight of 16 kDa. According to Burmester and Hankeln, Ngb can play a role, such as increasing O2 supply to mitochondria in metabolically active neurons; preventing damage to neurons by the influence of ROS/RNS generated by the respiratory chain during cell respiration; plays a role in detoxifying the bad effects of changing nitrogen oxides (NO) to nitrates (NO3-) as a signal to control blood pressure in hypoxic conditions; Ngb part of the signal transduction pathway that inhibits the dissociation of GDP-GαGβɤ into GDP-Gα and Gβɤ; and Ngb is part of a redox reaction that reduces cytochrome c.
Prof. Ninik was inaugurated as a Professor in the fields of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The inauguration ceremony was led directly by UI Rector, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., and broadcasted virtually via the Universitas Indonesia’s YouTube channel and UI TV. In the presence of the Rector, Secretary of the Board of Professors (DGB), Chair of the Academic Senate (SA), Dean of FKUI, and invited guests, Prof. dr. Ninik delivered her scientific oration entitled “The Role of Neuroglobin to Increase Brain Performance Resilience in the Context of Creating Reliable Indonesian Human Resources”.
Initial research conducted by Prof. dr. Ninik used rats as experimental animals that are treated with chronic systemic hypoxia in a hypoxic cage. Chronic systemic hypoxia is made by flowing gas with composition O2:N2 = 10%:90% at a pressure of 1 atmosphere, for 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days. The results of this study indicated that hypoxia not only affects the integrity of neuron cells but also reduces the expression of the Ngb protein.
The next research related to Ngb protein expression is a study on stroke patients. Until now, stroke is still a serious health problem in Indonesia. Stroke is the main cause of death in hospitalized patients, and is also a cause of physical disability or mental disability in productive age and the elderly. Spontaneous nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage/sICH) is one of the causes of hemorrhagic stroke that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The results of this study showed that the relative ratio of Ngb mRNA to brain tissue of stroke subjects increased by 0.025 compared to their blood mRNA. These results are consistent with previous studies which stated that Ngb expression increased under hypoxic/ischemic conditions.
The research was continued by detecting and measuring the Ngb protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSS). The results of further research are expected to complete the description of plasma Ngb protein levels, CSS, and brain tissue of stroke subjects. The results can prove that in sICH hemorrhagic stroke patients, Ngb protein is detectable and can be measured both in plasma, CSS, and brain tissue.
“Hypoxic conditions are proven to cause damage to brain cells and reduce the expression of the Ngb protein in the brain. To increase the resilience of the brain’s performance, of course, adequate energy fulfillment is needed. This can be fulfilled if the availability of glucose and oxygen is sufficient. The availability of oxygen is inseparable from the role of the Ngb protein, namely as a protein that supplies oxygen to the brain. Therefore hypoxic conditions in the brain must be avoided. If there is a disorder or disease that causes hypoxia in the brain, efforts must be made to overcome this situation, “said Prof. dr. Ninik.
During the inauguration, the Chairperson of the Dentistry Council, Indonesian Medical Council, Prof. Dr.drg. Melanie Sadono., MBiomed., PBO.; Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, National University Prof. dr. Ernawati Sinaga, MBiomed.; and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Pelita Harapan, Prof. Dr. Dr. dr. Eka J. Wahjoepramono, Sp.Bs., Ph.D. were present.
In 1985, Prof. dr. Ninik successfully completed her medical education at the Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University. Then, she continued his master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at FKUI in 1997 and still at the same campus she managed to get his doctorate in 2015 in Biomedical Sciences. Some of her scientific papers that have been published in the last five years, among them Effect of Centella Asiatica administration on NT-3 and CDKN2A levels in adults rat brains (2022); Isolation and characterization of neuroglobin and the reducing enzyme met neuroglobin (Neuroglobin Fe3+) from bovine brain tissue (2022); Neuroglobin and cytoglobin levels in plasma of cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue of hemorrhagic stroke patients (2022); Comparing the effect of Centella Asiatica L and Acalypha indica L to carbonyl and glutathione levels brains of rats (2022); and The Effects of Centella Asiatica and Acalypha indica L. extracts on aging process (2020).
