Abstract
BackgroundNatural products made from plant sources have been used in a variety of cosmetic applications as a source of nutrition and as a whitening agent. The flowers of Cassia fistula L, family Fabaceae, have been used as a traditional medicine for skin diseases and wound healing and have been reported to possess anti-oxidant properties. The anti-aging effect of C. fistula flower extract on human skin fibroblast was investigated.MethodsThe butanolic extraction of C. fistula flowers was completed and the active compounds were classified. The cytotoxicity of fibroblasts was evaluated by SRB assay for the purposes of selecting non-toxic doses for further experiments. The collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) synthesis was then measured using the collagen kit and ELISA, respectively. Moreover, the enzyme activity, including collagenase, matrixmelloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tyrosinase, were also evaluated.ResultsIt was found that the flower extract did not affect skin fibroblast cell growth (IC50 > 200 μg/mL). The results did show that the flower extract significantly increased collagen and HA synthesis in a dose dependent manner. The flower extract (50–200 μg/mL) also significantly inhibited collagenase and MMP-2 activity. Furthermore, this flower extract could inhibit the tyrosinase activity that causes hyperpigmentation, which induces skin aging.ConclusionsThe C. fistula flower extract displayed a preventive effect when used for anti-aging purposes in human skin fibroblasts and may be an appropriate choice for cosmetic products that aim to provide whitening effects, and which are designated as anti-aging facial skin care products.
Highlights
Natural products made from plant sources have been used in a variety of cosmetic applications as a source of nutrition and as a whitening agent
Phytochemical characterization of C. fistula flower extract After the step involving freeze-drying the specimens, the C. fistula flower extract was weighed and further subjected to phytochemical and biological studies. 18.08 g of C. fistula flower extract was obtained from 500 g of raw material and the percent yield of the flower extract was 3.62
Our results indicate that the C. fistula flower extract significantly induced collagen synthesis from the skin fibroblasts and dramatically inhibited collagenase activity, which is the enzyme involved in collagen breakdown
Summary
Natural products made from plant sources have been used in a variety of cosmetic applications as a source of nutrition and as a whitening agent. The flowers of Cassia fistula L, family Fabaceae, have been used as a traditional medicine for skin diseases and wound healing and have been reported to possess anti-oxidant properties. The anti-aging effect of C. fistula flower extract on human skin fibroblast was investigated. The progression occurs in the epidermal and dermal layers and is mainly related to extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation [2]. The enzymes involved in ECM degradation are matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as gelatinases (MMP-2) and collagenase [3]. Skin loses its tensile strength due to the effect of ECM degradation by MMPs. Skin loses its tensile strength due to the effect of ECM degradation by MMPs In this process, the wrinkling of skin occurs and roughness and dryness markedly arise along with certain pigment abnormalities such as hypo- or hyperpigmentation [2, 4]. For the treatment of hyperpigmentation, tyrosinase inhibitors have been investigated
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