Abstract
The leaves of Carica papaya (CP) are rich in natural antioxidants. Carica papaya has traditionally been used to treat various ailments, including skin diseases. This study aims to decipher the antioxidant effects and phytochemical content of different CP leaf extracts (CPEs) obtained using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and conventional extraction methods. The antioxidant activities of CPEs were evaluated by cell-free (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric-reduced antioxidative power (FRAP)) and cell-based (H2O2) assay. Both C. papaya leaf scCO2 extract with 5% ethanol (CPSCE) and C. papaya leaf scCO2 extract (CPSC) exhibited stronger DPPH radical scavenging activity than conventional extracts. In the FRAP assay, two hydrophilic extracts (C. papaya leaf ethanol extract (CPEE) and C. papaya freeze-dried leaf juice (CPFD)) showed relatively stronger reducing power compared to lipophilic extracts. Cell-based assays showed that CPFD significantly protected skin fibroblasts from H2O2-induced oxidative stress in both pre-and post-treatment. CPEE protected skin fibroblasts from oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner while CPSCE significantly triggered the fibroblast recovery after treatment with H2O2. GC-MS analysis indicated that CPSCE had the highest α-tocopherol and squalene contents. By contrast, both CP hydrophilic extracts (CPEE and CPFD) had a higher total phenolic content (TPC) and rutin content than the lipophilic extracts. Overall, CPEs extracted using green and conventional extraction methods showed antioxidative potential in both cell-based and cell-free assays due to their lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidants, respectively.
Highlights
The skin is the largest organ in the body and comprises the epidermis and dermis, which are formed by keratinocytes and fibroblasts [1]
All Carica papaya (CP) leaf extracts (5 mg/mL) resulting from both supercritical carbon dioxide and conventional extraction methods were evaluated for their lipophilic constituents using GC-MS
CPSC and C. papaya leaf scCO2 extract with 5% ethanol (CPSCE) were found to contain a greater variety and number of lipophilic constituents as compared to the conventional leaf extracts (C. papaya leaf hexane extract (CPHE), C. papaya leaf ethanol extract (CPEE), and C. papaya leaf juice freeze-dried extract (CPFD))
Summary
The skin is the largest organ in the body and comprises the epidermis and dermis, which are formed by keratinocytes and fibroblasts [1]. As the outermost layer of the body, the skin is directly exposed to environmental hazards and pollutants which are themselves oxidants or able to catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [3]. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a group of molecules which consist of free radicals (superoxide anion (O2−), hydroxyl radical (OH−), and non-radical oxidants (hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)) [4]. Their sources can be varied and include environmental pollutants, UV radiation, and byproducts from cellular metabolism. Imbalances in the production and removal of ROS cause oxidative stress, which is deleterious to the cells. Maintaining the homeostasis between the oxidation and reduction of ROS is important in preventing diseases
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