Abstract
Plant-derived compounds have recently been gaining popularity as skincare factors due to their ability to absorb ultraviolet radiations and their anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. In this light, this work aimed to evaluate in vitro the pharmacological activities of the butanolic extract prepared from the aerial parts of Astragalus gombiformis Pomel, an endemic species to southern Algeria. The sun protection factor was used to assess the photoprotective effect (SPF), the protein denaturation method to determine the anti-inflammatory activity, and brine shrimp nauplii and OxHLIA assay, respectively, to assess the cytotoxicity and antioxidant capacity of A. gombiformis. In addition, LC–ESI–MS analysis was employed for the characterization of the phenolic constituents of A. gombiformis. The results showed that A. gombiformis had high capacity for absorbing UV radiations with an SPF of 37.78 ± 0.85 and significant anti-inflammatory activity with a percentage inhibition of 75.38% which is close to that of diclofenac and ketoprofen. In addition, A. gombiformis was found to have effective cytotoxicity against Artemia nauplii with a DC50 value of about 44.7 µg/mL, but a weak hemolytic effect against human erythrocytes. LC–ESI–MS results detected the presence of 17 phenolic compounds with a predominance of cirsiliol, silymarin, quercitrin (quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside), and kaempferol. Taken together, these results suggest that A. gombiformis extract could be used as a skincare agent in cosmetic formulations, providing excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection, allowing the treatment of skin conditions, as well as a pharmaceutical agent with multidimensional applications.
Highlights
IntroductionThe skin is the most regenerative organ in the body, representing a barrier with important roles, such as the regulation of water balance, thermogenesis, and permeability; it is considered a natural defense mechanism against microbial infections [1,2]
The skin is the most regenerative organ in the body, representing a barrier with important roles, such as the regulation of water balance, thermogenesis, and permeability; it is considered a natural defense mechanism against microbial infections [1,2].this protective barrier can be continuously damaged by several environmental factors and biological insults
In order to confirm the above results, a complete liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS) analysis was optimized and validated to quantify 31 phytochemical fingerprint compounds [31].The results showed the presence of cirsiliol, silymarin, quercitrin(quercetin-3O-rhamonosid), kaempferol, p-coumaric acid, quinic, rosmarinic acid, rutin, trans-ferulic acid, hyperoside, gallic acid, cirsilineol, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, naringenin, apigenin, luteolin, and acacetin.These results indicated a relatively larger number of compounds compared to that determined in Lekmine et al (2020) [9], where the presence of just 12 compounds, with low concentrations in stems, flowers, leaves, pods, and seeds of A. gombiformis, was detected
Summary
The skin is the most regenerative organ in the body, representing a barrier with important roles, such as the regulation of water balance, thermogenesis, and permeability; it is considered a natural defense mechanism against microbial infections [1,2] This protective barrier can be continuously damaged by several environmental factors and biological insults. It is widely accepted that oxidative stress is a major factor responsible for the initiation or progression of several illnesses, such as skin elasticity, wrinkles, alterations in elastic fibers and collagen color, oxidative hemolysis, inflammatory diseases, and skin cancer caused by genetic mutations [5] In this context, many scientists are interested in medicinal plants as substitutional natural sources of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory and photoprotective compounds with few side effects [6]
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