Unravelling the Dermatological Potential of the Brown Seaweed Carpomitra costata.

Patrícia Susano,Joana Silva,Željko Petrovski,Teresa Mouga,Susete Pinteus,Celso Alves,Rui Pedrosa,Márcia Ines Goettert,Helena Gaspar,Luís B Branco,Alice Martins

doi:10.3390/md19030135

Abstract

The ever-increasing interest in keeping a young appearance and healthy skin has leveraged the skincare industry. This, coupled together with the increased concern regarding the safety of synthetic products, has boosted the demand for new and safer natural ingredients. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the dermatological potential of the brown seaweed Carpomitra costata. The antioxidant, anti-enzymatic, antimicrobial, photoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of five C. costata fractions (F1–F5) were evaluated. The ethyl acetate fraction (F3) demonstrated the most promising results, with the best ability to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals (EC50 of 140.1 µg/mL) and the capacity to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production promoted by UVA and UVB radiation in 3T3 cells, revealing its antioxidant and photoprotective potential. This fraction also exhibited the highest anti-enzymatic capacity, inhibiting the activities of collagenase, elastase and tyrosinase (IC50 of 7.2, 4.8 and 85.9 µg/mL, respectively). Moreover, F3 showed anti-inflammatory potential, reducing TNF-α and IL-6 release induced by LPS treatment in RAW 264.7 cells. These bioactivities may be related to the presence of phenolic compounds, such as phlorotannins, as demonstrated by NMR analysis. The results highlight the potential of C. costata as a source of bioactive ingredients for further dermatological applications.

Highlights

Due to the growing awareness of the skin’s importance, and the interest in a young and healthy appearance, the skincare industry is one of the fastest growing markets in recent years
It is well known that seaweeds are a source of a vast class of high bioactive molecules that can act as strong antioxidant agents [42], improving cosmetic formulations by protecting skin from reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced damage [23]
C. costata was subjected to sequential extractions, compatible with cosmetic applications, affording five fractions which chemical profiles were attained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and UV-VIS spectroscopy

Summary

Introduction

Due to the growing awareness of the skin’s importance, and the interest in a young and healthy appearance, the skincare industry is one of the fastest growing markets in recent years. Skin aging is a slow and complex process, characterized by the appearance of wrinkles, pallor, loss of elasticity, dryness, sagging and pigmentation [2,3]. This biological process can occur either due to endogenous factors, which are associated with metabolism, hormones and genetic predisposition, or due to exogenous factors, which are often related with the exposure to chemicals, toxins, pathogens, smoking, poor diet and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) [2,4]. UVC are blocked by the ozone layer and, does not reach the Earth’s surface, whereas UVA and UVB can pass through the ozone layer, imposing damage to the skin [5]

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