Water-soluble palm fruit extract: composition, biological properties, and molecular mechanisms for health and non-health applications

A Phase I, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Tolerance of Oil Palm Phenolics (OPP) in Healthy Volunteers

Background and aim: Oil palm aqueous by-products rich in phenolic content are known as oil palm phenolics (OPP), and pre-clinical research has shown that OPP has great potential to be further developed as an anti-hyperlipidemic agent. Hence, in order to introduce OPP into market, its safety profile needs to be established by undergoing a phase I clinical trial on healthy humans.

Methods: A parallel, placebo-controlled, randomized, and double-blinded clinical trial was conducted for 2 months on 100 healthy subjects aged 20–40 years old. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04164446). The subjects were randomly allocated to four treatment arms with 25 participants each: placebo, 250, 1,000, and 1,500 mg of OPP. During the trial, subjects were required to consume four capsules simultaneously per day. Withdrawal of fasting blood for hematology, liver and renal function analysis, and medical examination were conducted at baseline (day 1), day 30, and day 60. For monitoring, vital signs (blood pressure and pulse rate) and weight measurements were taken during each visit.

Results: Minor adverse events (AEs) were reported in all groups especially at high dose (1,500 mg) but none were serious adverse events (SAEs). Fasting blood parameters between control and all OPP-treated groups demonstrated no statistically significant difference from baseline to day 60.

Conclusion: With no major AEs and SAEs reported and no abnormal findings in biochemistry and hematology results, OPP supplementation in capsule form is safe to be taken up to 1,500 mg a day.

Formula Development of Red Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Fruit Extract Loaded with Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Containing Creams and Its Anti-Aging Efficacy in Healthy Volunteers

Palm fruits (Elaeis guineensis) comprise antioxidants that can be used as skin care agents. This study developed a cosmeceutical cream containing E. guineensis extract, loaded with solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and assessed its efficacy on female volunteers. The E. guineensis extract exhibited a good antioxidant activity with high levels of vitamin E, β-carotene, and palmitic acid. Day and night creams containing E. guineensis fruit extract, loaded with SLNs, were formulated and exhibited acceptable physical characteristics and good stability. Subsequently, their clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated on female volunteers. Both creams were non-irritating and had good cutaneous compatibility. Skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin elasticity, melanin index, and skin texture were measured before and 30 min after the first application, as well as after 7, 14, and 30 days of daily application. A satisfactory survey was implemented using a questionnaire, and volunteer satisfaction scores were high for the product’s performance. Overall, the results showed that skin hydration, TEWL, cutaneous elasticity, and melanin index were improved, compared to the baseline data, after 30 days. Thus, the formulated facial day and night creams made the skin moist, reduced wrinkles, increased elasticity, and cleared the skin to the consumers’ satisfaction.