Structure-function relationship of phenolic antioxidants in topical skin health products

Importance and Relevance of Phytochemicals Present in Galenia africana

Many people in developing countries rely primarily on medicinal plants as their main source of healthcare, particularly for the treatment of skin infections. Despite the widespread use of medicinal plants, there is a lack of literature describing the relevance and risks of exposure of the phytochemicals present. Galenia africana has been used traditionally in the form of pastes, decoctions, and lotions to treat wounds and other skin-related ailments. This is a report on the phytochemical composition of G. africana and a review on the pharmacological importance and relevance of these phytochemicals. The major groups of phytochemicals identified in G. africana extracts were aliphatics, aliphatic triterpenoids, fatty acids, flavonoids, and phenolic and tocopherol compounds. These have been found to exhibit medicinal properties, thus highlighting the need to assess the safety of G. africana for topical application. The information related to the safety of the various compounds could indicate the potential risks related to accidental intake of the extract upon topical product applications. This report concludes that the quantities of the phytochemicals present in G. africana should not cause undue risk to human health, which provides comfort to pursue future work on using and developing G. africana as a therapeutic agent.

Bioactive phenolic components and potential health effects of chestnut shell: A review

Chestnut kernels are often used for direct consumption; or processed to produce marron glacé, chestnut purée, and gluten-free products, while chestnut by-products (inner shell and outer shell) are treated as waste residues. Many in vivo and in vitro studies have proved how chestnut shell extract functions as an antioxidant and exhibits anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anti-obesity activities. This review introduces the main components of phenolic compounds in chestnut shells, traditional and modern extraction methods, and reported potential health effects. The aim is to have a better understanding of the functional active ingredients in chestnut shells and their value-added uses, to increase understanding of future applications of this agricultural and sideline product in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In recent years, chestnut shells have become a hot research topic because of their rich bioactive ingredients. Due to the large amount of phenolic compounds in chestnut shells and their potential health functions (antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and treatment of obesity), extracts of chestnut shells have high biological value in the treatment of diseases. Therefore, this review introduces the main components of phenolic compounds in chestnut shells, traditional and modern extraction methods, and the potential health effects of these compounds. The aim of this review is to better understand the functional, active ingredients in chestnut shells and their value-added uses, and to increase understanding of future applications of this agricultural and sideline product in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

Castanea sativa Mill. Shells Aqueous Extract Exhibits Anticancer Properties Inducing Cytotoxic and Pro-Apoptotic Effects

In this study, chestnut shells (CS) were used in order to obtain bioactive compounds through different extraction procedures. The aqueous extracts were chemically characterized. The highest extraction yield and total phenolic content was obtained by conventional liquid extraction (CLE). Gallic and protocatechuic acids were the main simple phenols in the extract, with 86.97 and 11.20 mg/g chestnut shells dry extract (CSDE), respectively. Six tumor cell lines (DU 145, PC-3, LNCaP, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and HepG2) and one normal prostate epithelial cell line (PNT2) were exposed to increasing concentration of CSDE (1–100 µg/mL) for 24 h, and cell viability was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide MTT assay. A reduced rate in cell viability was observed in DU 145, PC-3, LNCaP, and MCF-7 cells, while viability of the other assessed cells was not affected, except for PNT2 cells at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. Furthermore, CSDE—at concentrations of 55.5 and 100 µg/mL—lead to a significant increase of apoptotic cells in DU 145 cells of 28.2% and 61%, respectively. In conclusion, these outcomes suggested that CS might be used for the extraction of several polyphenols that may represent good candidates for alternative therapies or in combination with current chemotherapeutics.