Global Perspective of Plant-Based Cosmetic Industry and Possible Contribution of Sri Lanka to the Development of Herbal Cosmetics

Ethnobotany of traditional cosmetics among the Oromo women in Madda Walabu District, Bale Zone, Southeastern Ethiopia

Traditional cosmetics play a significant role in the cultural practices and personal hygiene of many ethnic groups worldwide. The Oromo, an indigenous community in Ethiopia, has a rich history of utilizing local plants for cosmetic purposes. However, the use of plants as traditional cosmetics has only been poorly investigated as more emphasis was given to traditional medicines. The study thus aimed to identify and document plant species, and parts used in traditional cosmetics and associated knowledge, and practices among Oromo women in the Madda Walabu district, Southeastern Ethiopia. A total of 150 Oromo women were interviewed to gather ethnobotanical information including the plant species used for cosmetics, their preparation methods, and their applications. Ethnobotanical indices were computed to determine the most important species used by the women. A total of 48 plant species belonging to 31 families used as sources of traditional cosmetics were recorded. Most of these plants were trees. Leaves were the most commonly used plant part in traditional cosmetics, and maceration and decoction were the most common preparation methods applied to prepare traditional cosmetics. Topical application of traditional cosmetics was the most common, while oral infusions were rarely reported type of administration. All categories had high informant consensus factor (ICF) values, ranging from 0.80 to 0.98. The highest ICF value was found for skin treatment, followed by the hair, and face mask. Overall, Commiphora habessinica, Gnidia stenophylla, Kalanchoe lanceolata, Mimusops kummel, Sesamothamnus rivae, Terminalia brownii, T. laxiflora, Acacia drepanolobium, A. mellifera, and Aloe citrina were the most frequently cited and culturally important plants by Oromo women for traditional cosmetics in the area. The study highlights the importance of local plant resources for maintaining cultural practices and personal hygiene. However, the cultural heritage associated with traditional cosmetics is facing threats from various factors. Therefore, a continuous effort to document and disseminate knowledge about traditional cosmetics practices to ensure their preservation and transmission and awakening younger generations about the importance of traditional cosmetics and their role in cultural heritage is crucial.

Response surface methodology for aqueous two-phase system extraction: An unprecedented approach for the specific flavonoid-rich extraction of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. leaves towards acne treatment

Background

Houttuynia cordata Thunb. has long been widely used as a daily vegetable and traditional medicine. The flavonoid component of H. cordata has plenty of pharmacological effects, such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. In this study, we applied the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) combined with ultrasonic extraction for extracting H. cordata leaves.

Methods

We optimized the extraction process to improve the extraction efficiency of the two flavonoids, hyperin and quercitrin, by Surface Method Response - Central Composite Design (RSM-CCD). Next, we investigated the antibacterial ability of H. cordata ATPS extract from optimal conditions against two bacterial strains, Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Results

The results showed that using 10% (NH4)2SO4 and 35% ethanol for ATPS extraction resulted in the highest hyperin and quercitrin contents. From the RSM-CCD results, the optimal extraction conditions were determined to be ultrasonic extraction at 50 °C for 30 min, giving results consistent with the predicted model and obtaining hyperin and quercitrin contents at 1.5681 ± 0.0114 and 4.6225 ± 0.0327 mg/g, respectively.Furthermore, ATPS extract has excellent antibacterial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 250 μg/mL on both C. acnes and S. epidermidis. This MIC is significantly lower than the H. cordata ultrasound-assisted (UA) extract, with MICs of 1500.00 and 156.25 μg/mL on C. acnes and S. epidermidis, respectively. In addition, the results from the disk diffusion assay also showed that ATPS extraction has superior internal antibacterial activity with a zone of inhibition diameter at 250 μg/mL of 8.67 ± 1.15 and 5.00 ± 2.00 mm. Meanwhile, those of UA extract on C. acnes is 5.67 ± 1.53 mm (at 1500 μg/mL), and on S. epidermidis is 1.34 ± 0.58 mm (at 156.25 μg/mL).

Conclusion

To sum up, our research highlights the potential of H. cordata ATPS extracts as the starting material for topical preparations for effectively treating acne.

Knowledge, perceptions, and consumption behaviour of cosmetics among undergraduates of Sri Lanka: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Background

Despite the increasing usage of personal care products among young adolescents in Sri Lanka, limited studies have been conducted to understand the behaviour of cosmetic users and associated health complications. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate the cosmetic consumption related behaviour of the undergraduate community in Sri Lanka and to identify the driving factors behind the incidences of cosmetic related adverse health effects.

Method

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted by recruiting 421 undergraduates from five state universities in Sri Lanka through stratified random sampling, as the study population. Information on socio-demographic factors and cosmetic consumption behaviour of the participants were acquired through a self-administrated structured questionnaire, along with Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) relevant for cosmetic usage. The Binary Logistic Regression model was used to determine the significant socio-demographic driving factors on cosmetic usage among the undergraduate community in Sri Lanka at a confidence level of 95%.

Results

Around 96.4% of the study population used one or more cosmetic products (77%) out of which, 75.3% experienced cosmetic related adverse health effects. Skin dryness (24%), acne (21%), allergies (20.5%) and rashes (19.8%), were identified as the most dominant adverse health effects, related to cosmetic usage. Perfumes (65.6%), face cream (63.2%) and body lotion/hand cream (60.6%), were the mostly used cosmetic products. Even though half of the study population exhibited higher levels of good practices during purchase (54.9%) and application (52%) of cosmetics, around 47.5% were characterized with a low level of knowledge on cosmetics. Gender, academic year, knowledge on cosmetics, monthly expenditure on cosmetics, source of recommendation for cosmetics, practices related to purchase and consumption of cosmetics and preference to receive medical care in case of cosmetic related emergency were recognized as significant risk factors (p < 0.05) associated with the incidence of cosmetic related adverse health effects among undergraduate students.

Conclusion

Given the high prevalence of cosmetic related adverse health effects, the health authorities of Sri Lanka should pay more attention towards the wellbeing and responsible cosmetic usage among undergraduates. Designing of effective tools and regulations to monitor the cosmetic market and improving the knowledge on cosmetics are recommended to ensure safe cosmetic usage within the country in general and of adolescent users in particular.

Ethnomedicinal Importance of Patuletin in Medicine: Pharmacological Activities and Analytical Aspects

BACKGROUND

Plant-derived bioactive molecules have been a major source of therapeutic agents for human and veterinarian purposes. Different traditional medicine system across the globe had relied on natural resources to meet their demand of healthcare. Still in modern world, pharmaceutical industries look for phytochemicals to develop new drugs. The current review explores patuletin, a flavonoid for its diverse reported pharmacological activities along with its analytical techniques.

METHODS

Scientific data published on patuletin was collected from Scopus, Science Direct, Pubmed, Google, and Google Scholar. The collected data were analyzed and arranged as per specific pharmacological activities performed using in-vitro or in-vivo methods. Analytical methods of patuletin have been presented next to pharmacological activities Results: Available scientific literature indicates patuletin has anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, genotoxic, hepatoprotective, antiproliferative, antiplatelet, antinociceptive, and antioxidant activity. In addition to these activities, its biological potential on breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, aldose reductase, and different types of microorganisms has been also presented in this work. Analytical data on patuletin signified the importance of patuletin for the standardization of herbal products and derived medicine.

CONCLUSION

It may be concluded that patuletin with its diverse biological activities and readily available analytical methods, holds the potential to be translated into a new drug entity.

Phytochemical Screening, and In Vitro Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Dermocosmetic Activities of Four Moroccan Plants: Halimium antiatlanticum, Adenocarpus artemisiifolius, Pistacia lentiscus and Leonotis nepetifolia

In this study, four Moroccan plants, Halimium antiatlanticum, Adenocarpus artemisiifolius, Pistacia lentiscus and Leonotis nepetifolia, were evaluated for their phytoconstituents and biological activities. Methanolic extracts of these plants were obtained by Soxhlet apparatus, phytochemical screening was performed, and the total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined. Then, the antioxidant and dermocosmetic activities of the methanolic extracts were evaluated. The obtained results revealed that the leaves and/or aerial parts contained tannins, polyphenols, flavonoids, coumarins, carotenoids, terpenoids and saponins. The higher total phenolic content values were recorded on Pistacia lentiscus and Halimium antiatlanticum with 396.64 ± 30.79 and 304.96 ± 55.61 mgGAE/gDW, respectively. The antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, and showed that Pistacia lentiscus and Halimium antiatlanticum were the most active extracts, with, respectively, IC50 values of 3.705 ± 0.445 and 5.037 ± 0.122 µg/mL for DPPH. The same results were observed for the FRAP and ABTS assays. Those extracts also showed a strong collagenase inhibitory activity at 200 µg/mL, with 78.51 ± 2.27% for Pistacia lentiscus and 73.10 ± 8.52% for Halimium antiatlanticum. Adenocarpus artemisiifolius showed the highest elastase inhibition rate, with 76.30 ± 5.29%. This study disclosed the dermocosmetic potential of Halimium antiatlanticum and Adenocarpus artemisiifolius, two Moroccan endemic plants that can be traditionally used by local populations or exploited by the cosmetic industry.

Complete Genome Sequence and Cosmetic Potential of Viridibacillus sp. JNUCC6 Isolated from Baengnokdam, the Summit Crater of Mt. Halla

Novel microbe-derived products are gaining increasing attention for their ability to modulate skin conditions. The use of microbial metabolites to improve skin health outcomes is of particular interest because growing evidence points to the importance of natural products without side effects on human health. This study aimed to sequence the genome of Viridibacillus sp. JNUCC6 isolated from Baengnokdam, the summit crater of Mt. Halla. We further investigated the potential use of its extract as a cosmetic ingredient in controlling melanogenesis and inflammation. The genome of this strain was sequenced using both Illumina Novaseq 6000 and third-generation sequencing technology (PacBio RSII) to obtain trustworthy assembly and annotation. Different concentrations of the Viridibacillus sp. JNUCC6 extract were tested for its anti-melanogenic and anti-inflammatory effects in α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-induced B16F10 melanoma and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells, respectively. The whole genome sequence of the strain contained 4,526,142 bp with 35.61% GC content, one contig, and 4364 protein-coding sequences. Furthermore, antiSMASH analysis of the whole genome revealed three putative biosynthetic gene clusters that are responsible for the production of various secondary metabolites. Our study found that the Viridibacillus sp. JNUCC6 extract inhibited the α-MSH-induced melanin production and tyrosinase activity in B16F10 melanoma cells. In addition, it decreased the LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production caused by LPS stimulation in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, Viridibacillus sp. JNUCC6 has potential applications as an ingredient in skin-whitening and anti-inflammatory products and can be used in the cosmetic and medical industries.