Effects of Various Drying Methods on Selected Physical and Antioxidant Properties of Extracts from Moringa oliefera Leaf Waste

Development, physiochemical and sensory evaluation of a new effervescent tablet formulation based on Moringa oleifera leaves extract

New product development of Moringa oleifera effervescent tablet was optimization of the acid-base in the formula by using the D-optimal mix design. Chemical profiling and antioxidant activity of Moringa oleifera extract was evaluated. The physicochemical and sensory characteristics of Moringa oleifera effervescent tablet was measured. The results shows that chemical compounds of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Moringa oleifera extracts were hydrocarbons, esters, alcohols, and fatty acids. Both extracts exhibited high antioxidant by the IC50 value at 240.27 μg/mL and 301.21 μg/mL respectively. The quadratic model was found to be the best fitted for evaluating the solubility time, colour, taste and aroma; meanwhile, the special cubic model appeared to be the best fitting model for assessing the hardness response. The optimization process suggested that citric acid (22.19% w/w), tartaric acid (11.17% w/w), and sodium bicarbonate (33.64% w/w) was the best solution for this combination of variables, with a desirability value of 0.798.

Melanogenesis Inhibitory Activity, Chemical Components and Molecular Docking Studies of Prunus cerasoides Buch.-Ham. D. Don. Flowers

Safe depigmenting agents are currently increasing in the cosmetic or pharmaceutical industry because various compounds have been found to have undesirable side effects. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the melanogenesis inhibitory effects of Prunus cerasoides Buch. -Ham. D. Don. flower extracts and their molecular mechanism in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells. Moreover, we also examined phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activity, chemical constituents of potential extracts, and molecular docking. The highest phenolic and flavonoid contents with the greatest scavenging activity were found in the butanol extract of the P. cerasoides flower compared to other extracts. From all extracts, only crude, diethyl ether, and butanol extracts showed an inhibition of mushroom tyrosinase activity, cellular tyrosinase activity, and melanin content as well as the downregulation of the gene expression of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2) in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells. Based on the molecular docking study, n-hexadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, 9,12,15-octadecanoic acid, and eicosanoic acid might show an inhibitory effect against tyrosinase and MITF. In conclusion, this finding demonstrates that both the diethyl ether and butanol extracts of the P. cerasoides flower can effectively reduce tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis through the downregulation of the melanogenic gene expression in B16F10 cells and through the molecular docking study. Taken together, the diethyl ether and butanol extracts of the P. cerasoides flower could be an anti-melanogenic ingredient for hyperpigmentary or melasma treatment.

Flavonoid Composition and Pharmacological Properties of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. Leaf Extracts: A Systematic Review

The oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) originates from West and Central Africa, and it is cultivated in Malaysia for its oil-producing fruits. Malaysia is the world’s second largest palm oil producer and the world’s largest exporter to date. Consequently, the Malaysian oil palm industry constantly generates a huge amount of biomass with the major contributor being the leaves. A large percentage of these leaves remain underutilized, making them a promising source of raw materials that can be converted into value-added products. The present review summarizes and discusses the flavonoid composition, total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties exhibited by the extracts of the leaves of E. guineensis. The purpose of this systematic review is to highlight the potential of valorizing the leaf extracts of the oil palm tree as pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical agents.