A very informative publication in the International Journal of Dermatology on the interest of the SkinEthicTM Reconstructed Human Pigmented Epidermis (RHPE) for the selection of natural extracts as depigmenting candidates.
Skin lightening effect of natural extracts coming from Senegal botanical biodiversity
Hussein Zeitoun1, PhD, Rime Michael-Jubeli2, PhD Rindala El Khoury1,2, PhD, Arlette Baillet-Guffroy2, PhD, Ali Tfayli2, PhD, Dominique Salameh1, PhD and Roger Lteif1, PhD
1Unite de Technologie et Valorisation Alimentaire, Centre d’Analyses et de Recherche, Universite Saint-Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon, and 2Interdisciplinary Unit: Lipids,Analytical and Biological Systems Lip(Sys)2, Faculty of Pharmacy, Univ Paris-sud, Universite Paris-Saclay, Chatenay-Malabry, France.
ABSTRACT
Background Skin depigmentation is increasingly oriented toward plant extracts because of harmfulness of depigmenting active ingredients used in cosmetics and dermatology. Reconstructed human pigmented epidermis (RHPE) is the closest in vitro model to human skin and offers the possibility to test the global depigmenting effect of a plant extract. These co-cultures of keratinocytes and melanocytes are the most advanced and newest models for testing depigmentation, and until now very few studies have been done with these cultures. We investigated the cytotoxicity and the inhibitory effect on tyrosinase and melanogenesis of four extracts from Combretum micranthum (G. Don) leaves, Anacardium occidentale (L.) fruits, Moringa oleifera (Lam.) seeds, and Adansonia digitata (L.) seeds.
Methods The vegetal extracts were obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction and the vegetal oils by maceration. Anti-tyrosinase properties of two aqueous extracts were evaluated. Then, the cytotoxicity and depigmenting effects of these plant extracts were tested in vitro with RHPE model delivered by SkinEthicTM.
Results Antityrosinase activities were found to be 84.58% and 31.02% for C. micranthum and A. occidentale, respectively. All extracts, except A. occidentale, showed to be nontoxic. C. micranthum, M. oleifera, A. digitata, and mixture of M. oleifera and A. digitata extracts have shown, for the first time, an in vitro depigmenting activity equivalent or even more important than kojic acid.
Conclusions These natural extracts coming from Senegal botanical biodiversity could be used in cosmetic and dermatology as alternative agents to achieve skin depigmentation. Further study should be focused on the mechanism of action of these plant extracts