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Airborne particulate matter (PM) contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as primary toxic components, causing oxidative damage and being associated with various inflammatory skin pathologies such as premature aging, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Coffee cherry pulp (CCS) extract, rich in chlorogenic acid, caffeine, and theophylline, has demonstrated strong antioxidant properties. However, its specific anti-inflammatory effects and ability to protect macrophages against PAH-induced inflammation remain unexplored. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties of CCS extract on RAW 264.7 macrophage cells exposed to atmospheric PAHs, compared to chlorogenic acid (CGA), caffeine (CAF), and theophylline (THP) standards. The CCS extract was assessed for its impact on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Results showed that CCS extract exhibited significant antioxidant activities and effectively inhibited protease and lipoxygenase (LOX) activities. The PAH induced the increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species, NO, TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2, which were markedly suppressed by CCS extract in a dose-dependent manner, comparable to the effects of chlorogenic acid, caffeine, and theophylline. In conclusion, CCS extract inhibits PAH-induced inflammation by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in RAW 264.7 cells. This effect is likely due to the synergistic effects of its bioactive compounds. Chlorogenic acid showed strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, while caffeine and theophylline enhanced anti-inflammatory activity. CCS extract did not irritate the hen's egg chorioallantoic membrane. Therefore, CCS extract shows its potential as a promising cosmeceutical ingredient for safely alleviating inflammatory skin diseases caused by air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mushrooms are edible fungi containing valuable nutrients. They provide attractive bio-active properties, which have confirmed anti-oxidants, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties. Mushrooms possess abundant natural polymers affecting skin hydration and acting as moisturizers supporting skin barrier function. In this study, cloud ear mushroom (Auricularia polytricha) water extract (CW) was produced as a natural polymer to evaluate a new film-forming spray (FFS) containing CW to increase skin hydration and protect transepidermal water loss. CW contained polysaccharides as 748.2 ± 0.02 mg glucose/g extract. CW significantly inhibited the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α and enhanced skin hydration by increasing aquaporin-3 (AQP3) and filaggrin (FLG) in HaCaT cells. The FFS was formulated using CW, sodium polystyrene sulfonate, and glycerin. The selected formulation contained brown Agaricus bisporus (BE-FFS) evaluated physical appearance, spray angle, spray pattern, and in vitro skin permeation. The BE-FFS has a transparent thin film with suitable occlusive properties, drying time, and physical appearance. Afterward, in vitro skin permeation and human hydration property studies presented the long-lasting effects and provided safety and hydration potential after 4 weeks of use. Overall, all results indicate that the BE-FFS is a natural film-forming spray for skin hydration improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to optimize and develop the color lipstick formulation containing antioxidant-rich Thai Sacha inchi oil using full factorial experimental design. Antioxidant capacity of Sacha inchi oil was elucidated using DPPH and linoleic acid peroxidation assays. The y-tocopherol content of the oil was also determined by highperformance liquid chromatography. Developing the color lipstick, lipstick base was optimized through the variation of %Sacha inchi oil, Ozokerite and Carnauba wax ratio (O:C ratio) and %Fat. Concurrently, the influences of these factors on lipstick physical characteristics were analyzed by means of statistics. Thai Sacha inchi oil exerted a notable antioxidant capacity with the highest y-tocopherol content. The combined effect of all factors influenced on the variations of breaking point and hardness of the lipsticks. Otherwise, only the O: C ratio negatively affected on melting point. The color lipstick containing methyl methacrylate crosspolymer and stearyl dimethicone as texture enhancers, significantly provided a greater color transfer than the plain formulation. In conclusion, Thai Sacha inchi oil could be a promising antioxidant-rich oil for developing into color lipstick. To evolve the desirable lipstick, the optimum proportion of wax, fat and oil played a crucial role in both structural integrity as well as texture and spreadability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flowers of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L), a medicinal plant widely cultivated in Thailand, were subjected to evaluation for total phenolics, DPPH scavenging and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARs) assays as well as tyrosinase inhibitory activity. In preliminary studies, the ethyl acetate (EA) extract obtained by continuous extraction showed the highest activities with highest phenolic content among all extracts. Bioassay-guided fractionation of EA extract led to isolation of a flavonoid identified as quercetagetin. Interestingly, it was found that quercetaget in exhibited potent DPPH scavenging activity with IC50 of 3.70 µg/ml which is about 2-3 times higher activity than standard quercetin (IC50 5.07 (µg/ml) and trolox (IC50 9.93 µg/ml). Moreover, it exhibited tyrosinase inhibitory activity on L-tyrosine (IC50 89.31 µg/ml), higher than α- and (β-arbutins (IC50 157.77 and 222.35 µg/ml) and slightly higher (IC50 128.41 µg/ml) than ellagic acid (IC50151.1 µg/ml) when using L-DOPA as substrate. Testing with skin fibroblasts, all the extracts and quercetagetin demonstrated no toxic effect. These finding strongly indicate that African marigold flower is a promising source of natural antioxidative and tyrosinase inhibitory substances with safe to skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exacerbated production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is a key event in the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) and represents a promising target for the management of OA with nutraceuticals. In this study, we sought to determine the MMP-inhibitory activity of an ethanolic Caesalpinia sappan extract (CSE) in human OA chondrocytes. Thus, human articular chondrocytes isolated from OA cartilage and SW1353 chondrocytes were stimulated with Interleukin-1beta (IL1β), without or with pretreatment with CSE. Following viability assays, the production of MMP-2 and MMP-13 was assessed using ELISA, whereas mRNA levels of MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-13 and TIMP-1, TIMP-2, TIMP-3 were quantified using RT-qPCR assays. Chondrocytes were co-transfected with a MMP-13 luciferase reporter construct and NF-kB p50 and p65 expression vectors in the presence or absence of CSE. In addition, the direct effect of CSE on the proteolytic activities of MMP-2 was evaluated using gelatin zymography. We found that CSE significantly suppressed IL1β-mediated upregulation of MMP-13 mRNA and protein levels via abrogation of the NF-kB(p65/p50)-driven MMP-13 promoter activation. We further observed that the levels of IL1β-induced MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-7, and MMP-9 mRNA, but not TIMP mRNA levels, were down-regulated in chondrocytes in response to CSE. Zymographic results suggested that CSE did not directly interfere with the proteolytic activity of MMP-2. In summary, this study provides evidence for the MMP-inhibitory potential of CSE or CSE-derived compounds in human OA chondrocytes. The data indicate that the mechanism of this inhibition might, at least in part, involve targeting of NF-kB-mediated promoter activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to understand characteristics of thermostable phycoerythrin from hot spring cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya sp. KC45. Phycoerythrin was purified with the purification index at 17.38 of A565/A280 ratio and demonstrated as two protein bands of 21 and 18 kDa under SDS-PAGE analysis. The native protein was assumed to be hexamer with a molecular mass of approximately 235 kDa based on the results from gel filtration. N-terminal amino acid sequences shared the highest percent of identities with Fremyella diplosiphon Fd33 at 100% and 90% for α- and β-subunit, respectively. Phycoerythrin and 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity remained at approximately 80% of the original level after being heated at 60°C for 30 min, indicating that it can be considered as the promising thermostable phycoerythrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidant activities of 10 essential oils and 10 absolutes extracted from Thai aromatic plants were evaluated and compared to thyme oil, trolox, quercetin, and kaempferol by two independent assays: the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH*) radical scavenging assay and the thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) assay for lipid peroxidation. We found that four essential oils including ginger oil (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), Wan-sao-long leaf oil (Amomum uliginosum Koen), lemongrass oil (Cymbopogon citratus), holy basil oil (Ocimum sanctum L.), and the absolute of dwarf ylang-ylang [Cananga odorata Hook. f. & Thomson var. fruticosa (Craib) J. Sinclair] exhibited high antioxidant activity in both DPPH and TBARS assays and possessed satisfactory fragrance properties. These were then combined into an essential oil blend (EOB) and retested for antioxidant activity. The EOB also exhibited high antioxidant activity in the above assays. It was then incorporated into a stable cream base as EOB body cream. The EOB body cream was found to be best able under storage in stress conditions and presented significantly higher antioxidant activity than its' cream base both before and after stability testing. The effect of EOB body cream on skin surface topography was evaluated in 29 healthy volunteers using the Skin Visiometer (SV 600 FW, CK Electronic GmbH, Germany). Three parameters, Ra, Rz (roughness), and surface, were analyzed. After 4 weeks of application, the EOB body cream showed significant reductions in surface and Rz compared with before treatment (p < 0.05, paired t-test), and with untreated and placebo treatment (p < 0.05, Duncan test). These results indicate that the essential oils and absolutes from Thai plants may serve as potential sources of natural antioxidants for spa and cosmetic products designed to prevent or treat signs of skin aging.

Marigold ( Tagetes erecta L.) has long been used as a medicinal herb for a number of therapeutic activities. In the present study, the cytotoxicities of ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of marigold flowers and their inhibitory effects on elastase and tyrosinase enzymes were investigated. An MTT assay was performed to measure the cytotoxicity of these two extracts on the H460 lung cancer and the Caco-2 colon cancer cell lines. An elastase assay kit, based on the digestion of a non-fluorescent elastin substrate to highly fluorescent fragments by elastase, was used for the elastase inhibition assay. Tyrosinase inhibition activity was investigated using the dopachrome method with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) as a substrate. The data obtained in this study demonstrated that the extracts were nontoxic to H460 and Caco-2 cell lines. The elastase inhibition activities of ethanol (250 μg/ml) and ethyl acetate (125 μg/ml) extracts were found to be significantly higher than that of the negative control. The tyrosinase inhibition activities of ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts, in terms of the mean inhibition concentration (IC 50 ), were 1,078 and 1,467 μg/ml, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, the present study has demonstrated for the first time that marigold flower extracts possess tyrosinase inhibition activity. The activities of ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of marigold flowers were investigated in vitro and indicated that these extracts possess useful properties that may be of interest for cosmetic development.

Fifteen medicinal plant extracts were investigated for: total phenolic content and free radical scavenging effect by DPPH and ABTS assays; anti-lipid peroxidation activity by TBARS; and for antiglycation activity. The results revealed that the total phenolic content showed good correlation with free radical scavenging by ABTS (r = 0.721) and anti-lipid peroxidation by TBARS (r = -0.659), but showed no correlation with antiglycation. Three extracts from Tamarindus indica, Camellia sinensis and Artocarpus lakoocha demonstrated a significant antioxidant effect, and also showed a promising antiglycation effect. The IC50 (mg/ml) were 0.9-0.16 for the DPPH method; TEAC values (mg Trolox/mg sample) of 1.72-2.83 for the ABTS method; IC50 (mg/ml) of 0.64-1.22 for the TBARS method; and IC50 ranging from 0.01 to 3.20 for the antiglycation method. These three herbs were found to possess effective antioxidant and antiglycation activities, and could be further developed for use in anti-aging cosmetics.