Essential Oils from Seeds of Aframomum citratum (C. Pereira) K. Schum, Aframomum daniellii (Hook. F.) K. Schum, Piper capense (Lin. F) and Monodora myristica (Gaertn.) Dunal NL and their Antioxidant Capacity in a Cosmetic Cream.

Preservative properties of essential oils from Aframomum citratum, Aframomum daniellii, Piper capense and Monodora myristica are well known in agri-food. In the current work, we study the possibility of using these oils in cosmetic creams as preservatives. Essential oils were obtained from powdered seed by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Their chemical compositions were determined using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Their cytotoxic activities were assayed against human intestinal (Caco-2) and epidermal (HaCaT). Briggs-Rauscher test and peroxide index were used to study the evolution of the antioxidant activity of essential oil-based cream submitted to accelerate aging process. Major component of the essential oil from the seeds of A. citratum was geraniol (97.6 %) while the essential oil of the seed of A. daniellii was rich in eucalyptol (51.5 %), α-terpineol (12.5 %) and β-pinene (8.5 %). Majors components of the essential oil from P. capense were β-pinene (38.1 %), germacrene D (12.3 %), trans-β-caryophyllene (11.3 %) and α-pinene (9.0 %) while the essential oil of seed of M. myristica was predominantly constituted of α-phellandrene (77.8 %). Essential oils of A. citratum and P. capense showed low cytotoxicity on the tested cells. M. myristica demonstrated a low cytotoxicity on epidermal cell lines HaCaT and no cytotoxicity on Caco-2 cell lines. No cytotoxicity was recorded with A. daniellii. The four essential oils in cosmetic cream preserved it from oxidation during accelerated aging process. This study provided evidence for possible utilization of Aframomum citratum, Aframomum daniellii, Piper capense and Monodora myristica essential oils in the prevention of oxidative damages in cosmetic creams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]