Background: Halophyte plant (HPs), a salt-resistant flora, has been reported to provide several health benefits, but the knowledge of its cosmeceutical potential is still ambiguous. Here, 70% ethanol extracts of 22 HPs collected from along the coast of South Korea were investigated for their potentials of antioxidant, anti-aging, and whitening properties for use as materials in novel cosmeceuticals. Methods: Antioxidant activities were determined by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-pricrylhydrazyl) free radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays, and skin aging-related enzyme activities (anti-elastase, anti-collagenase, antihyaluronidase, and anti-tyrosinase) were evaluated by using the spectrophotometric method. Results: Among the 22 HPs, we found that Ischaemum antephoroides f. coreana and Atriplex gmelinii extracts presented the strongest scavenging effects against DPPH free radical and hydrogen peroxide, respectively. Our finding additionally suggested that Salicornia europaea extract might provide a major source of anti-elastase and anti-hyaluronidase; meanwhile, Rosa rugosa extract showed the highest anti-collagenase effect. Furthermore, the highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity was possessed by Spartina anglica extract. Conclusion: These findings may suggest that halophyte plants showing biological activities may be potent inhibitors of tyrosinase, elastase, collagenase, and hyaluronidase and could be useful for application in cosmeceuticals.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a major causative factor of DNA damage, inflammatory responses, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and a turnover of various cutaneous lesions resulting in skin photoaging. The purpose of this study is to investigate the protective effect of protocatechuic aldehyde (PA), which is a nature-derived compound, against UVA-induced photoaging by using human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. In this study, our results indicated that PA significantly reduced the levels of intracellular ROS, nitric oxide (NO), and prostaglandins-E2 (PGE2) in UVA-irradiated HDF cells. It also inhibited the levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. Besides, PA significantly suppressed the expression of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1) and pro-inflammatory cytokines and promoted collagen synthesis in the UVA-irradiated HDF cells. These events occurred through the regulation of activator protein 1 (AP-1), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and p38 signaling pathways in UVA-irradiated HDF cells. Our findings suggest that PA enhances the protective effect of UVA-irradiated photoaging, which is associated with ROS scavenging, anti-wrinkle, and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, PA can be a potential candidate for the provision of a protective effect against UVA-stimulated photoaging in the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries.
The effects of anode orientation (whether an anode is located above or under a cathode) and flow channel design (parallel or serpentine flow channel) on the performance of refuelable zinc-air fuel cells (RZAFC) continuously fed with KOH electrolyte were investigated. The performance test was conducted at different electrolyte flow rates of 2, 4, and 6 ml h -1 . A polarization test of the cell was conducted at the initial stage of operation, followed by a long-term current discharge test in potentiostatic mode. The spent zinc powders were characterized by a scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The experimental results revealed that the anode-bottom orientation in the cell performed much better than the anodetop orientation with 11.4 times higher zinc utilization. The performance reduction of the anode-top orientation cell was caused by the cathode overpotential, due to the flooding of the cathode by water crossover from the anode, which was induced by the gravity force. For the flow channel design effects, there was an optimum electrolyte flow rate, to yield a maximum current discharge capacity, of 4 ml h -1 in this study. At this optimum flow rate, the total charge per gram of zinc delivered from the anode serpentine cell was 1.75 times higher than that from the anode-parallel one.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.