Objective: To investigate the in vitro anti-elastase, anti-collagenase, and antimicrobial activities of the red pitaya peel extract for cosmetic application focusing on skin aging.Methods: Extraction was performed by the reflux method for 103 minutes at 56°C with 82% aqueous ethanol solution and the red pitaya peel extract was evaporated using a rotary evaporator. Anti-elastase and anti-collagenase properties were evaluated using the drug discovery kits (neutrophil elastase colorimetric and matrix metalloproteinase-1 colorimetric, respectively). The antimicrobial potential was analyzed using agar well diffusion method against 10 selected microorganisms, and the presence or absence of the inhibition zones was identified.Results: The red pitaya peel extract exhibited remarkable inhibition percentage 87.62±0.05% and 96.92±0.02% for anti-elastase and anti-collagenase activities, respectively. Red pitaya peel extract showed significant inhibition against the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis B29 with an inhibition zone diameter of 8.0±0.3 mm.Conclusion: The excellent anti-aging properties displayed by the underutilized red pitaya peel extract highlighted its potential as a natural source of anti-aging agent for cosmetic formulations.
Currently, consumers’ demand for sunscreens derived from natural sources that provide photoprotection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is pushing the cosmetic industry to develop breakthrough formulations of sun protection products by incorporating plant antioxidants as their active ingredients. In this context, the present study was initiated to evaluate the antioxidant and photoprotective properties of the underutilized Hylocereus polyrhizus peel extract (HPPE) using in vitro spectrophotometric techniques. The phytochemical screenings of HPPE conducted via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) revealed the presence of phenolic acids and flavonoids as the major secondary metabolites in HPPE. The antioxidant potentials evaluated based on 2, 2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical and total antioxidant capacity assays were in the range of 22.16 ± 0.24%–84.67 ± 0.03% with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 36.39 ± 0.04 μg/mL and 23.76 ± 0.14%–31.87 ± 0.26% (IC50 = 21.93 ± 0.07 μg/mL), respectively. For the photoprotective evaluation, the results showed that HPPE had significantly high absorbance values (3.1–3.6) at 290–320 nm with an exceptional sun protection factor (SPF) value of 35.02 ± 0.39 at 1.00 mg/mL. HPPE also possessed a broad-spectrum shielding power against both UVA and UVB radiations. Hence, in terms of practical implications, our findings would offer an exciting avenue to develop a photoprotective formulation incorporating the ethanolic extract of Hylocereus polyrhizus peels as a synergistic active ingredient for its excellent UV absorption properties and the strong antioxidant activities.
In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for the optimization of the antioxidant potentials of red pitaya peels using independent variables: temperature (45–65 °C), ethanol concentration (70–90%, v/v) and time (80–120 min) through its responses, which were DPPH scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and beta-carotene bleaching (BCB) inhibition, respectively. In Vitro anti-tyrosinase and vitamin C content assays were carried out spectrophotometrically to determine the skin whitening efficacy of the optimized red pitaya peel extract. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was employed to identify the chemical constituents present in the optimized extract. The optimized conditions were ethanol 82% (v/v) for 103 min at 56 °C with values of 75.98% for DPPH, 7.45 mM Fe2+/g dry weight for FRAP and 93.29% for BCB respectively. The in vitro anti-tyrosinase and vitamin C content evaluation of the optimized extract showed a good tyrosinase inhibition of 66.29% with IC50 of 24.06 µg/mL while the vitamin C content was 5.45 mg/g of the extract. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of thirty phytoconstituents with l-(+)-ascorbic acid 2,6-dihexadecanoate being the most abundant with a peak area of 14.66%. This study evidently suggests the potential of red pitaya peels to be exploited as a natural skin whitening agent in the cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical formulations.
In the present study, Acutodesmus obliquus strain PSV2 was isolated from a textile and dyeing industrial site and investigated as a cost effective and potential adsorbent for Acid red 66 dye. Batch kinetic experiments were carried out as a function of pH (1.0-6.0), contact time (0-180 min) and initial dye concentration (10-50 mg/L) to determine the decolorization efficiency of microalgae. The maximum adsorption of dye was observed at pH 2.0 during the initial 60 min of contact time. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were applied to experimental data to investigate the efficiency of adsorbent and mechanism of adsorption. It was observed that Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm fitted well with Acid Red 66 dye data. Langmuir isotherm, described maximum adsorption of dye (44.24 mg/g) with good correlation coefficient (r 2 = 0.980) while Freundlich isotherm showed a high correlation coefficient (r 2 = 0.994) with value of n greater than unity (n = 1.27). The present study showed that Acutodesmus obliquus strain PSV2 is an eco friendly and highly efficient adsorbent for removal of acid red 66 dye from dyeing and textile industrial wastewater.
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