Dual Bioactivities of Essential Oil Extracted from the Leaves of Artemisia argyi as an Antimelanogenic versus Antioxidant Agent and Chemical Composition Analysis by GC/MS

Abstract

The study was aimed at investigating the antimelanogenic and antioxidant properties of essential oil when extracted from the leaves of Artemisia argyi, then analyzing the chemical composition of the essential oil. The inhibitory effect of the essential oil on melanogenesis was evaluated by a mushroom tyrosinase activity assay and B16F10 melanoma cell model. The antioxidant capacity of the essential oil was assayed by spectrophotometric analysis, and the volatile chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results revealed that the essential oil significantly inhibits mushroom tyrosinase activity (IC50 = 19.16 mg/mL), down-regulates B16F10 intracellular tyrosinase activity and decreases the amount of melanin content in a dose-dependent pattern. Furthermore, the essential oil significantly scavenged 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline- 6-sulphonic acid) ABTS radicals, showed an apparent reduction power as compared with metal-ion chelating activities. The chemicals constituents in the essential oil are ether (23.66%), alcohols (16.72%), sesquiterpenes (15.21%), esters (11.78%), monoterpenes (11.63%), ketones (6.09%), aromatic compounds (5.01%), and account for a 90.10% analysis of its chemical composition. It is predicted that eucalyptol and the other constituents, except for alcohols, in the essential oil may contribute to its antioxidant activities. The results indicated that essential oil extracted from A. argyi leaves decreased melanin production in B16F10 cells and showed potent antioxidant activity. The essential oil can thereby be applied as an inhibitor of melanogenesis and could also act as a natural antioxidant in skin care products.

Essential oil of Artemisia argyi suppresses inflammatory responses by inhibiting JAK/STATs activation

“…These results indicated that down-regulation of JAK/STAT signaling activation is a possible mechanism for AAEO to inhibit LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 gene expression as well as the production of some pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in macrophages. Moreover, since essential oil possesses antioxidant activity for scavenging ROS (Miguel, 2010, Huang et al, 2012, and the production of ROS is a key step involved in JAK/STATs activation in macrophages (Simon et al, 1998), it is plausible that AAEO inhibits JAK/STATs signaling by ROS scavenging. It is of interest to note that AAEO dose-dependently reduced LPS-induced ROS production in RAW264.7 macrophages, which implicates the inhibitory effect of AAEO on JAK/STATs might be attributed to its antioxidant activity toward ROS.…”

“…Dried leaves of this herb are also used in acupuncture clinics in China to treat various diseases, especially chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, asthma, gastrointestinal disorders, and insomnia (Ge et al, 2016). A. argyi is reported to possess multiple pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiasthma, analgesic, antivirus, antioxidant, antitumor and immunomodulatory effects (Jiang et al, 2005;Ge et al, 2016;Huang et al, 2012;Bao et al, 2013;), most of which are contributed by the essential oil existing in A. argyi leaves. Though the anti-inflammatory activity of Artemisia genus has been studied intensively and several anti-inflammatory compounds were also found in this plant (Moscatelli et al, 2006;Min et al, 2009;Choi et al, 2013;Habib and Waheed, 2013;Jeong et al, 2014;Park et al, 2015;Zeng et al, 2014), there is no much substantial evidence supporting the anti-inflammatory property of this herbal medicine and the molecular targets for the effects still remain unclear, which limited its application into clinical practice.…”

The Extract of Rhodobacter sphaeroides Inhibits Melanogenesis through the MEK/ERK Signaling Pathway

“…Lycogen™ are available from Asia-Pacific Biotech Developing, Inc. (Kaohsiung, Taiwan). Murine B16F10 cells are cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 1% glutamine and 50 μg/mL gentamicin at 37 °C in 5% CO 2 [11,12]. Adult zebrafish were obtained from a commercial dealer, and 10–15 fishes were kept in a 5 L acrylic tank with the following conditions; 28.5 °C, with a 14/10 h light/dark cycle.…”

Comparison of Artemisiae argyi Folium and Artemisiae lavandulaefoliae Folium by simultaneous determination of multi‐components with single reference standard method and chemometric analysis

“…Artemisiae argyi Folium (the dried leaves of Artemisia argyi H. Léveillé & Vaniot) and Artemisiae lavandulaefoliae Folium (the dried leaves of Artemisia lavandulifolia Candolle), two morphologically similar herbal medicines derived from Artemisia genus, are widely used in China and East Asia for treatment of haemorrhage, pain, eczema, and menstruation‐related symptoms . In clinic, these two herbal medicines have been extensively used due to various pharmacological functions, including anti‐bacterial, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, anti‐cancer, haemostatic and analgesic activities . Intriguingly, the two herbal medicines derived from the Artemisia genus have similar morphological effects, but the pharmacological effects and clinical applications are different.…”

“…2 In clinic, these two herbal medicines have been extensively used due to various pharmacological functions, including anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, haemostatic and analgesic activities. [3][4][5][6] Intriguingly, the two herbal medicines derived from the Artemisia genus have similar morphological effects, but the pharmacological effects and clinical applications are different. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Artemisiae argyi Folium was reported to possess immuno-modulatory properties and commonly used for treatment of haemorrhage, pain, and skin itch, while Artemisiae lavandulaefoliae Folium has remarkable effects on menstruationrelated symptoms and was usually used in curing Gong cold infertility and irregular menstruation.…”