Evaluation of Cosmetic and Dermatological Properties of Kombucha-Fermented Berry Leaf Extracts Considered to Be By-Products

Abstract

Leaves of Rubus fruticosus L., Vaccinum myrtillus L., Ribes nigrum L. and Fragaria vesca L. are considered agro-waste of the berry industry, but they can be a rich source of valuable bioactive compounds used in cosmetic industry. In this study, kombucha-fermented and non-fermented extracts were compared in terms of chemical composition and biological activity. Polyphenol compounds were identified by HPLC/DAD/ESI-MS. The antioxidant potential was analyzed by evaluating the scavenging of intracellular free radicals contained in keratinocytes and fibroblasts and by DPPH and ABTS assay, obtaining a higher radical scavenging capacity for the ferments, especially for R. fruticosus and V. myrtillus ferments. Assessment of the cytotoxicity on skin cell lines showed their positive effect on the viability of fibroblasts and keratinocytes (especially for the ferments after 10 days of fermentation). The potential anti-ageing properties were determined by their ability to inhibit the activity of metalloproteinases, obtaining almost 30% inhibition of collagenase and elastase in the case of fermented V. myrtillus. Moreover, when the samples were applied to the skin, the positive effect of ferments on skin hydration and pH was demonstrated, which indicates that kombucha berry leaf extracts may be an innovative cosmetic ingredient.

Assessment of Cosmetic and Dermatological Properties and Safety of Use of Model Skin Tonics with Kombucha-Fermented Red Berry Extracts

“…For example, for F. vesca , the gallic acid content of F20 is about 12 times higher than that of the extract. An earlier paper published by Ziemlewska et al [ 5 ] determined the content of the biologically active compounds that are present in berry leaf extracts, which are often considered to be agro-waste. Compared to berry fruits, leaf extracts and their kombucha ferments at the same tested concentration are characterized by a higher content of polyphenols, which also translates to the antioxidant activity.…”

“…The cosmetics industry is increasingly turning to natural plant substrates that were previously considered to be waste products, such as leaves or fruit seeds. Subjecting them to a fermentation process has yielded surprising discoveries of properties that are quite different from those known in fruits [ 5 ]. The same strategy is also used in the production of biosurfactants, which are characterized by higher activity and stability compared to the surfactants that are obtained synthetically.…”

Strawberry Fragaria x ananassa cv. Festival: A Polyphenol-Based Phytochemical Characterization in Fruit and Leaf Extracts

“…Previous studies have suggested the potential use of strawberries in cosmetic and pharmaceutical topical products, providing possible antioxidant, photoprotective, and anti-aging activities [ 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Hence, the bioactivity of the total polyphenol leaf extract was evaluated in terms of cytotoxicity, UV-photoprotection, and wound healing potential in human melanoma cells (SK-MEL-28) and in murine embryo fibroblasts (NIH/3T3).…”

Antioxidant Potential of Diosmin and Diosmetin against Oxidative Stress in Endothelial Cells

“…The generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the endothelial cells was performed as previously described [ 40 ]. After 24 h of incubation, the medium was removed and replaced with 10 μM H 2 DCFDA (Sigma Aldrich), and the cells were incubated for 45 min at 37 °C.…”