Insight into the Biological Activity of Hennosides—Glucosides Isolated from Lawsonia inermis (henna): Could They Be Regarded as Active Constituents Instead

Abstract

Henna is the current name of the dye prepared from the dry leaf powder of Lawsonia inermis (Lythraceae). Several studies have focused on the chemistry and pharmacology of the henna dyeing active compound, lawsone, obtained from the main constituents of leaves, hennosides, during the processing of plant material. However, knowledge regarding the biological activity of hennosides is largely lacking. In this paper, the redox activity of three hennoside isomers is reported. The pro-oxidative activity was confirmed by their ability to induce mild lysis of erythrocytes and to increase the level of methemoglobin at the concentration ≥ 500 μg/mL. The antioxidant activity of hennosides (concentration ≥100 μg/mL) was determined by FRAP and ABTS assays. At concentration of 500 μg/mL, antioxidant activity of hennoside isomers was equivalent to 0.46 ± 0.08, 0.62 ± 0.28 and 0.35 ± 0.03 mM FeSO4 × 7H2O, and 0.15 ± 0.01, 0.30 ± 0.01 and 0.09 ± 0.01 mM Trolox. Hennosides at 100 μg/mL concentration did not influence viability of human breast cancer cell lines MDA231 and MCF-7 and primary human peripheral blood and periodontal ligament-mesenchymal stem cells, but produced a modest increase in concentration of antioxidants in the cell culture supernatants. The evidenced antioxidant and pro-oxidant activities indicate their potential to act as redox balance regulator, which opens up the possibility of using hennosides in commercial phytomedicines.

Estimation of Lawsone Release from Lawsonia inermis Leaf Powder and Dye Uptake on the Hair

“…Immediate soaking time delivers an 'a' value of around 10.0 units and reaches the maximum after 4 hrs of soaking at 14.0 units and then gradually decreased. Similar kinds of observations were reported by Maslovarić et al 13 , their findings indicated that releasable lawsone readily reacts with nitrogenous compounds such as amino acids, proteins etc. Elimination of nitrogenous materials is a critical step towards the stabilization of the lawsone molecule in the extract.…”

“…Elimination of nitrogenous materials is a critical step towards the stabilization of the lawsone molecule in the extract. Many authors work towards the lawsone extraction with various organic solvents to remove the nitrogenous compounds 11,13,15,17,20,21 3). The entire lawsone release study is immensely useful to draw the plot of optimized time recommendations for consumer practices.…”

“…For the hair colouring process, the consumer takes 1 part of henna powder mixed with 4 parts of water for colouring i.e., 20 g of henna powder mixed with 80 mL of water for colouring and kept overnight for the lawsone release. It is explained in the below pictorial representation 13 (Fig. 1):…”

Effect of lawsone‐preconditioned mesenchymal stem cells on the regeneration of pancreatic β cells in Type 1 diabetic rats

“…16 A study conducted by Pamunuwa et al 20 reported the antidiabetic, as well as antioxidant potential of lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone), an aglycone, obtained from a glycoside (hennosides) during the chemical processing of Lawsonia inermis leaves. [21][22][23][24] Several studies reported that lawsone possesses various medicinal properties, including antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities. 21,24 The anti-hyperglycemic effect of L. inermis crude extract has been widely studied in the STZand AL-induced diabetic rats.…”

“…Similarly, juglone (5‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinone) has been documented to possess antidiabetic activity against diabetic mice 16 . A study conducted by Pamunuwa et al 20 reported the antidiabetic, as well as antioxidant potential of lawsone (2‐hydroxy‐1,4‐naphthoquinone), an aglycone, obtained from a glycoside (hennosides) during the chemical processing of Lawsonia inermis leaves 21–24 . Several studies reported that lawsone possesses various medicinal properties, including antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities 21,24 .…”