Skin irritation and potential antioxidant, anti-collagenase, and anti-elastase activities of edible insect extracts

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate antioxidant, anti-aging, and irritation properties of Thai edible insect extracts, including Bombyx mori, Omphisa fuscidentalis, Euconocephalus sp., Patanga succincta, Acheta domesticus, and Lethocerus indicus. Insects were extracted by 2 different methods, including maceration using ethanol or hexane and digestion using DI water. Then the extracts were determined for protein content using bicinchoninic acid assay and antioxidant activities using 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and ferric thiocyanate assays. Anti-aging activities were investigated by determination of collagenase and elastase inhibitory activities using spectrophotometric assay. Maceration by hexane yielded the highest extract content, whereas aqueous extract from digestion possessed the significantly highest protein content and biological activities (p < 0.05). Interestingly, aqueous extracts of A. domesticus possessed the significantly highest biological activities (p < 0.05) with Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity value of 8.8 ± 0.1 mmol Trolox/mg, DPPH· inhibition of 19.5 ± 3.8%, equivalent concentration of 12.1 ± 0.7 µM FeSO4/mg, lipid peroxidation inhibition of 31.3 ± 2.4%, collagenase inhibition of 60.8 ± 2.1%, elastase inhibition of 17.0 ± 0.1%, and no irritation effect on chorioallantoic membrane and volunteers. Therefore, aqueous extract of A. domesticus would be suggested for further topical product development.

Acheta domesticus: A Natural Source of Anti-Skin-Aging Ingredients for Cosmetic Applications

“…These findings confirm the safety of all the A. domesticus extracts for topical applications. The results were in line with our previous study, which reported no skin irritation of A. domesticus extracts in both in vitro HET-CAM and in vivo human patch tests in volunteers [ 21 ]. In addition, no allergens have been reported within crickets, and specific food-related allergies resulting from A. domesticus consumption have not been documented in Europe or regions where cricket consumption is prevalent [ 69 ].…”

“…Although A. domesticus is currently considered edible and is farmed for consumption as food, previous data regarding its biologically active compounds, which highlight it as a rich source of vitamins, fatty acids, and essential amino acids, make it likely to have the potential to be beneficial for topical applications as skin care. Furthermore, our previous study found that A. domesticus aqueous extract demonstrated the most potent biological activities, such as the inhibition of oxidation, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), and elastase among several insect species [ 21 ]. Additionally, Di Mattia et al (2019) also reported the highest antioxidant activity of the water-soluble extract from A. domesticus compared to other insect species [ 17 ].…”

Optimization of Hydrolysis Conditions, Isolation, and Identification of Biologically Active Peptides Derived from Acheta domesticus for Antioxidant and Collagenase Inhibition

“…CE was produced through thermal solvent extraction, following the methodology outlined in our earlier study [ 40 ]. Briefly, finely ground A. domesticus powder was extracted with deionized (DI) water for 3 h at 45 °C using a water bath (Memmert, Schwabach, Germany).…”

“…However, there is currently no study directly employing A. domesticus to produce PH for anti-skin aging properties. Our previous study revealed that aqueous extracts from A. domesticus demonstrated robust activities against enzymes linked to skin aging and oxidative stress and proposed that the proteins could potentially be responsible for these observed activities [ 40 ]. Consequently, the utilization of enzymatic hydrolysis may further enhance the effectiveness against skin aging and the safety of A. domesticus protein.…”

Edible Insects in Thailand: An Overview of Status, Properties, Processing, and Utilization in the Food Industry

“…Resveratrol, a phytochemical, has been identified as the main natural antioxidant in some plants [58]. Researchers have found that aqueous extracts and aqueous ethanol have better antioxidant activity [58,60]. Conversely, other aqueous extracts may contain interesting substances, including fatty acids, particularly unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs), such as αlinolenic acid (ALA), which show β-hexosaminidase-inhibitory activity based on aqueous hexane extracts of Oxya yezoensis [61] and exhibit dominant inhibitory activity against lipid peroxidation in Omphisa fuscidentalis, Euconocephalus sp., Patanga succincta, A. domesticus, and Lethocerus indicus [60].…”