Safety and Antioxidant Efficacy Profiles of Rutin-Loaded Ethosomes for Topical Application.

Topical application of dermocosmetics containing antioxidant and/or the intake of antioxidants through diet or supplementation are remarkable tools in an attempt to slow down some of the harmful effects of free radicals. Rutin is a strong antioxidant compound used in food and pharmaceutical industries. It was established that rutin presents a low skin permeation rate, a property that could be considered an inconvenience to the satisfactory action for a dermocosmetic formulation to perform its antioxidant activity onto the skin. Therefore, it is indispensable to improve its delivery, aiming at increasing its antioxidant capacity in deeper layers of the epidermis, being a possibility to associate the rutin to liposomal vesicles, such as ethosomes. Thus, in this work, the pre-clinical safety of rutin-loaded ethosomes was investigated employing an in vitro method, and the clinical safety and efficacy were also assessed. Rutin-loaded ethosomes were efficaciously obtained in a nanoscale dimension with a relevant bioactive compound loading (80.2%) and provided antioxidant in vitro activity in comparison with the blank sample. Pre-clinical and clinical safety assays assured the innocuous profile of the rutin-loaded ethosomes. The ethosomes containing the bioactive compound accomplished a more functional delivery system profile, since in the tape stripping assay, the deeper layers presented higher rutin amounts than the active delivered in its free state. However, the ex vivo antioxidant efficacy test detected no positive antioxidant activity from the rutin-loaded ethosomes, even though the in vitro assay demonstrated an affirmative antioxidant action.

Quality by design (QbD), Process Analytical Technology (PAT), and design of experiment applied to the development of multifunctional sunscreens.

Multifunctional formulations are of great importance to ensure better skin protection from harm caused by ultraviolet radiation (UV). Despite the advantages of Quality by Design and Process Analytical Technology approaches to the development and optimization of new products, we found in the literature only a few studies concerning their applications in cosmetic product industry. Thus, in this research work, we applied the QbD and PAT approaches to the development of multifunctional sunscreens containing bemotrizinol, ethylhexyl triazone, and ferulic acid. In addition, UV transmittance method was applied to assess qualitative and quantitative critical quality attributes of sunscreens using chemometrics analyses. Linear discriminant analysis allowed classifying unknown formulations, which is useful for investigation of counterfeit and adulteration. Simultaneous quantification of ethylhexyl triazone, bemotrizinol, and ferulic acid presented at the formulations was performed using PLS regression. This design allowed us to verify the compounds in isolation and in combination and to prove that the antioxidant action of ferulic acid as well as the sunscreen actions, since the presence of this component increased 90% of antioxidant activity in vitro.

Aplicação do extrato da microalga Botryococcus braunii em formulações cosméticas fotoprotetoras / Application of the Botryococcus braunii microalgae extract in sunscreens

Diversos produtos tópicos são desenvolvidos a fim de se evitar os efeitos nocivos da radiação ultravioleta (UV), dentre eles, os protetores solares constituídos por filtros físicos e/ou químicos. No entanto, os filtros químicos podem promover eventos adversos, razão pela qual a busca de ativos em fontes naturais tem-se mostrado de grande importância. A microalga Botryococcus braunii pode ser de potencial interesse em aplicações cosméticas, pois foi descrito que seu extrato aquoso apresentou redução da desidratação cutânea, induziu a produção do colágeno, bem como promoveu atividade antioxidante. Assim, o estudo visou analisar o auxilio da B. braunii na fotoproteção cutânea e na proteção da pele por meio da ação antioxidante in vitro. As formulações, constituídas de biomassa da microalga ou de seus extratos, acrescidas ou não de filtros, foram avaliadas quanto à: ação antioxidante, atividade fotoprotetora in vitro e fotoestabilidade. A B. braunii apresentou bom desempenho de crescimento, contendo lipídeos (25,65%) e proteínas (49,17%) em proporção semelhante à descrita na literatura. A presença de fenóis totais e a ação antioxidante foram analisadas nos extratos obtidos com clorofórmio, metanol e etanol 70%. O extrato obtido com etanol 70% foi o que apresentou maior concentração de fenóis totais (68,9 µg/mL de ácido cafeico), porém inferior ao relatado na literatura; e a ação antioxidante não foi considerada significativa ao se comparar com o padrão Trolox®. Nas formulações, os extratos foram considerados ineficientes para ação antioxidante. Quanto à atividade fotoprotetora in vitro e fotoestabilidade, a B. braunii não apresentou eficácia adequada, existindo, porém, a possibilidade de os extratos atuarem na região da luz visível e contribuírem contra os efeitos danosos provocados por esta radiação à pele

Several topical products are developed in order to avoid the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, including sunscreens made by physical and/or chemical filters. However, chemical filters may promote adverse events, which is why the search for actives from natural sources has proven to be of great importance. The microalgae Botryococcus braunii may be of potential interest in cosmetic applications, because it has been reported that its aqueous extract showed a reduction in skin dehydration, induced collagen production and promoted antioxidant activity. Thus, the study aimed to analyze the contribution of B. braunii in skin photoprotection and skin protection through in vitro antioxidant action. The formulations, consisting of biomass from the microalgae or their extracts, supplemented or not by filters, were evaluated for: antioxidant activity, photoprotective activity in vitro and photostability. The B. braunii showed good growth performance, containing lipids (25.65%) and protein (49.17%) in similar proportion to the described by the literature. The presence of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were analyzed in extracts obtained with chloroform, methanol and 70% ethanol. The extract obtained with 70% ethanol showed the highest concentration of total phenolics (68.9 mg/mL caffeic acid), but lower than that reported in the literature; and the antioxidant action was not considered significant when compared to the Trolox® standard. In the formulations, the extracts were considered inefficient for antioxidant action. In relation to the in vitro photoprotection activity and photostability, B. braunii did not provide adequate efficacy, however, there is a possibility that the extracts have an ability to act in the visible light region and contribute to the protection from the harmful effects caused by that radiation to the skin