• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.271-280
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• 2010

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a major cause of photodamages to human skin and the immediate responses of the skin to UV include the erythema and edema. In an attempt to find effective UV-protecting agents to be used in cosmetics, a number of plant extracts were screened in the cell-based assays. Among the total of 38 plant extracts tested, 3 plant extracts derived from Sasa quelpaertensis, Althaea rosea, and Dryopteris crassirhizoma attenuated the UVB-induced cytotoxicity as well as melanin synthesis in cultured human epidermal melanocytes. The anti-inflammatory effects of these plant extracts were further examined in animal models. A control or test cream containing 1% of a plant extract was topically applied to ears of a C57BL/6 mouse or the dorsal skin of a SKH-1 hafirless mouse before and after the exposure to UVB. The change in ear thickness or dorsal skin redness due to UVB exposure was determined to monitor edema and erythema, respectively. All three test creams exhibited anti-inflammatory effects in both experiments. The creams containing Sasa quelpaertensis, Althaea rosea or Dryopteris crassirhizoma extract alleviated the UVB-induced edema response on day 4 by 53.8 %, 56.4 % and 31.1 %, respectively. They also inhibited the erythema formation on day 2 by 45.7 %, 34.1 % and 20.5 %, respectively. This study suggests that the selected plant extracts formulated in cosmetics may attenuate skin inflammation caused by overexposure to UV.