Kaempferia parviflora Rhizome Extract as Potential Anti-Acne Ingredient.

Kaempferia parviflora (Black ginger) is used widely in medical fields as an anti-microorganism and anti-inflammation. In this study, the aim was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anti-acne efficacy of black ginger extract. The results indicate that the methanol and ethanol extracts showed the highest total phenolic contents, without a significant difference, whereas the n-hexane extract showed the highest total flavonoid content. Nine flavones were detected using UPLC-QTOF-MS, and the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest amount of 5,7-dimethoxyflavone (DMF) according to HPLC. Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and Cutibacterium acnes was observed. All the extracts showed antimicrobial activity against C. acnes, revealing MICs in the range of 0.015 to 0.030 mg/mL, whereas the ethyl acetate extract inhibited the growth of S. epidermidis with a MIC of 3.84 mg/mL. In addition, the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest activity regarding nitric oxide inhibition (IC50 = 12.59 ± 0.35 µg/mL). The ethyl acetate extract was shown to be safe regarding cell viability at 0.1 mg/mL. The anti-acne efficacy was evaluated on volunteers. The volunteers were treated in two groups: one administered a 0.02% ethyl acetate extract gel-cream (n = 9) and one administered a placebo (n = 9) for 6 weeks. The group treated with the gel-cream containing the extract showed 36.52 and 52.20% decreases in acne severity index (ASI) after 4 and 6 weeks, respectively, and 18.19 and 18.54% decreases in erythema, respectively. The results suggest that K. parviflora could be a potent active ingredient in anti-inflammatory and anti-acne products.

Melanogenesis Inhibitory and Antioxidant Effects of Camellia oleifera Seed Oil.

Purpose: The study aimed to characterize the fatty acid profile of Camellia oleifera (tea) seed oil and evaluate for cytotoxicity and activities on melanogenesis and antioxidant activity assays in order to utilize as the functional oil. Methods: The fatty acid profile of oil was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The cytotoxicity was performed by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay in B16-F10 melanoma cells and 3T3-L1 cells. The melanogenesis assay, including melanin content and activities of tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2), and antioxidant activity were evaluated. Results: Three major fatty acids of oil were oleic acid (87.93±0.19%), stearic (5.14±0.06%) and palmitic (5.08±0.12%) acids. The non-cytotoxicity of 5% tea seed oil demonstrated the cell viabilities of 94.59±3.41% in B16-F10 melanoma cells and 97.57±1.62% in 3T3-L1 cells. Tea seed oil exhibited the inhibitory activity on melanogenesis assay via inhibition of tyrosinase and TRP-2 activities. The antioxidant activity of 3% tea seed oil appeared the cellular protection with cell viability of 90.38±7.77%. Conclusion: The results of study have shown the potential utilization of tea seed oil as the functional oil in several products, including health, food and cosmetic products.