Abstract:
Cosmeceuticals are rapidly growing domain of natural skin care industry. They have natural constituents possessing medicinal properties when applied topically, intended to provide beneficial protective effects to the degenerative skin. The current study was aimed to develop a stabilized carrier system in the form of topical emulgel loaded with Mimosa pudica and Psoralea corylifolia extracts. Their possible skin effects were quantified using non-invasive biophysical techniques after ensuring their cytocompatibility and hypo-allergenicity. After extraction and fractionation with suitable solvents, the plant extract was evaluated for their polyphenolic content using chemical and HPLC assays. Afterward, the most suitable fraction was employed to develop a stable emulgel system after checking its cellular compatibility by MTT assay using normal human keratinocytes (HaCat). Then developed emulgels were characterized by various in-vitro parameters i.e. pH change, electrical conductivity, centrifugation, microscopic and rheological investigation at different storage conditions of temperature and humidity, and sensory evaluation. Depending upon results of these in-vitro characters, the optimized formulation for each plant was subjected to non-invasive in-vivo investigations to assess various skin parameters like erythema, melanin, hydration, elasticity and sebum level employing human volunteers. Moreover, surface evaluation for living skin (SELS) parameters such as skin smoothness, skin roughness, skin scaliness, and skin wrinkles were also evaluated. The results were analyzed using various statistical techniques like ANOVA and pair sample t-test. Results showed that a stable emulgel system loaded with Mimosa pudica and Psoralea corylifolia extracts had significant beneficial effects on skin when compared with placebo. Furthermore, it increased skin smoothness while decreasing its roughness, scaliness, and wrinkles.
From the present study, it is concluded that Mimosa pudica and Psoralea corylifolia extract loaded stable emulgel is possible to develop that could be a great strategy to deal with various degenerative skin conditions and improve its integrity.
