Evaluation of in vivo effects on surfactant-irritated human skin, antioxidant properties and phenolic composition of five Ericaceae species extracts

Abstract

Arbutus unedo, Bruckentalia spiculifolia, Calluna vulgaris, Erica arborea and Erica carnea possess strong antioxidant activity and they are traditionally used for the treatment of various skin diseases. The present study investigated the total phenylpropanoid content, antioxidant properties and phenolic composition of dry leaf ethanol extracts of these species. Furthermore, the in vivo effects of gels, each containing 2% of a single extract were tested on the artificially irritated human skin using the objective methods of skin biophysical measurements (erythema index (EI), pH of the skin and electrical capacitance (EC) as a measure of skin hydration level were assessed). In total, 13 components were identified by RP-HPLC coupled with DAD detection; quercitrin, quercetin 3-O-glucoside and gallic acid were detected in all investigated samples while chlorogenic acid and quercetin were present in 4 samples. Regarding the in vivo study, all investigated gels significantly decreased the skin irritation level and reversed the pH of the skin disturbed by preirritation, while results were contradictory regarding skin hydration measurements. In conclusion, the assessed in vivo topical effects of investigated extracts matched well with their phenylpropanoid content as well as with assessed antioxidant activities.