Embelin-A natural potential cosmetic agent
Keywords:
Embelia ribes, Embelin, Hemolytic activity, Tyrosinase activity, DOPA auto-oxidation activityAbstract
Embelia ribes one of the lndian traditional medicina] plant, has been used as a cosmetic agent to cure skin disorders for centuries. E.ribes is used especially for dyeing hairs, good pimple remover, treating acne, treating carbuncle infections , treating viti ligo and leucoderma. E. ribes berries contain a quinone derivative embelin (2,5-dihydroxy -3-undecyl,l ,4- benzoquinone), has a wide spectrum of biological activities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory and analgesie, antihelmintic, antife1tility and antimicrobial. Quinone derivatives and the analogs; Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10), ldebenone, Arbutin and Hydroquinone are well-known for cosmetic applications. In the present study, embelin from E.ribes berries of Indian origin was extracted and characterized by UV and FTIR analyses. Hemolytic, tyrosinase and DOPA auto-oxidation assays were also carried out. About 1.9± 0.1 gram of pure embelin was obtained from 100 gram of powdered berries (E.ribes). The characteristics studies reveal the properties are on par with the standard embelin received from Sigma (USA) . The halfmaximal effective concentration (ED50) of embelin to cause hemolysis was found as 109± O.I μg/ml. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity of embelin was nit and the DOPA auto-oxidation activity was observed up to 350 μg /ml concentration. Thus the embelin finds, potentially application in cosmetic industries.