Skin hydration modulatory activities of Ficus deltoidea extract

Area of Science:

• Dermatology and Cosmeceutical Science
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Ficus deltoidea possesses antioxidant, anti-melanogenic, and photoprotective properties, attributed to biomarkers vitexin and isovitexin.
• These properties suggest potential benefits for skin barrier function and hydration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize the methanolic extraction of Ficus deltoidea leaves (EFD) for maximizing vitexin and isovitexin yields.
• To evaluate the efficacy of EFD on skin barrier function and hydration using in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches.

Main Methods:

• Box-Behnken design for optimizing methanol concentration, sonication time, and solvent-to-sample ratio.
• Quantitative real-time PCR to assess keratinocyte differentiation marker genes (transglutaminase-1, caspase 14, ceramide synthase 3, involucrin, filaggrin).
• In vivo efficacy study on human subjects and in silico molecular docking analysis.

Main Results:

• Optimal extraction yielded 32.29 mg/g vitexin and 35.87 mg/g isovitexin under specific conditions (77.66% methanol, 20.03 min sonication, 19.88 mL/g ratio).
• EFD significantly elevated mRNA levels of skin barrier marker genes (0.7-9.2 folds) in vitro.
• Topical EFD formulation increased skin hydration by 43.74% (day 7) and 47.23% (day 14) in vivo.

Conclusions:

• Optimized methanolic extraction effectively yields key biomarkers from Ficus deltoidea leaves.
• EFD demonstrates significant potential in enhancing skin barrier function and hydration, supported by molecular and clinical evidence.