Atividade antioxidante de sementes de Eugenia involucrata dc. e potencial aplicação cosmética

Abstract

In the XXI century, the valorization of Brazilian biodiversity and the commitment to sustainable development has stimulated the preference for products of natural sources as an alternative to the use of synthetic products. In this scenario, the plant extratcs application in cosmetic formulations is a promising trends in the market, which demands new sustainable and economical sources for functional raw materials. The Eugenia involucrate DC. is a native plant to southern Brasil region, belonging to the Myrtaceae family. This genus stands out because it has a large amount of phenolic compounds in its composition, with proven antimicrobial, anti inflammatory and antioxidant capacity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and the phenolic composition of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from the Eugenia involucrata seeds, as well as to apply the obtained extract in a cosmetic formulation. The study included Folin-Ciocalteau reducing capacity, DPPH and ABTS to determine the antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity by the disc-diffusion method. Toxicity was determined by hemolytic assay, hen’s egg test - chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) and Artemia salina assay. The stability studies were evaluated according to the Stability Guide for Cosmetic Products. In general, the hydroalcoholic extract presented the best results, with a highest content of phenols (116,3 ± 0,6 mg EAG/g), expressive antioxidant capacity (IC50 around 0.06 mg/ml) and significant antimicrobial activity. The results demonstrated a not significant toxicity in human erythrocytes, CAM and Artemia salina. In relation to the cosmetic application, the formulations containing the extracts presented superior activity to those containing the synthetic antioxidant. It was concluded that the hydroalcoholic extract presents as a promising antioxidant, since it demonstrated absence of toxicity, low irritability potential and relevant antioxidant effect when applied to the cosmetic formulation, besides maintenance of organoleptic and physicochemical characteristics practically unchanged during stability studies.