Napagoda et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2016) 16:479 DOI 10.1186/s12906-016-1455-8 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Photoprotective potential in some medicinal plants used to treat skin diseases in Sri Lanka Mayuri Tharanga Napagoda1*, Benthota Malavi Arachchige Shamila Malkanthi1, Subasinghe Appuhamillage Kaumudi Abayawardana1, Mohomed Mallique Qader2 and Lalith Jayasinghe2 Abstract Background: The constant exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) has a variety of harmful effects on human health. Although synthetic sunscreen products have been introduced as a preventive/therapeutic strategy, with the realization of their adverse side effects, the recent trend is to search for human friendly alternative formulations especially of plant origin. Therefore, the present study focuses on evaluation of photoprotective activity of aqueous extracts (1 mg/ml) of eleven medicinal plants in Sri Lanka that have been widely employed in traditional medicine as treatment options for various skin diseases and to improve the complexion. Methods: For the determination of UV filtering potential of the extracts, UV absorption was measured and the sun protection factor (SPF) was calculated according the Mansur equation. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays. Results: Among the extracts, Atalantia ceylanica, Hibiscus furcatus, Leucas zeylanica, Mollugo cerviana, Olax zeylanica and Ophiorrhiza mungos have displayed SPF value ≥ 25, which are even higher than two commercial photoprotective creams used as reference compounds. L. zeylanica and O. mungos have displayed a high UV absorbance in 260–350 nm range indicating their potential of being broad spectrum sunscreens. In addition, the extract of O. mungos was found to be photostable, without any significant reduction in the SPF after exposure to direct solar radiation for 21 days. DPPH assay and the ABTS assay revealed that the extracts possess high antioxidant activity. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that the presence of secondary metabolites with antioxidant property could be responsible for the high UV absorbance. Our findings would offer an exciting avenue for further research towards the development of herbal cosmetics. Keywords: Photoprotective, Sunscreen, Antioxidant, Medicinal plants Background depending on the wavelength; UV-A (320–400 nm) During the past few decades, the anthropogenic activ- UV-B (290–320 nm) and UV-C (200–290 nm). In- ities had led to a substantial damage to the protective tenseoroverexposuretoUV-AandUV-Bleadsto ozone layer and resulted in a significant increase of the sun burn, erythema, inflammation, hyperpigmenta- solar radiation reaching the earth. As a consequence, the tion,wrinkling,hyperplasia,localimmunosuppres- incidence of various diseases and disorders related with sion, photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. Although the excessive exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation UV-C is most biologically damaging, it gets effect- has alarmingly increased over the recent years [1]. Solar ively filtered by the ozone layer [2–4]. UV radiation is classified into three major categories The UV exposure to the skin leads to the generation of free radicals/reactive oxygen species which exert dele- terious effects by oxidizing biologically essential mole- * Correspondence: [email protected] 1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, cules and induced oxidative damage. The excess of free Galle 80000, Sri Lanka radicals results in a cascade of events for example, Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s). 2016 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Napagoda et al. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2016) 16:479 Page 2 of 6 mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade, induction of example, the oral administration or topical application of heme oxygenase-1 and matrix metalloproteinase in plant extracts such as green and black tea, coffee, Aloe the skin and thereby mediating progressive deterior- vera, cucumber is speculated to be protective against UV- ation of cellular structure and function as well as induced erythema, early aging and irradiation-induced modification of DNA and abnormal expression of cel- cancer [9]. lular genes. Although the skin possesses an elaborate Plants and their products have been systematically antioxidant system to deal with the UV induced oxi- used in Sri Lanka for treating illnesses for over thousand dative stress, the extensive and chronic exposure to years. Among the native flora of Sri Lanka more than UV could exceed the cutaneous antioxidant capacity, 1400 plants are used in indigenous medicine [10] and hence leads to oxidative damage causing variety of the literature reveals that large number of plants are ex- harmful effects in the skin [5]. tensively used to treat various dermatological diseases as As it would be impractical to reduce the excessive ex- well as to improve complexion [11]. These alternative posure to solar radiation, a novel approach called “photo- medications seem promising, although their true effects chemoprevention”/“photoprotection” has been introduced are not scientifically proven, thus further investigations to overcome the detrimental effects caused by UV ra- should be performed to assess the clinical benefits. How- diation. It involves the use of various photochemopre- ever, only a handful of scientific evidences are available ventive/photoprotective agents which functions via on bioactivity studies of medicinal plants in Sri Lanka prevention of the damage caused by UV radiation that could lead towards the development of herbal cos- and/or modulation of different cellular responses to metics. Apart from the study on photoprotective proper- UV radiation to prevent, stop or correct tumour promo- ties of Sri Lankan black tea [12], there has been hardly tion and progression. The most popular strategy in the any report on photoprotective potential of Sri Lankan present day practice to reduce the amount of UV radiation plants. In order to fulfill this knowledge gap, the present penetrating the skin is the topical application of sunscreen study has focused on evaluation of sunscreening and products that contain UV absorbing, reflecting or scat- antioxidant activity of eleven medicinal plants that have tering active molecules. Sunscreens with a sun protect- been extensively utilized in Sri Lanka for improving ive factor (SPF) value of 15 or greater are highly complexion and as dermatological therapeutics. Thereby recommended and these compounds are incorporated the ethnopharmacological usage of these plant species in several cosmetic products such as creams, gels, oils and could also be rationalized. lotions [6]. Octylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3, mexenone, provatene, avobenzone are a few examples of Methods synthetic sunscreen agents, however their usage is limited Plant material owing to the adverse side effects such as development of Leaves of Aporosa lindleyana (Euphorbiaceae) Atalantia irritant dermatitis, hypersensitivity, allergies and even ceylanica (Rutaceae), Hibiscus furcatus (Malvaceae),Olax melanoma [7]. Therefore the usage of natural/herbal zeylanica (Olacaceae), Ophiorrhiza mungos (Rubiaceae) sunscreens has gained considerable attention over the re- and whole plants of Argyreia populifolia (Convolvulaceae), cent years and several natural compounds with UV ab- Ipomoea mauritiana (Convolvulaceae), Lasia spinosa sorption property have been used to substitute for or to (Araceae), Leucas zeylanica (Lamiaceae) and Plectranthus reduce the quantity of synthetic sunscreen agents [8]. zeylanicus (Lamiaceae) were collected in Gampaha Dis- However it was revealed that the protection is not fully trict - Western Province of Sri Lanka in 2013, while seeds achieved even if the sunscreen is effective in blocking of Mollugo cerviana (Aizoaceae) was purchased from harmful UV rays, thus the high SPF value alone is not Ayurvedic retail outlet at the Market Place, Nittambuwa, adequate for an effective photoprotection. Over the last Sri Lanka. Based on the application in folklore medicine, few years, a significant number of evidence has emerged, the above plant parts were specifically selected for the indicating that chemically diverse classes of naturally oc- study. The plants were identified by the author (MTN), a curring substances are potent in the treatment of several botanist, and confirmed based on the books “A Revised dermatological conditions caused by the chronic expos- Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon: volume – 1-XIII, M.D. ure to the UV radiation. Polyphenols, flavonoids, ter- Dassanayake & F.R. Fosberg” and “Medicinal plants penes, catechins and alkaloids are compound classes (indigenous and exotic) used in Ceylon: Volume 1–5 that have been targeted for photochemopreventive activ- by D.M.A. Jayaweera” and authenticated by compari- ity and curcumine, resveratrol, caffeic acid and quercetin son with the herbarium specimens at