NATURALS
appear in the form of business, employment, research, technology transfer, and capacity- development opportunities. For instance, the women producers from
the M&A Project, supported by Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro students, have developed new methods for securing sustainable income through better management of their natural resources, such as the implementation of an integrated watershed management, including the use of soil and water resources, between the upstream and downstream areas of the watershed.
Cuateteco: The legacy The plant from which the product is obtained (Heterotheca inuloides) is locally known as Mexican arnica, due to its anti-inflammatory and wound-healing traditional uses.3,4 Traditionally, it was also called ‘cuateteco’ and it was highly valued for its medicinal properties. The Mexican arnica flower extract
triggers multiple endogenous mechanisms of the main epidermal and dermal cells by selectively modulating the gene expression of several elements related to skin ageing. Its broad-spectrum benefits come as a result of its remarkable multiple actions on both keratinocytes and fibroblasts that are directly involved in epidermal hydration, microbiota regulation, inflammation, communication with melanocytes, cell senescence, oxidative stress, extracellular matrix and growth factors. In vitro and in vivo tests performed
during Provital’s study of the plant confirmed its already known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and displayed a wide range of other really interesting activities.
In vitro results An in vitro study in normal human epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts was performed using real-time RT-qPCR to determine the relative quantification of gene expression. The results are expressed as a
D0 LATINO D28 LATINO
51
Figure 2: Average face for all Caucasian volunteers Note: Bluer tones correspond to lack of firmness and redder tones to increased firmness.
percentage of change over non-stimulated control, with the control expression considered to be 100% (Figure 1). The results show that the following genes’ transcription was regulated with the active: ■ Ceramide synthase 3 ■ Aquaporin 3 ■ Hyaluronan synthase 1 ■ Antimicrobial peptides β-defensin-2 & -3 ■ Interleukin 8 ■ Endothelin 1 ■ Mitochondrial transcription factor A ■ Keratin 14 ■ Heme-oxygenase 1 ■ Catalase ■ Fibroblast growth factor 7 ■ Matrix metalloproteinase 3 ■ Senescence-associated secretory phenotype, which entails a striking increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-β, IL-8, GRO1, MCP1 and G-CSF5
. D0 CAUCASIAN D56 CAUCASIAN Thus, the active effectively regulates the
gene expression of multiple mechanisms inducing the self-improvement of the skin6-14
,
promoting the endogenous power of our own genetic inheritance. We also evaluated the effect of the active
through a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity assay, with vitamin C as a positive control and an antioxidant reference in the market. The results revealed that it is able to scavenge the DPPH radical significantly. It has a remarkable dose-dependent antioxidant capacity, achieving 66.6% (p<0.0001) of free radical scavenging at 2%. In the last in vitro test, niacinamide was used as a multi-functional reference in the market. The results of this assay showed that our Mexican arnica flower extract importantly (and significantly) prevented the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs at 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.4%). In all cases, the anti- glycation activity was above 50%, achieving a remarkable 70.1% (p<0.0001) reduction in AGEs, even at the lowest dose.
DO PLACEBO D28 PLACEBO DO PLACEBO D56 PLACEBO
In vivo results All in vivo assessments were performed on a multi-ethnic panel of 71 female and male volunteers, with Caucasian, African, Asian and Latino backgrounds. These volunteers applied a placebo-controlled formulation with 2% of the active to the hemiface, morning and night, for 56 days. Measurements were taken on days 0, 14, 28 and 56. Positive trends for all the measured
Figure 3: Wrinkle & roughness evolution of active- & placebo-treated skin in Latino volunteer 19B (left) & Caucasian volunteer 14A (right)
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parameters were seen after only 14 days of treatment, and the improvements continued to strengthen up to Day 56, reaching statistical significance for all parameters (p<0.05). This proves empirically that Mexican arnica flower extract not only enhances the proper functioning of the skin, but also results in visibly moisturised, smoother and firmer skin. Periocular wrinkles are visibly reduced and the skin tone becomes more uniform. So, we
March 2022 PERSONAL CARE
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