Objectives:Agrimoniae Herba is a herbal medicine widely distributed in Asia and contains flavonoids including catechin, quercitrin, rutin, hyperoside, and quercetin. This study aimed to investigate the anti-oxidant activity and skin barrier function of different solvent fractions (Hexane; methylene chloride, MC; ethyl acetate, EA; n-butanol, Bu; Water) obtained from Agrimoniae Herba.
Methods:Anti-oxidant activity of different solvent fractions obtained from Agrimoniae Herba was investigated through total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity measurements. Then, filament aggregating protein (Filaggrin), Type I collagen, ceramide synthase (CERS) 3, and CERS4 were analyzed to evaluate the skin barrier strengthening effect of different solvent fractions obtained from Agrimoniae Herba on UVB-stimulated HaCaT cells.
Results:As a result of measuring total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, DPPH free radical scavenging activity, and ABTS radical scavenging activity, antioxidant activity was found to be excellent in the order of EA > Bu > MC > Hexane > Water. As a result of measuring mRNA gene expression of Type I collagen, Filaggrin, CERS3, and CERS4 after UVB-stimulated was applied to HaCaT cells treated with different solvent fractions obtained from Agrimoniae Herba, it was found to increase significantly in the Bu-treated group.
Conclusion:Our findings show that the Bu sample obtained from Agrimoniae Herba has excellent anti-oxidant ability, which increases Type I collagen, Filaggrin, and ceramide synthetase in UVB-stimulated HaCaT cells to control the skin barrier improvement effect.