Skin Whitening and Anti-wrinkle Effects of Chambirum (Amaranthus mangostanus)

Purpose: To investigate the cosmetic effects of a chambirum (Amaranthus mangostamus) extract on the skincare by measuring the extract’s antioxidant, anti-wrinkle, and whitening.Methods: To confirm the antioxidant effect of chambirum, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity was determined. To confirm whitening effect of chambirum, tyrosinase inhibitory activity and melanin content were investigated. To confirm anti-wrinkle effect of chambirum, the elastase inhibition effect and type I procollagen production was assayed. B16F10 mouse melanoma cells and CCD986sk human dermal fibroblast cells were used to assay cell viability.Results: The DPPH radical scavenging activity of Amaranthus mangostanus ethanol extracts (AME) and Amaranthus mangostanus water extracts (AMW) was 49% and 56%, respectively, at 500 μg/mL. The SOD-like activity of AME and AMW was 67% and 57%, respectively, compared with that of the standard sample L-ascorbic acid at 38% at 1 mM. AME showed 25.9% (L-tyrosine) and 17.8% (L-DOPA), and AMW showed 23.4% (L-tyrosine) and 18.5% (L-DOPA) of tyrosinase inhibition assay. In addition, the intracellular melanin production in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells was decreased by AME and AMW by 25.5% and 24.0%, respectively. Additionally, the elastase inhibition assay results demonstrated inhibition by AME (19.7%) and AMW (17.2%) at 500 μg/mL and the amount of type I procollagen was shown to be insignificant. Furthermore, B16F10 mouse melanoma cells were 76% and 86% showed a viability 76% and 86% when treated with 100 μg/mL AME and AMW, respectively. CCD986sk fibroblast cells showed a viability 94.5% and 83.6% when we treated with 100 μg/mL AME and AMW, respectively.Conclusion: These results suggest that the chambirum (Amaranthus mangostamus) extract has excellent anti-oxidants, anti-wrinkle, and whitening effects. Therefore, it may have a significant industrial value as a functional material for cosmetic or anti-aging related bioproducts.