Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Leaf-Fruit Extract Mixture ofLycium barbarum

Abstract

This study investigates the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and whitening effects of Lycium barbarum extracts. Mixtures of 50% ethanol fractions of Lycium barbarum fruit and chlorophyll-removed leaf were prepared in ratios of 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 5:1 (M1, M2, M3, and M5), respectively. The total polyphenol content of the sample, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging ability, and FRAP values were measured as antioxidant activity. The inhibitory effect of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 production in Raw 264.7 cells was measured as anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, to examine the functionality as a cosmetic raw material, we measured the efficacy of inhibiting tyrosinase and the elastase activity of the sample. We observed that the polyphenol content was significantly higher in the M3 (154.6 mg GAE/g) and M5 (142.4 mg GAE/g) samples, and their FRAP value and DPPH and ABTS radicals scavenging activities were significantly higher compared to M1 or M2 samples. The inhibitory effect of tyrosinase activity was significantly higher in M2 and M5 (78% and 77% of kojic acid, respectively). The mixture showed no cytotoxicity in Raw 264.7 cells up to a concentration of 1,000 μg/mL. Samples M3 and M5 significantly inhibited NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. In conclusion, we determined that the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and whitening effects were greater in mixtures containing a higher ratio of the chlorophyll-removed Lycium leaves fraction.