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J Cosmet Med 2022; 6(2): 89-94
Published online December 31, 2022
A study on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of ferulic acid as a cosmetic material
Su-Kyung Hong, MD1 
, Mi-Yun Yoon, PhD2
1Department of Beauty Care, Dongnam Health University, Suwon, Rep. of Korea
2Department of Beauty Care, Pai Chai University, Daejeon, Rep. of Korea
Correspondence to :
Mi-Yun Yoon
E-mail: ymy@pcu.ac.kr
© Korean Society of Korean Cosmetic Surgery & Medicine
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background: As the human body ages, it is exposed to various diseases; in particular, oxidative stress is the main factor that accelerates the occurrence of disease. Recently, as the interest in aging inhibition has increased, interest in natural plant-derived substances with excellent antioxidant properties has also increased.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to use ferulic acid for functional cosmetics as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. Ferulic acid has various pharmacological effects on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and it consists of phenolic hydroxyl groups (-OH), double bonds, and carboxyl groups (-COOH).
Methods: To investigate the effect of ferulic acid on cytotoxicity, cell viability was measured using an 3-(4,5-dimethyliazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. In addition, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was performed to measure antioxidant activity in ferulic acid itself, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was utilized to measure antioxidant activity in RAW 264.7 cells. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and histamine release were investigated to observe and measure the anti-inflammatory activity, respectively.
Results: The safety of ferulic acid cytotoxicity was confirmed. At concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml of ferulic acid, the DPPH radical exhibited high concentration-dependent activity of free radical scavenging. Ferulic acid suppressed ROS production in a concentration-dependent manner and exhibited an antioxidant activity of 76% at the highest concentration of 100 μg/ml. The addition of 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml ferulic acid to RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide resulted in NO production inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner, with a strong inhibition rate of 74% at 100 μg/ml. In addition, as a result of measuring the histamine inhibitory effect induced by melitin, ferulic acid was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner.
Conclusion: These results suggest that ferulic acid can be effectively used as a functional substance with antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities in the development of cosmetic materials.
Keywords: antioxidants, ferulic acid, inflammation, phenolic, phenylpropanoid
- Dröge W. Free radicals in the physiological control of cell function. Physiol Rev 2002;82:47-95.
- Halliwell B, Aeschbach R, Löliger J, Aruoma OI. The characterization of antioxidants. Food Chem Toxicol 1995;33:601-17.
- Papa S, Skulachev VP. Reactive oxygen species, mitochondria, apoptosis and aging. Mol Cell Biochem 1997;174:305-19.
- Jeon GY, Kim YC. Anti-wrinkle and skin-whitening efficacies of Atriplex gmelinii methanol extract in a cell-free system. J Invest Cosmetol 2022;18:161-8.
- Choi CM, Berson DS. Cosmeceuticals. Semin Cutan Med Surg 2006;25:163-8.
- Shin YS, Lee JE, Yeon IK, Do HW, Cheung JD, Kang CK, et al. Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of extract with water and ethanol of oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var makuwa Makino). J Korean Soc Appl Biol Chem 2008;51:194-9.
- Kim JS, Kim KL. Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of Artemisiae capillaris extract. Korean J Aesthet Cosmetol 2015;13:805-12.
- Jew SS, Bae ON, Chung JH. Anti-inflammatory effects of asiaticoside on inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in raw 264.7 cell line. J Toxicol Pub Health 2003;19:33-7.
- Ljung T, Lundberg S, Varsanyi M, Johansson C, Schmidt PT, Herulf M, et al. Rectal nitric oxide as biomarker in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease: responders versus nonresponders. World J Gastroenterol 2006;12:3386-92.
- Chen L, Deng H, Cui H, Fang J, Zuo Z, Deng J, et al. Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. Oncotarget 2017;9:7204-18.
- Homey B, Steinhoff M, Ruzicka T, Leung DY. Cytokines and chemokines orchestrate atopic skin inflammation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006;118:178-89.
- Moon PD, Na HJ, Kim HM. Action of enzyme food, green life enzyme on systemic and local anaphylaxis. Orient Pharm Exp Med 2003;3:46-50.
- Kumar N, Pruthi V. Potential applications of ferulic acid from natural sources. Biotechnol Rep (Amst) 2014;4:86-93.
- Han DS, Chun JW, Jeon SW, and Baek SH. The inhibitory effect of ferulic acid and related phenolic compounds against cancer cell lines. Yakhak Hoeji 2005;49:365-9.
- Graf E. Antioxidant potential of ferulic acid. Free Radic Biol Med 1992;13:435-48.
- Liu YM, Shen JD, Xu LP, Li HB, Li YC, Yi LT. Ferulic acid inhibits neuro-inflammation in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress. Int Immunopharmacol 2017;45:128-34.
- Kähkönen MP, Hopia AI, Vuorela HJ, Rauha JP, Pihlaja K, Kujala TS, et al. Antioxidant activity of plant extracts containing phenolic compounds. J Agric Food Chem 1999;47:3954-62.
- Kim A, Lee SY, Chung SK. Caffeic acid selectively eliminates teratogenic human-induced pluripotent stem cells via apoptotic cell death. Phytomedicine 2022;102:154144.
- Lim HW. Anti-oxidant action and anti-aging activity of phenylpropanoid compounds [dissertation]. Suwon: Ajou University; 2005.
- Saeed MK, Zahra N, Shahzad K, Firdous S, Ahmad I, Ashraf M, et al. DPPH assay and reducing power activity of water extract of (Mentha longifolia) mint. LGU J Life Sci 2022;6:38-47.
- Yoon MY, Lim HW, Sim SS, Choe TB. Anti-oxidant and antiaging activity on saxifraga stolonifera Meerburgh ethanol extract. Yakhak Hoeji 2007;51:343-9.
- Cho YJ, Seo MS, Kim JK, Lim Y, Chae G, Ha KS, et al. Silicainduced generation of reactive oxygen species in Rat2 fibroblast: role in activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1999;262:708-12.
- Kanski J, Aksenova M, Stoyanova A, Butterfield DA. Ferulic acid antioxidant protection against hydroxyl and peroxyl radical oxidation in synaptosomal and neuronal cell culture systems in vitro: structure-activity studies. J Nutr Biochem 2002;13:273-81.
- Cao YJ, Zhang YM, Qi JP, Liu R, Zhang H, He LC. Ferulic acid inhibits H2O2-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in rat vascular smooth muscle cells via inhibition of the NADPH oxidase and NF-κB pathway. Int Immunopharmacol 2015;28:1018-25.
- Pacher P, Beckman JS, Liaudet L. Nitric oxide and peroxynitrite in health and disease. Physiol Rev 2007;87:315-424.
- Furchgott RF, Zawadzki JV. The obligatory role of endothelial cells in the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine. Nature 1980;288:373-6.
- Edwards PD, Topping D, Kontaridis MI, Moldawer LL, Copeland EM 3rd, Lind DS. Arginine-enhanced enteral nutrition augments the growth of a nitric oxide-producing tumor. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 1997;21:215-9.
- Smolinska MJ, Horwood NJ, Page TH, Smallie T, Foxwell BM. Chemical inhibition of Src family kinases affects major LPSactivated pathways in primary human macrophages. Mol Immunol 2008;45:990-1000.
- Lee E, Choi EJ, Cheong H, Kim YR, Ryu SY, Kim KM. Antiallergic actions of the leaves of Castanea crenata and isolation of an active component responsible for the inhibition of mast cell degranulation. Arch Pharm Res 1999;22:320-3.
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Original Article
J Cosmet Med 2022; 6(2): 89-94
Published online December 31, 2022 https://doi.org/10.25056/JCM.2022.6.2.89
Copyright © Korean Society of Korean Cosmetic Surgery & Medicine.
A study on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of ferulic acid as a cosmetic material
Su-Kyung Hong, MD1 , Mi-Yun Yoon, PhD2
1Department of Beauty Care, Dongnam Health University, Suwon, Rep. of Korea
2Department of Beauty Care, Pai Chai University, Daejeon, Rep. of Korea
Correspondence to:Mi-Yun Yoon
E-mail: ymy@pcu.ac.kr
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: As the human body ages, it is exposed to various diseases; in particular, oxidative stress is the main factor that accelerates the occurrence of disease. Recently, as the interest in aging inhibition has increased, interest in natural plant-derived substances with excellent antioxidant properties has also increased.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to use ferulic acid for functional cosmetics as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. Ferulic acid has various pharmacological effects on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and it consists of phenolic hydroxyl groups (-OH), double bonds, and carboxyl groups (-COOH).
Methods: To investigate the effect of ferulic acid on cytotoxicity, cell viability was measured using an 3-(4,5-dimethyliazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. In addition, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was performed to measure antioxidant activity in ferulic acid itself, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was utilized to measure antioxidant activity in RAW 264.7 cells. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and histamine release were investigated to observe and measure the anti-inflammatory activity, respectively.
Results: The safety of ferulic acid cytotoxicity was confirmed. At concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml of ferulic acid, the DPPH radical exhibited high concentration-dependent activity of free radical scavenging. Ferulic acid suppressed ROS production in a concentration-dependent manner and exhibited an antioxidant activity of 76% at the highest concentration of 100 μg/ml. The addition of 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml ferulic acid to RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide resulted in NO production inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner, with a strong inhibition rate of 74% at 100 μg/ml. In addition, as a result of measuring the histamine inhibitory effect induced by melitin, ferulic acid was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner.
Conclusion: These results suggest that ferulic acid can be effectively used as a functional substance with antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities in the development of cosmetic materials.
Keywords: antioxidants, ferulic acid, inflammation, phenolic, phenylpropanoid
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References
- Dröge W. Free radicals in the physiological control of cell function. Physiol Rev 2002;82:47-95.
- Halliwell B, Aeschbach R, Löliger J, Aruoma OI. The characterization of antioxidants. Food Chem Toxicol 1995;33:601-17.
- Papa S, Skulachev VP. Reactive oxygen species, mitochondria, apoptosis and aging. Mol Cell Biochem 1997;174:305-19.
- Jeon GY, Kim YC. Anti-wrinkle and skin-whitening efficacies of Atriplex gmelinii methanol extract in a cell-free system. J Invest Cosmetol 2022;18:161-8.
- Choi CM, Berson DS. Cosmeceuticals. Semin Cutan Med Surg 2006;25:163-8.
- Shin YS, Lee JE, Yeon IK, Do HW, Cheung JD, Kang CK, et al. Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of extract with water and ethanol of oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var makuwa Makino). J Korean Soc Appl Biol Chem 2008;51:194-9.
- Kim JS, Kim KL. Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of Artemisiae capillaris extract. Korean J Aesthet Cosmetol 2015;13:805-12.
- Jew SS, Bae ON, Chung JH. Anti-inflammatory effects of asiaticoside on inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in raw 264.7 cell line. J Toxicol Pub Health 2003;19:33-7.
- Ljung T, Lundberg S, Varsanyi M, Johansson C, Schmidt PT, Herulf M, et al. Rectal nitric oxide as biomarker in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease: responders versus nonresponders. World J Gastroenterol 2006;12:3386-92.
- Chen L, Deng H, Cui H, Fang J, Zuo Z, Deng J, et al. Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. Oncotarget 2017;9:7204-18.
- Homey B, Steinhoff M, Ruzicka T, Leung DY. Cytokines and chemokines orchestrate atopic skin inflammation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006;118:178-89.
- Moon PD, Na HJ, Kim HM. Action of enzyme food, green life enzyme on systemic and local anaphylaxis. Orient Pharm Exp Med 2003;3:46-50.
- Kumar N, Pruthi V. Potential applications of ferulic acid from natural sources. Biotechnol Rep (Amst) 2014;4:86-93.
- Han DS, Chun JW, Jeon SW, and Baek SH. The inhibitory effect of ferulic acid and related phenolic compounds against cancer cell lines. Yakhak Hoeji 2005;49:365-9.
- Graf E. Antioxidant potential of ferulic acid. Free Radic Biol Med 1992;13:435-48.
- Liu YM, Shen JD, Xu LP, Li HB, Li YC, Yi LT. Ferulic acid inhibits neuro-inflammation in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress. Int Immunopharmacol 2017;45:128-34.
- Kähkönen MP, Hopia AI, Vuorela HJ, Rauha JP, Pihlaja K, Kujala TS, et al. Antioxidant activity of plant extracts containing phenolic compounds. J Agric Food Chem 1999;47:3954-62.
- Kim A, Lee SY, Chung SK. Caffeic acid selectively eliminates teratogenic human-induced pluripotent stem cells via apoptotic cell death. Phytomedicine 2022;102:154144.
- Lim HW. Anti-oxidant action and anti-aging activity of phenylpropanoid compounds [dissertation]. Suwon: Ajou University; 2005.
- Saeed MK, Zahra N, Shahzad K, Firdous S, Ahmad I, Ashraf M, et al. DPPH assay and reducing power activity of water extract of (Mentha longifolia) mint. LGU J Life Sci 2022;6:38-47.
- Yoon MY, Lim HW, Sim SS, Choe TB. Anti-oxidant and antiaging activity on saxifraga stolonifera Meerburgh ethanol extract. Yakhak Hoeji 2007;51:343-9.
- Cho YJ, Seo MS, Kim JK, Lim Y, Chae G, Ha KS, et al. Silicainduced generation of reactive oxygen species in Rat2 fibroblast: role in activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1999;262:708-12.
- Kanski J, Aksenova M, Stoyanova A, Butterfield DA. Ferulic acid antioxidant protection against hydroxyl and peroxyl radical oxidation in synaptosomal and neuronal cell culture systems in vitro: structure-activity studies. J Nutr Biochem 2002;13:273-81.
- Cao YJ, Zhang YM, Qi JP, Liu R, Zhang H, He LC. Ferulic acid inhibits H2O2-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in rat vascular smooth muscle cells via inhibition of the NADPH oxidase and NF-κB pathway. Int Immunopharmacol 2015;28:1018-25.
- Pacher P, Beckman JS, Liaudet L. Nitric oxide and peroxynitrite in health and disease. Physiol Rev 2007;87:315-424.
- Furchgott RF, Zawadzki JV. The obligatory role of endothelial cells in the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine. Nature 1980;288:373-6.
- Edwards PD, Topping D, Kontaridis MI, Moldawer LL, Copeland EM 3rd, Lind DS. Arginine-enhanced enteral nutrition augments the growth of a nitric oxide-producing tumor. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 1997;21:215-9.
- Smolinska MJ, Horwood NJ, Page TH, Smallie T, Foxwell BM. Chemical inhibition of Src family kinases affects major LPSactivated pathways in primary human macrophages. Mol Immunol 2008;45:990-1000.
- Lee E, Choi EJ, Cheong H, Kim YR, Ryu SY, Kim KM. Antiallergic actions of the leaves of Castanea crenata and isolation of an active component responsible for the inhibition of mast cell degranulation. Arch Pharm Res 1999;22:320-3.
