Pesquisa e desenvolvimento de cosméticos a partir de ativos vegetais da Amazônia

Abstract

The study regarding the employment of natural products, as plant extracts and essential oils, that present biological activities and can be used in the cosmetic industry, has increased intensely. Researches demonstrate that several plants that are part of our lives have presented a significant chemical potential due to their pharmacological effects, such as antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, and photoprotection effects, along with low toxicity. The Amazon has a rich biodiversity that stimulates the search for active biomolecules that add technological value when incorporated into phytocosmetics. In the present work, the plant casca-preciosa (Aniba canelilla) was studied, aiming the formulation of phytocosmetics, acquiring its essential oils and ethanolic extracts from leaves and branches, that were submitted to a liquid-liquid partition. Antioxidant activitiy was assessed by the free radical DPPH scavenging method, as well as by the β-carotene/linoleic acid system. Solar protection factor (SPF) was evaluated through the spectrophotmetric method described by Mansur. Antimicrobial activity was tested by agar diffusion method, and the citotoxicity was assessed against Artemia salina. The active compounds were monitored and separated by different chromatographyc techniques, such as thin layer chromatography (TLC), collumn chromatography (CC), and high efficiency liquid chromatography (HPLC). The essencial oils were characterized by gas chromatography coppled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The active extracts were submitted to a phytochemical screening, and after purification of the extracts, the active molecules were elucidated by mass espectrometry (MS). Concerning the antioxidant activity, the active molecules were obtained from the hydroalcoholic phase of leaves and braches, and characterized as protocatecuic acid in leaves and luteoline in the branches. The SPF was higher in the dichloromethanic phase from leavess and branches, and the active molecules were characterized as cinnamic acid in leaves and siringic acid in the branches. Only the essential oils of leaves and braches were active against the fungi Aspergillus brasiliensis, Didymella bryoniae and Candida albicans. None of the tested bacteria was inhibited. The antifungic activity was probably due to the major component of the precisosa essential oil, 1-nitro-2-phenylethane, acting synergiccally with cariophylene. The essential oils of leaves and branches, as well as the hydroalcoholic phase from the branches presented toxicity against A. salina. Considering the found biological activitites, it was formulated: (i) an antioxidant emulsion; (ii) a photoprotecting emulsion; and (iii) an anticandida liquid soap. The formulations were elaborated and evaluated regarding its organoleptic and physical-chemical parameters. After being submitted to the preliminar stability tests, it was noticed that the antioxidant emulsion should not be submitted to temperatures above 40ºC, since it leads to pH variations and instability, committing the integrity of the formulation. The photoprotecting emulsion presented minor variations, after being submitted to abrupt changes of temperature, and the anticandida liquid soap was stable during all the analyses. Therefore, with this study it is verified that the extracts and essential oils of A. canelilla leaves and branches can be incorporated in cosmetics, adding biological activities to them. Further studies regarding the development of formulations should be accomplished, in order to optimize the preparation of the phyitocosmetic, and to reach a better physical-chemistry stability. Toxicity studies should also be accomplished, in order to guarantee the safety of the products when in contact with the skin.