Sun Protective Activity of Pyrrosia heterophylla and Pyrrosia lanceolata

Abstract

Background: Excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes harmful effects on the human skin including sunburn, aging and skin cancer. Use of sun protective products helps to minimize these harmful effects. However, most sun products available in the market contain synthetic chemicals, which can cause health issues if used for a long time. This study focuses on finding natural compounds that offer strong protection against the sun.

Objectives: To evaluate the sun protection activity of Pyrrosia heterophylla and Pyrrosia lanceolata. Methods: Fresh plant leaves were collected and subjected to extraction using a sequential extraction method employing ethanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate solvents. The preparation of the concentration series involved employing a double dilution method using 99% ethanol as the solvent. Concentration series were then prepared for both plant extracts, ranging from 0.16 to 5 mg/mL. Subsequently, absorbance measurements were taken from each sample using a spectrophotometer in the range of 290 to 320 nm at every 5 nm interval. The sun protection factor (SPF) was calculated using Mansur’s equation. Results: The yield percentage of three extracts of hexane, ethyl acetate and ethanol were 5%, 7%, 67%, respectively. Therefore, ethanol extracts which had the highest yield percentage were selected for the determination of SPF value. Ethanolic extract of Pyrrosia heterophylla exhibited the highest SPF value of 41.99±2.00 while Pyrrosia lanceolata demonstrated highest SPF value of 40.55±2.00 at the concentrations of 5 mg/mL. In the concentration range of 2.50, 1.25, 0.625, 0.31and 0.156 mg/mL Pyrrosia heterophylla exhibited SPF values of 40.07±2.0, 38.87±2.00, 31.23±2.00, 15.38±2.00 and 7.45±2.00, respectively while Pyrrosia lanceolata exhibited SPF values of 25.58±2.00, 13.77±2.00, 6.57±1.00, 3.38±0.20, and 1.25±0.20, respectively. Conclusions: Both Pyrrosia heterophylla and Pyrrosia lanceolata extracts exhibited promising sun protection properties, with SPF values exceeding the recommended threshold of 15 at various concentrations. These results indicate the potential application of these plant extracts as natural compounds for sun protection products.