Abstract:
The photoprotection is a term emerged in the modern-day science to alleviate the
harmful effects caused by the UV radiation. This includes using of various
photoprotective agents to reduce or avoid the detrimental effects of UV radiation.
Topical application of sunscreens is the most prominent strategy to avoid the
penetration of UV radiation into the skin. These sunscreen products contain active
molecules which can absorb, reflect or scatter solar UV radiation. And these active
molecules are mostly synthetic, which might cause adverse side effects such as
allergies, hypersensitivity and oxidative damage to the skin. On the other hand the
plant extracts have low side-effect profiles. Moreover Sri Lanka has a history of using
indigenous medicinal plants for dermatological therapeutics as well as to improve
skin complexion [1]. Therefore, it is worthwhile to assess the photoprotective
capability of these plants in a systematic study. In our previous wok, we studied the
photoprotective potential of aqueous methanolic extract of Leucas zeylanica. In this
study, we explore the photoprotective potential of sunscreen formulations prepared
from a methanolic extract of the whole L. zeylanica plant.