Phytochemical Profiling of the Leaf Extract of Ximenia americana var. caffra and Its Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Antiaging Activities In Vitro and in Caenorhabditis elegans: A Cosmeceutical and Dermatological Approach

Abstract

We previously annotated the phytochemical constituents of a root extract from Ximenia americana var. caffra and highlighted its hepatoprotective and hypoglycemic properties. We here extended our study on the leaf extract and identified its phytoconstituents using HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS. In addition, we explored its antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiaging activities in vitro and in an animal model, Caenorhabditis elegans. Results from HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS confirmed that the leaves contain 23 secondary metabolites consisting of condensed tannins, flavonol glycosides, flavone glycosides, and flavonol diglycosides. The leaf extract demonstrated significant antioxidant activity in vitro with IC₅₀ value of 5 μg/mL in the DPPH assay and 18.32 μg/mL in the FRAP assay. It also inhibited four enzymes (collagenase, elastase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase) crucially involved in skin remodeling and aging processes with comparable activities to reference drugs along with four pure secondary metabolites identified from the extract. In accordance with the in vitro result, in vivo tests using two transgenic strains of C. elegans demonstrated its ability to reverse oxidative stress. Evidence included an increased survival rate in nematodes treated with the prooxidant juglone to 68.9% compared to the 24.8% in untreated worms and a reduced accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner to 77.8%. The leaf extract also reduced levels of the expression of HSP 16.2 in a dose-dependent manner to 86.4%. Nuclear localization of the transcription factor DAF-16 was up to 10 times higher in worms treated with the leaf extract than in the untreated worms. The extract also inhibited the biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a pathogen in skin infections) and reduced the swimming and swarming mobilities in a dose-dependent fashion. In conclusion, leaves of X. americana are a promising candidate for preventing oxidative stress-induced conditions, including skin aging.