Elucidating anti-aging and antioxidant activity of Hydnocarpus anthelmintica on skin aging and cosmeceutical potentials: in silico and in vitro study

Abstract

Introduction: Hydnocarpus anthelmintica (HA) has been traditionally used for treating leprosy and is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the active compounds and targets of HA extracts, involved in oxidative stress and skin aging. The active compounds and targets of HA extracts were identified using network pharmacology.

Method: The pathway study was conducted using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. HA semen was measured for its in-vitro antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and anti-aging activities using collagenase, elastase, and tyrosinase assays. A total of 21 intersecting core targets were identified from 8 compounds, 51 action targets, and 1810 skin aging and oxidative stress-associated target genes.

Result: A compound-target network was constructed, and 3 compounds (luteolin, beta-carotene and genkwanin), and 4 hub genes (TP53, HSP90AA1, JUN, and MAPK1) were identified. The KEGG pathway study revealed that the compounds were correlated with PI3K-Akt, p53, HIF-1, and MAPK signaling.

Conclusion: The results of in-vitro experiments showed the effect of HA extract on oxidative stress reduction and collagenase inhibition. We discovered two main active compounds, luteolin and β-carotene, that may be involved in p53 and MAPK signaling, and showed HA extract activity against oxidative stress and collagenase.

Keywords: Hydnocarpus anthelmintica; Network pharmacology; molecular docking; oxidative stress; skin aging.