This study aimed to evaluate the potentials for skin-beneficial effects of the hydroethanolic extract of the aerial parts of ironwort (Sideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr. subsp. raeseri) and its fractions (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water). For these purposes, chemical analysis and in vitro antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase and antimicrobial assays, as well as determination of sun protection factor (SPF), were performed. The highest total phenolic content and quantity of individual flavonoids, chlorogenic acid and verbascoside were determined in the n-butanol fraction, which is in line with results obtained for antioxidant activity. The greatest antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the most common causative agents of the skin infections in humans, was exhibited by the ethyl acetate fraction. The strongest anti-tyrosinase activity was shown by the hydroethanolic extract (52.64% of inhibition at 100 μg/mL). Almost all tested samples showed photoprotective activity with SPF higher than 6 obtained at a low concentration of 0.1 mg/mL, which was more than 15 for the butanol fraction. These findings revealed that the hydroethanolic extract of S. raeseri aerial parts could be a valuable ingredient in the formulation of cosmetic and medicinal products intended to overcome various skin disorders.
Keywords: antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; ironwort; phenolics; sun protection factor; tyrosinase inhibition.