The Eupatorium plant has been well used in medication and as a decorative plant. Some studies have reported that this herb has biochemical compounds, such as sesquiterpenes, phenolics, polysaccharides, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Thus, it has pharmacological effects, including antifungal, antibacterial, cytotoxic, and antinociceptive properties, that can be utilized for cosmetic purposes.
1. Introduction
The cosmetic and skincare industry needs to reconfigure itself in order to meet the new necessities and solicitations of a volatile and conscious market. The main aim is to achieve a balance between “natural” and “synthetic” cosmetics. Many customers pick “green beauty care and cosmetic products”, such as herbal skin creams and makeup, trusting that the products are safe for their well-being, health, and that they have no contamination. A cosmetic product can be considered “green” if it contains dynamic, active biochemical agents derived from plants, such as minerals or other nutrients, and if it is not practically equivalent to the synthetic chemicals created in the laboratory. It is assumed that cosmetics are manufactured in an eco-practical way if they use natural and organic ingredients in a proper and safe manner
[1].
Plants belonging to the Eupatorium genera (family
Asteraceae) contain approximately 60 species, the majority of which have been utilized in medication or as decorative plants. These plants have been explored in-depth, and several biochemical compounds with shifting impacts have been recognized. Among the different species, many have many pharmacological effects, such as antifungal, cytotoxic, antibacterial, insecticidal, virucidal, mitigating, pain relieving, anticancer, antisyphilitic, antigonorrheal, and antinociceptive properties
[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. For certain species such as
E. perfoliatum,
E. arnottianum,
E. chinense, and
E. lindleyanum, the different therapeutic signs correspond with certain bioactive compounds such as sesquiterpenes, phenolics, polysaccharides, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids
[20].
Compounds isolated from
E. inulaefolium and
E. squalidum have demonstrated viability against human parasites such as
Plasmodium berghei and
P.
falciparum, which cause malaria
[21][22]. According to Lira-Salazar et al.
[15],
E. perfoliatum is used in medications treating malaria. The phytochemical compounds of
E. perfoliatum have significant cytotoxic effects, but have weak antibacterial activities against
Staphylococcus aureus and
Bacillus megaterium [23]. Some members of the Asteraceae family are ornamental or decorative plants.
E. triplinerve Vahl, or
E. ayappana, recognized as ayappana in the Malayalam language, has a beautiful morphology with a slim herb with tight lanceolate leaves and a huge number of pedicelled bloom heads at the highest point of the branch
[24]. This herb also spreads the fragrance of the aromatic compounds it contains. Several studies have extracted essential oils from the leaves, stems, and roots of
Euphatoria, opening up opportunities for drug discovery and therapeutic benefits
[25][26]. The essential oil from the plant has been found to have various restorative properties, including acting as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, pain-relieving effects, and narcotic impacts. The ethanolic extract has an antibacterial and antifungal effect, and can be used as a disinfectant or for the treatment of different ulcers and hemorrhages
[24][27][28][29][30]. The conventional utilization of the leaves of
E. triplinerve as anthelmintics has been affirmed. The medical properties of the leaves of
E. triplinerve are used to treat different diseases that incorporate helminthiasis.
E. triplinerve from Kerala, India, was found to have an expansive range of anthelmintic effects when utilized on lubmricoides
[31][32].
2. Antioxidant Activity
Medicinal plants affect the human body as a result of various chemical compounds, and one type of influence is anti-oxidative interaction
[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. As energy consumption increases during pregnancy, and lactation encourages the formation of free radicals in a woman’s body, investigating their antioxidant qualities is warranted
[41][42][43][44][45][46]. The presence of phenols and flavonoids in plant extracts has been linked to its antioxidant activity. Phenolic compounds are antioxidants that act as free radical deactivators
[47][48][49][50].
E. cannabinum, comprised of phenolic mixtures and essential oil, showed positive results in 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) examination and when using electrochemical potential sweep technique
[51][52][53]. The methanolic concentrate of
E. triplinerve has been found to show hepatoprotector and anti-cancer effects against carbon tetrachloride-actuated hepatotoxicity in rats, as well as anti-inflammatory and anti-septic effects in the therapy of various ulcers and hemorrhages. The matured leaf extracts have a 50.24–60.39% (petrol ether, chloroform, and methanol) anti-DPPH effect
[54][55][56].
UV radiation has received particular attention because it affects medication stability and produces the greatest loss to the active structure of melatonin as a medicine
[57][58]. In addition, UVA radiation may increase the risk of skin cancer
[59]. Jarco et al.
[60] declared that UVA radiation reduces the antioxidant interactions of all of the investigated infusions, particularly the infusion of the
E. cannabinum L. herb, which should be protected from UVA radiation during storage.
3. Anti-Melanin/Melanogenesis Activity
Yamashita et al.
[61] searched for heat sock protein 70 (HSP70) inducers in Chinese medical plants, and selected an ethanol concentrate of
E. lindleyanum. Melanin development was found to be inhibited, as well as the tyrosinase effect and the articulation in the cells treated with
E. lindleyanum and in the HSP70-overexpressing cells. MITF articulation was clearly stifled in the cells treated with the concentrate of
E. lindleyanum, yet not in the HSP70-overexpressing cells. These findings imply that
E. lindleyanum inhibits tyrosinase articulation and melanin development through both HSP70-subordinate and HSP70-autonomous pathways.
Skin hyperpigmentation diseases caused by abnormal melanin production caused by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation are both clinical and cosmetic issues. Here, the melanin production is mediated by tyrosinase, whose expression is favourably controlled by the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF)
[61]. Melanin is a pigment in human and animal skin generated by tyrosinase from L-tyrosine, following the oxidation of L-DOPA to L-DOPA quinone. Skin whitening compounds have long been sought after as a treatment for skin illnesses caused by an excess of melanin on human skin, as skin darkening is one of the most significant cosmetic issues concerning humans
[62].
An earlier study reported that a methanol extract of
E. triplinerve Vahl exhibited the inhibitory activities on the melanin formation in B16 melanoma cells with IC
50 1780 μM and both tyrosinase enzyme activity of L-tyrosine (IC
50 = 2360 μM) and L-DOPA (IC
50 = 2840 μM)
[63].
4. Anti-Acne Activity
Britto
[64] tested the antimicrobial activity of
E. odoratum against
Propionibacterium acnes and
Staphylococcus epidermidis, which have been identified as pus-forming bacteria triggering inflammation in acne. The antimicrobial assay revealed that
E.
odoratum exhibited potent inhibitory effects on
P.
acnes. The minimum inhibitor concentration (MIC) values for both bacterial species were 0.039 mg/mL, while the minimum bacterial concentration (MBC) values were 0.039 and 0.156 mg/mL against
P.
acnes and
S.
epidermidis, respectively. Rahman et al.
[65] reposted that the MICs value of
E. odoratum against
P. acnes was 0.625 mg/mL. In Ramesh and Subramani’s
[66] research, the antimicrobial properties of
E. odoratum leaves against
S. aureus with a methanolic extract of a greater concentration (100 µL) performed well compared with using an aqueous extract of the same plant.
The leaf extract of
E. triplinerve has shown a considerable antibacterial activity against a wide range of microorganisms, i.e.,
S. aureus. Extracts containing phenol and triterpenes (chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol) were more effective regarding their antibacterial efficacy than other extracts. Studies reveals that different extracts from
E.
triplinerve leaves contain a diverse range of secondary metabolites and had an antibacterial activity against all of the microorganisms tested. In addition, the
E. triplinerve plant can be used to find natural products, which may lead to new pharmaceutical development
[27].
5. Anti-Inflammatory Activity
Some Eupatorium species have exhibited a potential anti-inflammatory activity. The ethanolic extract of
E. triplinerve had an analgesic effect in an inflammatory pain model
[67]. Cheriyan et al.
[68] reported that a dose-dependent antinociceptive action of 7-methoxy coumarin isolated from
E. triplinerve was shown by a research, which supports the traditional usage of
E. triplinerve in pain and inflammatory disorders. Therefore, Ouyang et al.
[69] focused on developing a biopesticide using
E. adenophorum, because of its bioactive composition, which exhibited potential anti-inflammatory, insecticidal and antibacterial activities
[70][71][72][73].
Garcia-Oliveira
[53] collected the data that sesquiterpene lactones of
E. cannabinum have an anti-inflammatory activity in vitro (modulation of pro-inflammatory factors) and in vivo (reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines in mice models). The aqueous extract of
E. odoratum leaves has shown numerous pharmacological activities, including an anti-inflammatory activity
[74].