Evaluation of Photoprotective Potential of Sunscreen Formulations Prepared from Extract

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.