Influence of Caralluma adscendens Var. attenuata cold cream on UV-B damaged skin epidermal cells: a novel approach.

Ultraviolet radiation-induced sunburns are characterized by pigmented, wrinkled, and dried skin, with rashes and red spots. Chemical sunscreen lotion shows beneficial effects, but it shows the adverse side effect while in continuous usage. Natural substances of plant origin are deemed a possible cause of UV radiation through sunscreen resources. On this basis, we formulated the cold cream from the Caralluma adscendens Var. attenuata (CAVA) plant extract. The phytocompounds were studied by using GC-MS. The antioxidant potential of the plant extract was determined, and the CAVA showed cytotoxicity on A375 skin melanoma cells determined by MTT assay. The FT-IR spectra analysis confirmed the chemical nature of crude and crosslinking between cold creams. The cream was applied topically to rats pre-exposed to UV-B radiation (32,800 J/m2) four times/week (on alternate days). UV-B exposed without any treatment rats showed increased red spots or wrinkles (5 cm2). In contrast, the cold cream treatment application on irradiated skin has significantly reduced the size of rashes and red spots and the wound was contracted in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, histopathology of the experimental rat skin confirmed that CAVA cream treatment significantly reduced the epidermal thickening, damage in dermis and epidermis layers, and restructured the hair follicles. This study suggests that the cream formulated using CAVA can alleviate the damages caused by the UV-B-irradiation at a high level and safeguard the skin tissues. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-021-02694-y. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2021.