Discovering Cellular Response to Medicinal Herbs, Iranian Traditional Medicine and Modern Cosmeceutical Approaches

Fibroblasts are the most prominent cells of the skin. Consequently, skin aging depends predominantly on these cells. Applying herbs in anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-pollutant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory formulas are now growing. On the basis of the fact that Iranian traditional medicine has utilized herbs for several centuries in order to improve various kinds of health issues, Rosemarinus officinalis leaf extract and Altheae officinalis root extract have been selected for evaluating their effects on viability and proliferation on HDF in comparison to modern cosmeceutical approaches including growth factor application as anti-aging ingredients. This survey has been performed for assessing the effect of herbs on proliferation, viability, and differentiation of cells.

Human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) were isolated from the human foreskin. The methods used for viability measurement of fibroblasts were Tripan blue and Bromodeoxyuridine (Brdu) incorporation assays, which were used to study the cell proliferation effect of herbal extracts in HDF.

HDF were isolated by tissue culture. Herbal extracts and bFGF were found to induce significant proliferation and viability of HDFs at concentrations ranging from 10 to 20 µL/mL and 15 to 25 µL/mL and were reduced in presence of 1 and 5 μM of LBSO as the positive control to assess the oxidant potential of this substance.

These results suggest that herbal extract may have inhibitory effects on senescence of dermal fibroblasts and suggesting that herbal extracts may be a good candidate to utilize in anti-aging, wound, and burn healing formulations and products.