Extraction Of Essential Oils From The Leaves Of Alpinia Oxyphylla And Its Application As A Penetration Enhancer

Alpinia oxyphylla Miq.?A.oxyphylla?,an herbaceous plant in Zingiberaceae,is a famous medicinal plant in Hainan provinces whose fruits are widely used to treat diseases.However,few studies have been performed on A.oxyphylla leaves,which are considered as the non-medicinal parts.Essential oils?EO?were mainly extracted from those herbs,which are one of the most effective and safe class of chemical penetration enhancers,However,with increase of the demand for EO,both the quality and extraction rates need to be improved.1.Objective :This study aimed to investigate the enhancement effect of EO extracted by different methods from the A.oxyphylla leaves on skin permeation and reduce the cost of the EO by increasing the yeild.2.Methods:Supercritical fluid CO₂ and steam distillation were investigated and compared in this study.In addition,the chemical components of the oil achieved by the two methods were also analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry?GC-MS?.Furthermore,the percutaneous permeation studies were done by using modified Franz diffusion cell.The extracted oil was applied to investigate the enhancement effect on skin permeation and deposition of glabridin,a whitening cosmetic ingredient.3.Key findings :The SFE method under the optimal condition of 50 mesh,40°C and 30 MPa gave the best yield?3.3%?,which was higher than that of SDE?0.86%?.In addition,56 and 66 components were identified in SDE oil and SFE oil,respectively?each content above 1%?,and the content of oxygenated terpenes,monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in the oil had significant variances between SDE method?45.41%,21.7% and 21.55%?and SFE method?51.85%,12.58% and 31.07%?.Furthermore,it was indicated that the enhancement of 3% SFE oil and 3% SDE oil on permeation was better than that of 3% azone?P < 0.05?,and 3% SFE oil showed the strongest effect.Conclusion: Our research results showed a very promising penetration enhancer that could be applied in cosmetics,and provided a powerful scientific basis for further development of A.oxyphylla leaves.