Selection of bioactive chemical markers for anti-aging skin assessment of Dimocarpus longan Lour. leaf extract

Hydroethanolic longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) leaf extract has reported remarkable biological activities related to the aging process for use in cosmeceuticals. Finding the bioactive chemical marker (BCM) could play a crucial role for cosmeceutical manufacturers in guaranteeing the quality of the extract and its efficacy. This study aimed to select the most potential BCM established and predicted for the anti-aging skin of hydroethanolic longan leaf extract. The assessment of anti-aging of the skin was determined by evaluating in vitro antioxidant activities, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and inhibiting lipid peroxidation assay. Furthermore, anti-hyaluronidase and anti-collagenase activity were also determined. The extract underwent bioassay-guided fractionation using normal phase preparative-thin layer chromatography. Ethyl gallate in the fractionated extract possessed biological activities as a high proportion part. The strong positive linear relationship between DPPH scavenging, lipid peroxidation inhibition, anti-collagenase, and anti-hyaluronidase activity (r = 0.997, 0.972, 0.998, and 0.998, respectively) under the deterioration of the ethyl gallate was shown. The molecular docking of ethyl gallate to collagenase and hyaluronidase resulted in a good and acceptable binding affinity. Therefore, ethyl gallate could be potentially used as a bioactive chemical marker for hydroethanolic longan leaf extract in pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical applications.