Formulación de un gel tópico con extracto de flavonoides obtenidos de Artocarpus heterophyllus

Abstract

The lack of effective cosmetic products to eliminate free radicals generated by environmental pollutants, temperature changes, and ultraviolet radiation exposure presents an opportunity to utilize waste from plant species, such as Artocarpus heterophyllus, in the development of a topical gel based on flavonoid extracts. In this project, the extraction of the extract was optimized using a two-square factorial design with ultrasound, varying the sonication time and ethanol concentration. Under conditions of 70 percent ethanol for 30 minutes, a higher concentration of flavonoids was achieved, with a value of 1,178 milligrams of quercetin per gram of sample, resulting in an antioxidant activity of 39.62 percent in the DPPH assay, sufficient to consider this extract as a functional ingredient. From this extract, gels were formulated with concentrations of 0.3; 0.6 and 0.9 percent extract were used, and physicochemical tests were performed to evaluate viscosity, pH, and spreadability, to meet USP standards. The resulting gel showed a viscosity of 23,550 cP, a pH of 5.31, and a spreadability of 5.9 cm, values that are within the acceptable range for topical applications. The formulation with 0.9 percent extract was the only one capable of exhibiting antioxidant activity of 19.37 percent, while the lower concentrations showed no significant changes, indicating that an adequate amount of extract is necessary to obtain an appreciable antioxidant effect.