In-Vitro Assessment of Skin Enzymes Inhibitory Activities, Total Antioxidant Potentials and Ultraviolet Spectral Characteristics of Chromolaena odorata Methanol Extract and its Column Chromatographic Fractions

In Nigeria, many locally useful plants go into extinction unnoticed. Notably, Chromolaena odorata has been employed in ethnomedicine for several therapeutic benefits, particularly for treating external wounds, skin infections, and inflammation, among others. The in-vitro evaluation of the UV spectrum properties, total antioxidant potentials, and inhibitory activities of skin enzymes of Chromolaena odorata methanol extract and its column chromatographic fractions are presented in this study. Methanolic (70%) extracts of Chromolaena odorata were subjected to TLC profiling based on the separation pattern, that is, inferred with the determination based on the ratio of solvent systems consisting of hexane: ethylacetate (7:3) and dichloromethane: methanol (95:5), and determination using various detection systems. Then, antioxidant activity was tested in an in-vitro system using: trolox equivalent absorbance capacity (TEAC), oxygen radicals' absorbance capacity (ORAC), ferric-ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and lipid peroxidation (LPO); while skin degenerative enzymes actions were evaluated using: tyrosinase (TYR); and elastase (ELA). TLC profiling revealed varying degrees of flavonoids and other polyphenolic constituents in the plant. The findings suggest that a range of phytochemicals, which may be employed as natural antioxidants, are abundant in the extract with coefficient correlation difference at p < 0.05 in total antioxidant capacities. Furthermore, Chromolaena odorata potential as a UV-absorbing agent was demonstrated by its ultraviolet spectral properties. These findings open up new possibilities for the incorporation of Chromolaena odorata into skincare products by highlighting the plant's excellent potential as a source of bioactive chemicals with dermatological and cosmeceutical relevance.