The invention relates to an extract of Citrus depressa peels, a method for obtaining it, a cosmetic or dermatological composition containing it, and its cosmetic use.
The skin is primarily composed of three layers which are, starting from the outermost layer, the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis.
The external layer of the skin, the epidermis, is stratified and greatly contributes to protecting the skin from external aggressions. It is mainly composed of three types of cells, which are keratinocytes (highly predominant), melanocytes, and Langerhans cells. Through its own functions, each of these cell types contributes to the essential role played by the skin in the organism, in particular the role of protecting the organism from external aggressions (climate, ultraviolet rays, tobacco, etc.), called the “barrier function”.
Aging of the epidermis primarily manifests as a reduction in thickness. The atrophy of the epidermis is the consequence of slowed keratinocyte proliferation and the accumulation of senescent keratinocytes. The stratum corneum becomes dull.
Desquamation is a natural phenomenon linked to the fact that the epidermis, which constitutes the upper layer of the skin, is constantly being renewed. The epidermis is composed of several layers of cells, the deepest being the basal layer composed of undifferentiated cells. Over time, these cells will differentiate and migrate to the surface of the epidermis while constituting the various layers therein, until they form corneocytes on the surface of the epidermis, which are dead cells which are eliminated by desquamation. This surface loss is compensated for by the migration of cells from the basal layer to the surface of the epidermis. This is the constant renewal of the skin.
However, too much or irregular desquamation of the stratum corneum cells can lead to formation of large, thick clumps of cells that are visible to the naked eye, and are called “scales” or “dandruff” in the context of the scalp, or in other situations can lead to a thinning of the stratum corneum which cases a feeling of tightness and discomfort. Desquamation disorders, resulting from abnormal or irregular desquamation, can lead to fragility or even a deficiency in the barrier properties of the epidermis.
The presence of scales or dandruff can be frequent, recurrent states, and can be unsightly and clearly uncomfortable.
There is therefore a need to have new active agents which act on excessive desquamation of the skin or scalp in order to limit and/or prevent it, so as to contribute to skin comfort.
Citrus depressa is a citrus fruit from the Rutaceae family, grown in Japan. The generally aqueous extracts of these fruits can be sought for cosmetic use.
For example, document KR 2012/0043288 proposes the use of an extract of Citrus depressa as a whitening agent, stimulating renewal of the skin.
The authors of the present invention have now demonstrated, quite surprisingly, that an alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels exhibits activity on the mechanisms involved in desquamation, in particular by inhibiting certain enzymes involved in desquamation.
This observation has led to the development of new non-therapeutic cosmetic compositions, particularly useful for all applications where one wishes to improve skin comfort by preventing or limiting desquamation.
According to a first aspect, the invention therefore relates to an alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels, comprising a mixture of hesperidin, nobiletin, and isosinensetin.
Another object of the invention is a cosmetic composition comprising, in a physiologically acceptable medium, at least one alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels according to the invention.
According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a method of extraction from Citrus depressa peels, comprising the following steps:
Lastly, an object of the invention according to a fourth aspect is the non-therapeutic cosmetic use of an alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels as described above, in order to limit/protect against excessive desquamation and contribute to skin comfort.
The FIGURE illustrates the decrease in gene expression of the kallikreins (KLK) KLK5 and KLK7, two serine proteases involved in skin desquamation, after treatment with alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels according to the invention at 0.033%.
Citrus depressa
Citrus depressa, also known as shīkwāsā, is a citrus fruit from the Rutaceae family, grown in Japan.
The word shikwasa designates both the plant and the fruit.
It is a small bushy tree about 5 m tall, vigorous and dense and fruit-bearing. White flowering occurs in April (flower diameter 3 cm). The fruit is harvested from October to November.
The fruit is small (diameter 2.5-4 cm, height 2-3 cm, weight 25-60 g), slightly concave at the poles, with a thin pericarp (peel). It contains 8 or 10 especially juicy segments, and seeds. The pulp is soft and gelatinous and the juice is acidic. The essence contained in the pericarp has the scent of a Satsuma Mandarin. The juice is therefore primarily used in the food industry, and the peels for the preparation of essential oils.
The extract according to the invention is obtained from Citrus depressa peels, and preferably obtained after pressing the fruit to obtain the juice.
Alcoholic Extract of Citrus depressa Peels
The alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels according to the invention comprises a mixture of hesperidin, nobiletin, and isosinensetin.
The combination of these three molecules of interest, obtained by means of a very specific extraction process, in fact allows reducing the gene expression of the kallikreins (KLK) KLK5 and KLK7, two serine proteases involved in skin desquamation, thus limiting/protecting against excessive desquamation and contributing to skin comfort.
According to a preferred embodiment, the alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels according to the invention comprises:
Preferably, the hesperidin, nobiletin, and isosinensetin are present in a hesperidin/nobiletin/isosinensetin weight ratio of between 0.5/1/1.5 and 1.5/3/4 and preferably 1.1/1.4/0.7.
Method for Preparing an Alcoholic Extract of Citrus depressa Peels
According to one particular embodiment, an object of the invention is a method of extraction from Citrus depressa peels, comprising the following steps:
Indeed, it is to the credit of the applicant to have demonstrated that by extracting from Citrus depressa peels under very specific conditions, it is possible to obtain an extract enriched in molecules of interest for preventing desquamation, such as hesperidin, nobiletin, and isosinensetin.
The method according to the invention implements a first step a) of extraction from Citrus depressa peels, with at least one alcoholic solvent.
The peels resulting from pressing the fruit are preferably dried and then reduced to a dispersible powder by any grinding process conventionally known to those skilled in the art, for example at room temperature in a knife mill or, according to a preferred embodiment, by low temperature grinding.
Preferably, the dispersible powder of Citrus depressa peels used for preparing the extract according to the invention has an average particle size of less than 500 μm, preferably less than 300 μm.
In step a), the Citrus depressa peels undergo extraction with one or more alcoholic solvents, for example selected among:
Preferably, the alcoholic solvent is a monoalcohol comprising from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, more preferably ethanol.
The extraction is generally carried out by immersing the Citrus depressa peels in one or more of the solvents mentioned above while stirring, at temperatures ranging for example from room temperature to 80° C., for a period of about 30 minutes to 8 hours. Preferably, the extraction of step a) is carried out for a period of between 1 and 5 hours, at a temperature of between 50° C. and 70° C.
In particular, the weight ratio of Citrus depressa peels/alcoholic solvent is between 1/1 and 1/15, and preferably is ⅛.
The extraction step is preferably followed by sieving between 50 μm and 150 μm, preferably at 100 μm.
According to one particular embodiment, extraction step a) is carried out twice. The method of the invention then comprises:
After step a), the method according to the invention implements filtration step b) preferably carried out to a threshold of 30 μm, preferably 15 μm.
Step b) also optionally comprises decolorization of the obtained filtrate, by adsorption of pigments on activated charcoal. Decolorization of the filtrate on activated charcoal is for example carried out for 1 to 6 hours, preferably for 3 hours, while stirring, at a temperature between 20 and 30° C., preferably at ambient temperature (20° C.)
For decolorization, the activated charcoal content is generally between 20 and 40% by weight relative to the total weight of the dry matter of the extract, preferably around 30% by weight.
At the end of the decolorization, the activated charcoal is removed by filtration to a threshold of 5 μm, preferably 2 μm.
The alcoholic filtrate resulting from step b), possibly decolorized, is then concentrated by evaporating the solvent until a dry extract content is obtained of between 5 and 20%, preferably between 9 and 12% (step c). Evaporation of the solvent can for example be carried out by means of a rotary evaporator or a falling film evaporator.
The concentrated extract from step c) is then left to settle for at least 6 hours until 4 distinct phases are obtained: two solid and oily lower phases, an essential oil upper phase, and an intermediate alcoholic phase comprising the extract of Citrus depressa peels. Settling can for example be carried out in an ampoule.
According to a preferred embodiment, settling step d) is carried out for at least 12 hours, preferably at least 24 hours, and more preferably for 24 to 48 hours.
The settling is carried out at a temperature between 0 and 25° C., preferably between 1 and 10° C., more preferably between 4 and 5° C.
Once settling has completed and the four phases have been obtained, the phase of interest is extracted by removal of the two solid and oily lower phases and the upper phase containing the essential oils, and the alcoholic phase comprising the extract of Citrus depressa peels is collected.
The alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels can then be filtered (step f) to a threshold of 5 μm, preferably 2 μm, then diluted in an alcoholic solvent that is different from the extraction solvent used in step a).
The extraction solvent introduced in step a) is then evaporated until a residual concentration of less than 1% of extraction solvent is reached, preferably less than 0.5% (step g).
Finally, the mixture obtained at the end of step g) is left to settle for at least 6 hours, preferably 12 hours, then filtered to a threshold of 5 μm, preferably 2 μm. The settling is carried out, as before, at a temperature between 0 and 25° C., preferably between 1 and 10° C., more preferably between 4 and 5° C.
Thus, according to a preferred embodiment, the method of extraction from Citrus depressa peels comprises the following steps:
More preferably still, the method of extraction from Citrus depressa peels comprises the following steps:
Cosmetic Composition
A further object of the invention is a cosmetic composition comprising, in a physiologically acceptable medium, at least one alcoholic extract extracted from Citrus depressa peels as described above.
The composition used in accordance with the invention generally comprises, in addition to the extract described above, a physiologically acceptable and preferably cosmetically acceptable medium, meaning it is suitable for use in contact with human skin with no risk of toxicity, incompatibility, instability, allergic response, and in particular which does not cause feelings of discomfort (redness, tightness, tingling).
Advantageously, said cosmetic or dermatological composition may be in the form of a powder, an emulsion, a microemulsion, a nanoemulsion, a suspension, a solution, a lotion, a cream, an aqueous or hydroalcoholic gel, a foam, a serum, an aerosol solution or dispersion, or a dispersion of lipid vesicles.
In the case of an emulsion, it can be a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion.
The cosmetic or dermatological composition according to the invention may also comprise a solvent selected according to the various ingredients and the form of administration.
Examples include water (preferably demineralized water or floral waters), or an alcohol such as ethanol.
Said cosmetic composition may also comprise, in addition to the extract according to the invention, at least one additive that is conventional in the field, for example such as at least one compound selected among an emollient or wetting agent, a gelling and/or thickening agent, a surfactant, an oil, an active agent, a colorant, a preservative, an antioxidant, an active agent, an organic or mineral powder, a sunscreen, and a perfume, and in particular:
Said surfactant will be present at a content of about 0.1 to 15%, preferably 0.5 to 10%, by weight relative to the total weight of the composition;
Other additives usually used in cosmetics may also be present in the composition according to the invention, in particular preservatives, antioxidants, or perfumes well known in the technical field.
The person skilled in the art is able to choose, among all of these possible additives, both the nature and the amount of the ones to be added to the composition, so that said composition retains all of its properties.
The invention also relates to the non-therapeutic cosmetic use of the alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels to limit/protect against excessive desquamation and contribute to skin comfort.
In this embodiment, the extract or composition is applied to altered but non-pathological skin.
A further object of the invention is the non-therapeutic cosmetic use of an alcoholic extract of Citrus depressa peels as described above, as an agent for inhibiting gene expression of the kallikreins (KLK) KLK5 and KLK7.
The invention will now be illustrated by the following non-limiting examples.
Extract preparation:
Protocol:
Normal human epidermal keratinocytes from three different donors were inoculated into a 24-well plate and cultured in keratinocyte-SFM (k-SFM) supplemented medium for 48 h at 37° C. and 5% CO2. The cells were then incubated with or without (untreated condition) 0.033% extract for 48 hours. Each condition was carried out in duplicate. Total RNA extraction was carried out using TriPure Isolation Reagent® according to the protocol recommended by the supplier. The complementary DNAs were synthesized and a transcriptome was produced on the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 chip. Bioinformatic analysis of the genes whose expression is modulated at least by a factor of 2 was carried out with the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software (IPA®, QIAGEN).
Results:
The extract is able to decrease the transcriptional expression of the kallikreins (KLK) KLK5 and KLK7, two serine proteases involved in skin desquamation. The KLK family comprises 15 isoforms, including KLK5 and KLK7, which are expressed in the upper layers of the skin1 and are involved in particular in epidermal homeostasis2. Indeed, these two enzymes are capable of degrading the superficial corneodesmosomes which ensure cohesion between the corneocytes which make up the stratum corneum.
The following compositions can be prepared in a manner that is conventional for those skilled in the art. The quantities indicated below are expressed in percentages by weight. Ingredients in capital letters are identified in accordance with the INCI name.
These compositions can be applied every day, morning and/or evening, to the skin. They prevent excessive desquamation and provide user comfort.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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22196220.2 | Sep 2022 | EP | regional |