Clinacanthus nutans (C. nutans) is an edible profitable herb with high phenolic content that recognized herb relieves skin disorder, antityrosinase, and anticancer. Along with these health benefits C. nutans, however, there is no study on the factors that influence the phenolic content of C. nutans extraction by water-based ultrasonic-microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE). The aim of this study evaluates UMAE conditions (ultrasonic power, microwave power, and extraction time) on responses using response surface Box–Behnken design and compared with the hydrothermal extraction. The findings found that the caffeic acid and ferulic acid content decrease with increasing the microwave power and long extraction time (P<0.05). The combination factors significant impact on the phenolic compound are microwave power with a time of extract and ultrasonic with microwave power (P<0.05). The optimization UMAE of C. nutans was ultrasonic power 150 W, microwave power 50 W, and time of extraction 3 min (P < 0.05), and final temperature after extraction should be <60°C. UMAE was a four-fold greater target response and a sixty-fold lower extraction time compared to conventional hydrothermal extraction. The synergistic of ultrasonic and microwave power encourages extraction efficiency, which is advantageous to prepare the high-quality C. nutans extracted raw materials to apply in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industry.

The effective dermal penetration of active ingredients (AI) is a major task in the formulation of topical products. Besides the vehicle, the mechanical skin treatments are also considered to impact the penetration efficacy of AI. In particular, professional skin treatments, i.e., professional cosmetic skin treatments, are considered to be optimal for the dermal delivery of AI. However, a systematic study that proves these theories is not yet available and was therefore performed in this study while utilizing an ex vivo porcine ear model with subsequent digital image analysis. Hydrophilic and lipophilic fluorescent dyes were used as AI surrogates and were applied onto the skin without and with professional skin treatments. The skin hydration and the penetration efficacy were determined, respectively. Results showed that professional skin treatments with massage were able to increase the skin hydration, whereas a professional skin treatment without massage could not increase the skin hydration when compared to skin without professional skin treatment. Regarding the penetration efficacy, it was found that all parameters tested, i.e., type of professional skin treatment, lipophilicity of the AI, and the time point at which the AI are applied onto the skin, can have a tremendous impact on the penetration efficacy of the AI. The most effective penetration and the most effective skin hydration is achieved with a professional skin treatment that includes a professional skin massage. This kind of skin treatment can therefore be used to improve dermal drug delivery.

The influence of size, particle concentration and applied dose (finite vs. infinite dose) on the dermal penetration efficacy of curcumin was investigated in this study. For this, curcumin suspensions with different particle sizes (approx. 20 µm and approx. 250 nm) were produced in different concentrations (0.625–5% (w/w)). The dermal penetration efficacy was determined semi-quantitatively on the ex vivo porcine ear model. The results demonstrated that the presence of particles increases the dermal penetration efficacy of the active compounds being dissolved in the water phase of the formulation. The reason for this is the formation of an aqueous meniscus that develops between particles and skin due to the partial evaporation of water from the vehicle after topical application. The aqueous meniscus contains dissolved active ingredients, and therefore creates a small local spot with a locally high concentration gradient that leads to improved dermal penetration. The increase in penetration efficacy depends on the number of particles in the vehicle, i.e., higher numbers of particles and longer contact times lead to higher penetration efficacy. Therefore, nanocrystals with a high particle concentration were found to be the most suitable formulation principle for efficient and deep dermal penetration of poorly water-soluble active ingredients.

Objectives: Garcinia mangostana (GM) pericarp extract recognizes for relieving skin disorders. It becomes a household fruit juice due to its high concentration of antioxidant compounds, including phenolic and α -mangostin. The purpose of this study was to optimize the conditions of Ultrasonic-Microwave Assisted Extraction (UMAE) of GM pericarp. Methods: GM pericarp was extracted by UMAE and conventional decoction extraction. UMAE was created in nine different individuals and combined ultrasonic and microwave power. The amount of phenolic compound, “caffeic acid, ferulic acid”, α -mangostin, and total phenolic content (TPC) were compared. The optimized parameters were particle size of grounded raw material, microwave power, and ultrasonic power during water extraction. Results: The optimized UMAE conditions combined 200 W microwave power and 200 W ultrasonic power to extract raw material grounded to 22.6 μm diameter particles (p≤0.05). The synergistic effect of ultrasonic and microwave-assisted extraction significantly (p≤0.05) impacted on the TPC, the yield of caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and α -mangostin. Conclusions: Overall, the synergistic effect of ultrasonic and microwave extraction resulted in a significantly higher amount of bioactive compounds when compared to conventional decoction extraction (p≤0.001). These results demonstrated the advantages of UMAE for preparing GM pericarp extract for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Triphala, a traditional Ayurvedic formulation comprising Terminalia chebula , Terminalia bellirica , and Phyllanthus emblica , is renowned for its rich phytochemical composition and numerous health benefits. This study developed and evaluated three triphala-based functional food products – beverages, gummies, and tablets – by measuring gallic acid content, nutritional composition, and microbiological safety. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed gallic acid levels of 5.35 ± 0.14 mg per 200 mL in beverages, 248 ± 4.38 mg per 25 g in gummies, and 783 ± 2.69 mg per 12 g in tablets. Each product complied with microbial safety standards and was fortified with essential nutrients, confirming its suitability as a safe and functional food. These formulations advance plant-based functional foods, promoting health and disease prevention.

Dermal penetration is considered to mainly occur via passive diffusion. Therefore, a high concentration gradient of dissolved active ingredient between formulation and skin is needed to achieve an effective dermal penetration. The concentration gradient between formulation and skin can be changed by changing the amount of dissolved active ingredient in the formulation. In case of poorly soluble active ingredients this can be achieved by using nanosized drug material instead of larger sized material. The smaller size and the resulting larger surface increase the kinetic solubility and thus increase the concentration gradient of dissolved active ingredient between formulation and skin, which then results in an increased dermal penetration. In this study we demonstrated that the concentration gradient between formulation and skin can also be influenced by the number of particles being present in the formulation and by the dose (volume of formulation) applied to the skin. Particles of undissolved active ingredient are known to act as a reservoir by releasing dissolved molecules in the liquid phase of the formulation. It could now be demonstrated that the particles - once the liquid in which they are dispersed evaporates - can connect to the skin via an aqueous meniscus. The aqueous meniscus contains dissolved active ingredient and therefore creates a small local spot with a locally high concentration gradient and improved dermal penetration. Therefore, the dermal penetration can be increased with formulations that contain high amounts of particles. This can be achieved by applying formulations with high numbers of particles and/or by applying larger volumes of particle containing formulations to the skin.