For several centuries, Punica granatum L. has been utilized in traditional medicine to treat various ailments including diabetes, diarrhea, and parasitic and microbial infections. Current scientific research suggests that the unique phytochemical composition of the botanical is largely responsible for the range of biological activities demonstrated by the different components of P. granatum L. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the fruit extract of P. granatum L. on the following parameters of skin health: facial wrinkle severity, sebum production, transepidermal water loss, melanin index, and erythema index. The hypothesis was that oral pomegranate supplementation improves the facial appearance of wrinkles and the biophysical properties of the skin because of the well-studied antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the phytochemicals in the fruit extract.
A prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in which subjects were supplemented daily with a punicalagin-enriched oral pomegranate extract for four weeks. The study was performed at Integrative Skin Science and Research (Sacramento, California, USA) and included 18 healthy males and females, aged 25–55 years, who were asked to restrict the intake of other polyphenolic-rich foods. A facial image collection and analysis system was used to assess the facial appearance of wrinkle severity, and standardized, noninvasive tools were used to collect information on facial sebum production, transepidermal water loss, melanin index, and erythema index. In addition, self-reports of quality of life and digestive health were collected from the subjects. These parameters were assessed at pretreatment baseline and after four weeks of oral supplementation.
The results showed statistically significant reductions in the melanin index of the cheeks (p < 0.01), transepidermal water loss from the stratum corneum of the cheeks (p < 0.01), and facial appearance of average wrinkle severity (p < 0.01). Furthermore, a significant reduction was found in facial transepidermal water loss among females of the intervention group (p < 0.01). No adverse effects were reported over the four weeks of the study.
In conclusion, this study demonstrated an improvement in several biophysical properties of the skin with oral pomegranate extract supplementation. As a result, oral pomegranate extract could be used as an effective agent for the maintenance of skin appearance and skin health.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/43998 |
| Date | 09 March 2022 |
| Creators | Chakkalakal, Mincy |
| Contributors | Spencer, Jean L. |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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