Tephrosia toxicaria (Sw.) Pers., which is currently known as T. sinapou (Buc'hoz) A. Chev., Fabaceae, is a source of compounds such as flavonoids, however, few studies addressed the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of T. sinapou. Therefore, we evaluated the antioxidant mechanisms of the T. sinapou ethyl acetate extract in vitro, and whether the extract affects leukocyte recruitment in four models of inflammation and the involvement of nitric oxide and cytokines in its mechanism. In vitro, it was observed that the extract presented hydrogen donating ability to 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl radical (DPPH<img src="/img/revistas/rbfar/2012nahead/aop23011img01.jpg" />), 2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical (ABTS+), and also efficiently inhibited iron-dependent and independent lipid peroxidation and iron chelation assays. In vivo, it inhibited the recruitment of total leukocytes and neutrophil induced by carrageenin, zymosan, glycogen and lipopolysaccharide in the peritoneal cavity of mice. Two mechanisms were detected: 1) T. sinapou effect on leukocyte recruitment depends on nitric oxide since was dose-dependently inhibited by treatment with L-NAME (nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), and 2) the extract also inhibited the production of crucial cytokines for the leukocyte recruitment; tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin-1β. Concluding, T. sinapou ethyl acetate extract reduces oxidative stress in vitro, and inflammatory leukocyte recruitment by a mechanism related to inhibition of cytokine production, and in a nitric oxide dependent manner in vivo.

An analytical procedure to quantify 3-benzophenone, octylmethoxycinnamate and octylsalicylate was validated and employed to assess these ultraviolet filters in sunscreen formulations and from skin penetration studies. The effect of the vehicle on the skin retention of these filters was investigated. HPLC and extraction procedure were found to be reliable when obtaining data for the sunscreen formulations and for evaluation skin penetration. The results demonstrated that a cream gel generated higher epidermal concentrations of these filters than a lotion or cream-based formulation. Additionally, when comparing the skin retentions of each filter using the same formulation, 3-benzophenone showed the highest skin retention.

A chromatographic technique for determination of rutin and narcissin in marigold extract and topical formulations was developed and validated. The method shows linearity over the concentration range of 0.2 - 6.0 μg/mL of rutin (r = 0.9986) and 0.8 - 12.0 μg/mL of narcissin (r = 0.9951). The values obtained for precision and accuracy are in agreement with ICH guidelines. Both the formulation excipients and the porcine ear skin samples did not interfere with the flavonoids determination. The recovery of rutin and narcissin in skin samples added with marigold extract was 81.41% and 83.35%, respectively, which demonstrate the applicability of this method to perform skin penetration studies.

This study validated a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the quantitative evaluation of quercetin in topical emulsions. The method was linear within 0.05 - 200 μg/mL range with a correlation coefficient of 0.9997, and without interference in the quercetin peak. The detection and quantitation limits were 18 and 29 ng/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-assay precisions presented R.S.D. values lower than 2%. An average of 93% and 94% of quercetin was recovered for non-ionic and anionic emulsions, respectively. The raw material and anionic emulsion, but not non-ionic emulsion, were stable in all storage conditions for one year. The method reported is a fast and reliable HPLC technique useful for quercetin determination in topical emulsions.