Biological activities and potential cosmeceutical applicationsof bioactive components from brown seaweeds: a review
W. A. J. P. Wijesinghe • You-Jin Jeon
Received: 6 April 2011 / Accepted: 9 June 2011 / Published online: 17 June 2011
� Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011
Abstract Seaweeds are the primary producers of all
aquatic ecosystems. Chemical constituents isolated
from diverse classes of seaweeds exert a wide range
of nutritional, functional and biological activities.
Unique metabolites of seaweeds possess specific
biological properties that make them potential ingre-
dients of many industrial applications such as func-
tional foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals.
Cosmeceuticals of natural origin are becoming more
popular than synthetic cosmetics. Hence, the inves-
tigation of new seaweeds derived functional compo-
nents, a different source of natural products, has
proven to be a promising area of cosmeceutical
studies. Brown seaweeds also produce a range of
active components including unique secondary
metabolites such as phlorotannins and many of which
have specific biological activities that give possibil-
ities for their economic utilization. Brown seaweeds
derived active compounds have been shown various
functional properties including, antioxidant, antiwrin-
kling, whitening, antiinflammatory and antiallergy.
It is well-known that these kind of biological effects
are closely associated with cosmeceutical prepara-
tions. This communication reviews the current
knowledge on brown seaweeds derived metabolites
with various biological activities and the potential use
as cosmeceutical ingredients. It is hoped that the
reviewed literature on multifunctional properties of
brown seaweeds will improve access to the seaweed
based natural products specially the ability to incor-
porate these functional properties in cosmeceutical
applications.
Keywords Biological properties � Natural
products � Phaeophyceae � Phytochemicals �Secondary metabolites
Introduction
Seaweeds belong to a group of organisms that has
enormous ecological importance and represent a
significant proportion of the world’s biodiversity.
They are large and diverse group of organisms which
play vital ecological roles in marine communities. It
falls into three broad categories as brown, red and
green seaweed based on pigmentation (Dawczynski
et al. 2007). Seaweeds have always been of great
interest in Asian culture as marine food sources
(Rioux et al. 2009). In contrast, seaweeds represent
an important economical resource mostly in the
W. A. J. P. Wijesinghe � Y.-J. Jeon (&)
School of Marine Biomedical Sciences, Jeju National
University, Jeju 690-756, Republic of Korea
e-mail: [email protected]
Y.-J. Jeon
Marine and Environmental Research Institute,
Jeju National University, Hamdok, Jeju 695-814,
Republic of Korea
123
Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443
DOI 10.1007/s11101-011-9214-4
countries of East and south Asia where they are not
only largely harvested but also intensively and
largely employed in the human nutrition (Caliceti
et al. 2002). Seaweeds or marine macro algae are
potential renewable resource in the marine environ-
ment and known to be extremely rich source of
bioactive compounds (Chandini et al. 2008; Kladi
et al. 2004). Therefore, algae can be a very interesting
natural source of new metabolites with various
biological activities that could be used as functional
ingredients (Kashman and Rudi 2004; Plaza et al.
2008). Biological activities are correlated to the
presence of chemical compounds, particularly sec-
ondary metabolites. The presence of these com-
pounds may assist in predicting some traditional uses
of medicinal plants (Kamatou et al. 2008). However,
novel potential areas have to be explored in order to
maximize the effective utilization of seaweeds.
The Phaeophyceae or brown seaweeds are a large
group of multicellular algae, and they play an
important role in marine environments both as food,
and for the habitats they form. Most brown
seaweeds contain the pigment fucoxanthin and
various pheophycean tannins which are responsible
for the distinctive greenish-brown colour as the
name indicated. Worldwide there are about 1,500
species of brown seaweeds and they produce vast
numbers of useful active components (Davis et al.
2003; Reddy and Urban 2009). Some species are of
sufficient commercial importance, such that they
have become subjects of extensive research in their
own right.
The term cosmeceutical is now commonly used to
describe a cosmetic product that exerts a pharmaceu-
tical therapeutic benefit (Choi and Berson 2006).
Therefore, cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with
biologically active ingredients purporting to have
medical or drug-like benefits. Dermatological
research suggests that the bioactive ingredients used
in cosmeceuticals do indeed have benefits beyond the
traditional cosmetics such as creams, lotions, and
ointments (Chen et al. 2005; Schurch et al. 2008).
There are a number of synthetic components have
been extensively used as ingredients for cosmetics.
The interactions between cosmetics and skin are
complex (Gao et al. 2008). Therefore, during the past
decades the toxicological safety of cosmetics and
their ingredients has attracted increasing attention
(Nohynek et al. 2010). Today, there is a growing
consumer demand for personal care products con-
taining natural ingredients without any adverse
effects (Antignac et al. 2011). In response, there has
been a dramatic growth in the sales of natural
personal care products. As a result, recent investiga-
tions have focused on natural substances derived
from plant materials which could be incorporated in
cosmeceutical products instead of synthetic materials.
The active components of seaweeds are varied.
Focusing on natural products, recent trends in
cosmeceutical research from natural sources suggest
that seaweeds are a promising group to novel
biochemically active substances (Heo et al. 2009).
Moreover, seaweed extracts or pure compounds
isolated from seaweeds have a growing role to play
in the cosmeceutical field. The purpose of this paper
is to review the current findings on biological
properties of brown seaweeds with their potential
cosmeceutical applications. In addition, attempts
have also been made to update the information
covered in recent articles on the subject and present
communication therefore aims towards the assess-
ment of biologically active components from brown
seaweeds with reference to cosmeceutical
applications.
Skin care and cosmeceuticals of different
categories
Unlike other organs, skin is in direct contact with the
environment and therefore undergoes aging as a
consequence of environmental damage (Fisher et al.
2002). Sun-exposed or photoaged skin is typically
coarse and rough with deep lines and wrinkles and
irregular pigmentation (Jenkins 2002). In addition,
Free radical damage causes wrinkles by activating the
metalloproteinases that break down collagen. There
are several factors that start this cascading process
including exposure to UV radiation in sunlight,
smoking and exposure to air pollution. A number of
factors including adverse environmental conditions
can cause skin dryness. Therefore, well accepted
practice is that dry skin can be improved by hydrating
the outermost layer of the skin with a humectant or
occlusive agent, smoothing the rough surface with an
emollient, and normalizing the stratum corneum by
moisturization.
432 Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443
123
Being a vital organ, the skin must be nourished and
nowadays various types of skin care cosmeceutical
products are proliferating in the market. This is due to
demand of consumers all over the world. Cellulites,
wrinkles, acne, rashes, dermatitis, and other skin
ailments are just some of the skin problems that need
to look out for. Skincare products are manufactured
with the sole purpose of taking care of the skin.
Cosmeceuticals are category of cosmetic products
claimed to have biologically active ingredients with
medicinal or drug like benefits (Gao et al. 2008). They
are topically applied products that are more than
merely cosmetic, yet are not true drugs that have
undergone rigorous placebo controlled studies for
safety and efficacy (Reszko et al. 2009). Furthermore,
they satisfy the needs of beauty and health. At present,
a wide range of cosmetic products with biologically
active ingredients have been developed and marketed.
Protection, whitening or depigmenting, tanning, anti-
wrinkling, deodorant, antiaging and moisturizing are
the main intended activities of skin care cosmeceuti-
cals. Chemically synthesized synthetic substances or
extracted substances from plants or animals can be
used as functional ingredients in the production of
functional cosmetics (Gao et al. 2008). Important
biological effects of brown seaweeds which related to
cosmeceutical applications are illustrated in Fig. 1.
Bioactive compounds from brown seaweeds
with various functional properties
as cosmeceutical ingredients
Phlorotannins (brown algal polyphenols)
As many of polyphenols are found in plants, they are
also described as phytochemicals. Polyphenolic com-
pounds are large and diverse group of naturally
occurring compounds containing phenolic function-
ality are secondary metabolites which exist both in
terrestrial and aquatic environments (Shibata et al.
2002; Susanto et al. 2009). Since these naturally
occurring polyphenols are known to have numerous
biological activities, they are found to be potential
candidates for various industrial applications such as
functional foods, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and
cosmeceuticals. Tannins are defined as naturally
occurring plant polyphenolic compounds and are
widespread among terrestrial and marine plants. In
contrast to terrestrial tannins, phlorotannins have
been found only in marine brown seaweeds. They are
structurally less complex than terrestrial tannins, and
are produced entirely by polymerization of phloro-
glucinol (Glombitza and Hauperich 1997; Kang et al.
2007; Koivikko et al. 2005; Wang et al. 2008). Over
the years, the roles and functions of phlorotannins
Fig. 1 Schematic showing
cosmeceutical properties of
brown algae
Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443 433
123
have been the subject of many studies. In addition, a
number of phlotrotannin compounds were isolated
from different brown seaweeds such as E. cava,
E. radiata, E. bicyclis and E. kurome. Figure 2 shows
the chemical formulae of important phlorotannins
isolated from brown seaweeds.
Fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin (Fig. 3a) is a natural pigment that falls
under the broad category of carotenoids (Satomi and
Nishino 2009). Among the carotenoids, fucoxanthin
is one of the major xanthophyll variants in brown
seaweeds (Kim et al. 2010b). It is found in edible
brown algae such as U. pinnatifida, S. fulvellum,
L. japonica and H. fusiformis along with h-carotene,
is one of the most abundant carotenoids found in
nature (Hosokawa et al. 2004; Woo et al. 2010). The
presence of fucoxanthin in all algae species can be
readily externally determined by examining their
colour. It is found as an accessory pigment in the
chloroplasts of brown algae and most other hetero-
konts, giving them a brown or olive-green colour as
the name suggests. Currently, much research is being
conducted on how to extract fucoxanthin from certain
species of brown algae, which would allow use of the
substance in many functional applications. Some
metabolic and nutritional studies carried out on rats
and mice at Hokkaido University indicate that
fucoxanthin promotes fat burning within fat cells in
white adipose tissue by increasing the expression of
thermogenin (Maeda et al. 2005). In addition, fuco-
xanthin was found to exhibit number of biological
functions including antiinflammatory and antioxidant
effects (Shang et al. 2010).
Fig. 2 The chemical
formulae of phlorotannin
compounds isolated from
the marine brown seaweeds
434 Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443
123
Bioactive polysaccharides
Over the years, bioactive polysaccharides isolated
from natural sources have attracted much attention in
the field of pharmacology (Yang and Zhang 2009).
Seaweeds contain a significant amount of soluble
polysaccharides, and have potential function as
dietary fiber. Specially, brown seaweeds are known
to produce functional polysaccharides such as algi-
nates and fucoidans (Lee et al. 2008). Fucans and
alginic acid derivatives exhibit different biological
properties including anticoagulant, antiinflammatory,
antiviral and antitumoral activities (Boisson-Vidal
et al. 1995; Costa et al. 2010).
Alginic acid (Fig. 3b), is a gelling polysaccharide
contains 1, 4-linked b-D-mannuronic and a-L-gulu-
ronic acid residues arranged in a non-regular, block-
wise order along the chain (Andrade et al. 2004;
Moore et al. 2004). It is also called algin or alginate,
and this naturally occurring hydrophilic colloidal
polysaccharide distributed widely in the cell walls
and intracellular material of the marine brown
seaweeds. In addition, it is the major structural
polysaccharide of brown seaweeds (Leal et al. 2008).
Acid polysaccharides found in brown algal cell wall
are mainly composed of alginic acid and fucoidan.
Alginate produced by brown seaweeds is widely used
in various pharmaceutical preparations and also it is a
useful additive in food industry for preparation of
thickening drinks, jellies and ice cream (Cardozo
et al. 2007; Yamasaki et al. 2005) Cosmetic industry
uses alginic acid as a thickening and water-binding
agent because, alginate absorbs water quickly, which
makes it useful as an additive in cosmetic
formulations.
Fucoidan (Fig. 3c) refers to a type of polysaccha-
ride which contains substantial percentages of
L-fucose and sulfate ester groups, found mainly in
various species of brown seaweeds (Matou et al.
2002; Li et al. 2008). It is a sulfated polysaccharide
found in the cell-wall matrix of brown seaweeds
(Kim et al. 2010a; Teruya et al. 2007). Among the
sulfated polysaccharides, often called fucoidans
found in marine brown algae, are well-known to
have potent biological activities such as antiinflam-
matory and antioxidant (Jiang et al. 2010). Biological
activities of fucoidans seem to be determined by their
high degree of sulfation, although, these activities
depend on the fine structure and molecular weight
(Zvyagintseva et al. 2003). The fucoidan is capable of
exhibiting skin cosmeticizing effects. Therefore, it is
an interesting functional ingredient with potential for
topical cosmetic formulations. Polygalactosides react
with the protective outer surface of the skin and the
ion–ion interaction form a protective moisturizing
complex, while the fucose polymers are hygroscopic
and act as hydrating agents. Fucus contains abundant
non-essential and essential amino acids, such as
proline, glycine and lacing all of which are found in
the elastic fibers in the skin. With this in mind, the
brown algal sulfated polysaccharide fucoidan would
be helpful for the maintenance of the skin’s elasticity
by increasing hydration and thereby improving the
skin’s elasticity.
Biological activities of brown seaweeds
with special focuses on cosmeceutical applications
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are compounds that protect cells against
the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species
(ROS), such as single oxygen, superoxide, peroxyl
radicals, and hydroxyl radicals. An imbalance
between antioxidants and ROS results in oxidative
stress, leading to cellular damage. Oxidative stress
has been linked to cancer, aging and inflammation.
Fig. 3 Chemical structures of (a) Fucoxanthin, (b) Alginic
acids, (c) Fucoidans
Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443 435
123
Antioxidants protect skin against damaging effects
from ROS (Weber et al. 1997). Therefore, antioxi-
dants have the great popularity as primary ingredients
in cosmetics as functional ingredients (Lupo 2001).
In the recent times many researchers were given
attention on natural antioxidant sources which can be
utilized in many industrial applications. Therefore,
natural antioxidant extracts have attracted increasing
interest in cosmeceutical applications (Sun and Ho
2005).
Three phlorotannins purified from brown seaweed
E. cava namely phloroglucinol, eckol and dieckol
found to possess antioxidant activities (Ahn et al.
2007). In the study, antioxidant activities were
measured by electron spin resonance spectrometry
(ESR) technique for scavenging effects of free
radicals and comet assay was used to determine the
protecting effects against H2O2-mediated DNA dam-
age. In another recent study, eckol protects V79-4
cells against oxidative damage by enhancing the
cellular antioxidant activity and modulating cellular
signal pathway (Kang et al. 2005). In addition,
promising antioxidant properties of E. cava were
reported with novel phlorotannin derivatives (Li et al.
2009). By contrast, they have reported the profound
antioxidant properties of 6,60-bieckol, dieckol and
fucodiphloroethol among the isolated compounds. A
recent study suggests that, triphlorethol-A a phloro-
tannin found in E. cava, protects V79-4 cells against
oxidative stress induced cell death through up
regulation of HO-1 (Kang et al. 2007). In addition,
triphlorethol-A protects cells against oxidative dam-
age induced by radiation through reducing ROS
(Kang et al. 2006). In another study, an antioxidant
phloroglucinol was isolated and the isolated com-
pound found to possess similar antioxidant activity
with L-ascorbic acid (Lee et al. 1996). One of our
previous works demonstrated the antioxidant effect of
fermented E. cava processing by-product (Wijesinghe
et al. 2011). Further we reported that, the antioxidant
activity of E. cava processing by-product mainly due
to the phlorotannins in the extract.
Experimental finding revealed that cytoprotective
effect of fucoxanthin, a natural carotenoid isolated
from brown seaweed S. siliquastrum (Heo et al.
2008). A protective effect against oxidative stress-
induced cell apoptosis was also demonstrated via
nuclear staining with Hoechst dye. The findings
clearly indicate that fucoxanthin isolated from
S. siliquastrum possesses prominent antioxidant
activity.
In vitro antioxidant activities of three selected
Indian brown seaweeds namely S. marginatum, P.
tetrastomatica and T. conoides were reported (Chan-
dini et al. 2008). Turbinaria conoides had signif-
icantly higher phenol content compared to the other
two species. In vitro antioxidant activity of metha-
nolic extracts from all the three seaweeds showed in a
dose dependent manner. In another recent study, in
vitro and cellular antioxidant activities of methanolic
extracts of brown seaweeds were reported (O’Sulli-
van et al. 2011). As they reported brown seaweeds
F. vesiculosus and F. serratus extracts were seen to
be the most effective extracts in terms of antioxidant
activity.
It is anticipated that the antioxidant effects of
brown seaweeds could be used for cosmeceutical
preparations. Free radical damage is one of the
principal mechanisms of aging. Skin suffers addi-
tional free radical damage from sunlight to pollu-
tants. When it comes to wrinkles, free radical
damage causes collagen and other vital skin func-
tions to break down. Topical antioxidants provide
some protection against environmental damage to
the skin and may be effective in slowing down the
skin aging because treatment with some antioxi-
dants, such as ascorbic acid, tocopherols, and
polyphenols, should be effective to enhance resis-
tance to oxidative stress and prevent skin aging
(Masaki 2010).
Cosmeceuticals are commercially available prod-
ucts that can not only improve the appearance of the
skin but also benefit to the health of the skin because
of their antioxygenation (Guan et al. 2005). A great
skincare product, whether it comes in a liquid, gel,
serum, lotion, or cream, should contain a potent
assortment of stable antioxidants to interrupt free
radical damage and keep it from harming the skin. It
is easy to realize that one of the most effective
ingredients of cosmeceuticals is the antioxidant
which can interrupt the radical-chain processes, help
the skin to repair systems. According to the above
mentioned research findings, brown seaweeds could
be considered as very good natural source of
antioxidants. In contrast, antioxidant effects of
phlorotannins ideally coupled with cosmeceuticals
because free radical damage is one of the major
causes of skin aging.
436 Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443
123
Protective effect against UV light-induced skin
damage
Ultraviolet radiation, the most biologically active
component of sunlight, is the major environmental
risk factor for all skin cancers (Xu et al. 2000). In
addition, sunlight has a profound effect on the skin
causing premature skin aging, and a host of skin
changes. UV-B radiation is responsible for a wide
range of potentially damaging human and animal
health effects, primarily related to the skin, eyes, and
immune system. There is evidence that UVB radia-
tion interacts directly with cellular targets like DNA
(de la Coba et al. 2009). Human exposure to UV-B
depends upon an individual’s location, the duration
and timing of outdoor activities and precautionary
behavior such as the use of sunscreen, sunglasses, or
protective clothing. An individual’s skin colour and
age can influence the occurrence and severity of some
of the health effects from exposure to UV-B. Topical
application of sunscreens is widely advocated for
prevention of UV induced sunburn, photoaging, and
skin cancer (Torres et al. 2006). Recent studies have
focused on marine organisms as a source of natural
bioactive molecules and some UV-absorbing algal
compounds are under investigation as candidates for
new natural sunscreens (de la Coba et al. 2009).
Therefore, in this report here we discuss the protec-
tive effect of active components from brown sea-
weeds against UV damage.
Fucoxanthin, a natural carotenoids isolated from
the marine brown alga S. siliquastrum has the ability
to protect against oxidative stress induced by UV-B
radiation and which might be applied to antioxidant
and cosmeceutical industries (Heo and Jeon 2009). In
contrast, they investigated and confirmed the protec-
tive effect of fucoxanthin on UV-B induced cell
injury in human fibroblasts. In addition fucoxanthin
significantly scavenged the ROS generated by expo-
sure to UV-B radiation.
Polyphenolic compounds of brown seaweeds
found to involve in protection mechanisms, against
UV damage (Connan et al. 2007). Dieckol, isolated
from a brown alga E. cava exhibited prominent
protective effect against photo-oxidative stress
induced by UV-B radiation (Heo et al. 2009; Ko
et al. 2010). Dieckol, phenolic moiety, is a kind of
phlorotannin which consists of six phloroglucinol
units (hexamer) and functional hydroxyl groups.
In another recent experiment carmalol derivative,
diphlorethohydroxycarmalol isolated from the brown
algae I. okamurae showed strong protective effect
against intracellular ROS induced by UV-B radiation
(Heo et al. 2010).
Over-exposure to UV radiation provokes acute
sunburn reaction (Thiele et al. 1997). Skin is the
preferred target of oxidative stress as continuously
exposed to UV radiation from sunlight to environ-
mental oxidizing pollutants. As mentioned in the
previous reports with phlorotannins, they represent an
interesting class of active polyphenolic compounds in
the protection of UV light-induced skin damage.
Together with the scientific evidence that do support
their use in cosmeceutical preparations.
Tyrosinase inhibitory activity and inhibition
of melanin synthesis
Melanin is a pigment which is primarily responsible
for the colour of skin, eyes and hair. Melanocytes are
melanin-producing cells located in the bottom layer
of the skin’s epidermis and the middle layer of the
eye. Through a process called melanogenesis, these
cells produce melanin. Exposure to UV-B radiation
causes an increased melanogenesis as a response to
DNA photodamage (Agar and Young 2005). Tyros-
inase is an enzyme which is required for melanocytes
to produce melanin from the amino acid tyrosine. In
addition, tyrosinase is the key enzyme for the
synthesis of melanin pigment is completed by a
series of oxidative reactions (Gao et al. 2008). Thus,
in mammals tyrosinase is responsible for pigmenta-
tion of the skin, eyes and hair (Likhitwitayawuid
2008). The study of tyrosinase inhibitory activity
became of interest in recent years because of the
significant industrial and economic impact of the
inhibitors of this protein (Fails et al. 2009). In
contrast, inhibition of tyrosinase activity might be
useful in cosmeceutical applications for depigmenta-
tion. Up to date a number of tyrosinase and melano-
genesis inhibitors, from both natural and synthetic
sources, have been identified (Sima et al. 2011).
One of the previous reports indicated that, extracts
of marine brown algae E. cava and S. silquastrum
reduced melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity
both in vitro and zebra fish animal model (Cha et al.
2010). Hence, the results provided that the both
brown algal extracts could be used as an ingredient in
Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443 437
123
whitening cosmetics. The inhibitory effect of phloro-
tannins isolated from E. cava on mushroom tyrosi-
nase activity and melanin formation in mouse
B16F10 melanoma cells was reported (Yoon et al.
2009). They assessed the feasibility of phlorotannins
isolated from E. cava as an inhibitor of melanin
formation and the results suggested that 7-phloroec-
kol might prove useful as a novel inhibitor of melanin
formation in cosmetic applications.
Ecklonia stolonifera OKAMURA (Laminariaceae)
belonging to brown algae, showed high tyrosinase
inhibitory activity (Kang et al. 2004). Their work
showed that phloroglucinol derivatives, isolated from
E. stolonifera OKAMURA, could be involved in the
control of pigmentation in plants and other organisms
through inhibition of tyrosinase activity. In another
recent experiment suggested that dieckol, phlorotan-
nin isolated from E. cava has an ability to inhibit
tyrosinase activity in relatively higher manner than a
commercial tyrosinase inhibitor kojic acid (Heo et al.
2009). The results also proved the ability of the
specific phlorotannin compound to use in cosmeceu-
tical applications. Potential inhibitory effect of
marine brown algae I. okamurae on melanogenesis
was assessed via tyrosinase inhibitory effect (Heo
et al. 2010). Interestingly according to the results the
active compound diphlorethohydroxycarmalol exhib-
ited higher levels of activity than that of commercial
whitening agent.
It now appears that important actions can be
attributed to some secondary metabolites of brown
algae, and evidence indicates that their potential
whitening effect which could be employed in
cosmeceutical applications. In addition, it is well-
known that oxidative stress caused by free radicals
leads to hyperpigmentation. Therefore, the antioxi-
dant properties of brown seaweeds also an additional
benefit for depigmentation.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) inhibitory
activity
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-depen-
dent endopeptidases. The MMPs belong to a larger
family of proteases known as the metzincin super-
family. Collectively they are capable of degrading all
kinds of extracellular matrix proteins, but also can
process a number of bioactive molecules. The
functional properties of skin depend on the integrity
of collagen in the dermis. Moreover, collagen is
tightly controlled by matrix metalloproteinases (Fujii
et al. 2008). Cellular changes as well as qualitative
and quantitative alterations of dermal extracellular
matrix proteins are involved, resulting in loss of
recoil capacity and tensile strength with wrinkle
formation (Kochanek et al. 2000). The skin matrix is
responsible for the skin’s mechanical properties,
including firmness, strength, suppleness and elastic-
ity. To a large degree, the signs of skin aging reflect
the condition of the skin matrix, the weaker and less
regular the matrix, the more wrinkles and roughness.
With increasing age, collagen synthesis becomes
lower and MMP-1 (Interstitial collagenase) levels
become higher in naturally aged human skin, and
these alterations cause changes such as skin wrinkling
and loss of elasticity (Moon et al. 2004). Therefore,
control of collagen metabolism might be one of the
important properties in functional cosmetics.
Kim et al. (2006) reported the inhibitory effects of
E. cava extract on MMP activities. For the first time
they reported a detailed study on the inhibitory
effects of phlorotannins in brown algae, E. cava on
MMP activities in cultured human cell lines. Further,
E. cava extract did not exert any cytotoxic effect on
the used cell line at tested concentrations anticipating
its potential use as a safe MMP inhibitor which can
be utilized in cosmeceutical applications.
Antiinflammatories and antiallergies
Inflammation is the complex biological response of
vascular tissues to harmful stimuli and inflammation
is a protective attempt by the organism to remove
the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing
process for the tissue. Macrophages are key players
in inflammation (Kazlowska et al. 2010). Oxidative
stress induced inflammation is mediated by the
activation of NF-kB and AP-1. The undesired
effects of oxidative stress have been found to be
controlled by the antioxidant and/or antiinflamma-
tory effects of dietary polyphenols (Han et al. 2007).
Antiallergic agents can be used to treat allergic
reactions and most of these agents act by preventing
the release of inflammatory mediators or inhibiting
the actions of released mediators on their target
cells. To date there have been recent investigations
supporting the antiinflammatory properties of brown
seaweeds.
438 Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443
123
The potent effect of the phlorotannin compounds
from E. cava; eckol, 2 dieckol, 6,60-bieckol and
1-(30,50-dihydroxyphenoxy)-7-(200,400,600-trihydroxy-
phenoxy)—2,4,9-trihydroxydibenzo-1,4,-dioxin on
a host of commonly occurring diseases which possess
an inflammatory component, including osteoarthri-
tis, atherosclerosis and cancer were reported (Ryu
et al. 2008). Further, they reported that, these
compounds not only inhibited the proinflammatory
cytokines induced expression of MMP-1, -3 and -13
in MG-63 human osteoblasts but also exhibited
conversely regulate activation of ERK and p38
MAP kinases in NO-induced differentiation. In
addition, Jung et al. (2009) reported that ethanolic
extracts of E. cava inhibited LPS-induced nitric
oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production
in a concentration-dependent manner and inhibit
inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase
(COX)-2 in BV2 microglia. According to their results
further they have reported that E. cava extracts exert
antiinflammatory effects by suppressing proinflam-
matory cytokines. In another recent study revealed
Table 1 Summary of the biological activities of brown seaweeds with reference to cosmeceutical applications
Brown seaweed Active component Activity Potential cosmeceutical
application
References
E. cava Eckol Antioxidant Anti aging Ahn et al. (2007),
Kang et al. (2005)
E. cava 6,60-Bieckol, dieckol and
fucodiphloroethol
Antioxidant Anti aging Li et al. (2009)
E. cava Triphlorethol-A Antioxidant Anti aging Kang et al. (2007)
E. cava Triphlorethol-A Antioxidant Anti aging Kang et al. (2006)
E. cava Phlorotannins Antioxidant Anti aging Wijesinghe et al. (2011)
S. siliquastru Fucoxanthin Antioxidant Cytoprotective Heo et al. (2008)
S. marginatum,
P. tetrastomaticaand T. conoides
Polyphenols Antioxidant Anti aging Chandini et al. (2008)
F. vesiculosusand F. serratus
Polyphenols Antioxidant Anti aging O’Sullivan et al. (2011)
E. cava Phlorotannins Anti inflammatory Ryu et al. (2008)
E. cava Phlorotannins Anti-allergic Lee et al. (2009)
S. siliquastrum Fucoxanthin Antioxidant Protect against oxidative
stress induced by UV-B
Heo and Jeon (2009)
E. cava Dieckol Antioxidant Protective effect against
photo-oxidative stress
Heo et al. (2009),
Ko et al. (2010)
I. okamurae Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol Antioxidant Protective effect against
UV light-induced skin
damage
Heo et al. (2010)
E. cava and
S. silquastrumReduce melanin
synthesis and
tyrosinase activity
Whitening Cha et al. (2010)
E. cava 7-Phloroeckol Inhibition of
melanin
formation
Whitening Yoon et al. (2009)
E. cava Dieckol Tyrosinase inhibitor Whitening Heo et al. (2009)
I. okamurae Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol Tyrosinase inhibitor Whitening Heo et al. (2010)
E.cava Phlorotannins MMP inhibitor Anti wrinkling Kim et al. (2006)
E.cava Ethanolic extracts Anti inflammatory Jung et al. (2009)
E. stolonifera Phlorotannins Tyrosinase inhibitor Whitening Kang et al. (2004)
E. stolonifera Phloroglucinol Antioxidant Anti aging Lee et al. (1996)
Phytochem Rev (2011) 10:431–443 439
123
that dieckol and 6,60-bieckol; phlorotannins isolated
from brown alga E. cava, showed prominent antial-
lergic activities (Le et al. 2009). Furthermore, they
have suggested the potential antiallergic mechanism
with the results of flow cytometric analysis, as the
suppression of binding activity between IgE and
FceRI.
Today, in the modern market, there is an increasing
number of novel cosmeceutical products are available
with the functional ingredients such as fucoidan and
alginate from brown seaweeds. As natural marine
products, these extracts are ideal for inclusion in
cosmeceuticals (Fitton et al. 2007). The preparations
could be facilitated to maintain the skin health in
many ways. However, cosmeceutical industries are
still waiting for some exciting development to happen.
Formulation of cosmeceuticals involves an effective
use of scientific findings and selection of appropriate
combination of functional ingredients in the formula.
Ultimately the typical components of the cosmeceu-
ticals needed to achieve the expected performance
such as anti aging, anti wrinkling and whitening. The
use of these brown algal extracts or compounds sit
well with the recent trend for natural product formu-
lations and provide the opportunity to offer a cosme-
ceutical solution from systemic to a topical approach.
Brown seaweeds representing the candidate ingredi-
ents of cosmeceuticals with their potential cosmeceu-
tical applications are summarized in the Table 1.
Conclusion
Marine organisms are rich sources of structurally
novel and biologically active metabolites with valu-
able industrial potentials. Therefore, this review
refers to extracts of brown seaweeds, and chemically
defined compounds of natural origin showing various
biological effects. In contrast, brown seaweeds pro-
duce a variety of remarkable polyphenolic com-
pounds (phlorotannins), polysaccharides and
carotenoids collectively referred to as bioactive
components. The relevant substances are diverse in
their chemical structure and physiological functions.
It is interesting to note that functional metabolites
from brown seaweeds offer a promising approach for
the cosmeceutical preparations. In conclusion, brown
seaweeds have been identified as potential and easily
accessible producers of a wide spectrum of natural
substances of vital cosmeceutical needs. The potent
biological activities of certain active components
isolated from brown seaweeds may represent an
interesting advance in the search for novel functional
ingredients.
Conflicts of interest The authors declare that there are no
conflicts of interest.
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