Chestnut Wood Mud as a Source of Ellagic Acid for Dermo-Cosmetic Applications

Ellagic acid (EA) has long been recognized as a very active antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agent. However, its low bioavailability has often hampered its applications in health-related fields. Here, we report a phospholipid vesicle-based controlled release system for EA, involving the exploitation of chestnut wood mud (CWM), an industrial by-product from chestnut tannin production, as a largely available and low-cost source of this compound. Two kinds of CWM with different particle size distributions, indicated as CWM-A and CWM-B (<100 and 32 mu m, respectively), containing 5 +/- 1% w/w EA, were incorporated into transfersomes. The latter were small in size (similar to 100 nm), homogeneously dispersed, and negatively charged. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assays indicated up to three-fold improvement in the antioxidant properties of CWM upon incorporation into transfersomes. The kinetics of EA released under simulated physiological conditions were evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and HPLC analysis. The best results were obtained with CWM-B (100% of EA gradually released after 37 days at pH 7.4). A stepwise increase in the antioxidant properties of the released material was also observed. Cell-based experiments confirmed the efficacy of CWM-B transfersomes as antioxidant agents in contrasting photodamage.

Automated summary

Ellagic acid (EA) is well-known for its strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, but its low bioavailability limits its applications in health-related fields. In this study, a phospholipid vesicle-based controlled release system for EA was developed using chestnut wood mud (CWM) as a low-cost and easily available source. The CWM-incorporated transfersomes showed enhanced antioxidant properties compared to CWM alone, and the release of EA from CWM-B transfersomes exhibited a gradual and sustained pattern. Cell-based experiments confirmed the effectiveness of CWM-B transfersomes as antioxidant agents against photodamage.