oa Biological characterization of Qatari and regional endemic plant extracts for cosmetic purposes

In ancient times, herbs, botanicals, fruit extracts, essential oils and natural minerals were the main ingredients for beauty products. Today, demand is growing for plant-based ingredients, as consumers increasingly view natural products as healthy, environmentally friendly and renewable. The present study, using modern methods and approaches and in vitro and in vivo test analyses, aims to characterize Qatari and regional endemic plant extracts in order to identify and purify specific active biomolecules for cosmetic purposes. Six plant species were collected from the area around Qatar University campus from April 2009 to September 2009, and were used for extract preparation using different solvents. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to fractionate the extracts, and fractionations were then tested on human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cells. Cytotoxicity assay, immune and inflammatory responses were tested. Three extracts showed positive results, and further analysis is ongoing. The results are expected to be commercially important, especially for cosmetic and perfume industries.