EFFECTS OF CAPPARIS SPINOSA L. EXTRACT 3 3 3 20 10 Figure 3. Percentage inhibition of erythema (P.I.E.) values obtained after skin application of tocopheryl acetate (TOC) or LECS gels. Ca2+-regulated events, and the respiratory burst of neutrophils) (41). These flavonol properties could contribute to their in vivo protective effect, which we observed, against UV-light induced skin inflammation in fact, lipid peroxidation products exert acute inflammatory effects in mammalian skin, and several papers support the usefulness of the UVB erythema test for evaluation of steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (42). In accordance with this hypothesis, the chloroform extracts of C. spinosa fruits were demonstrated to be active, when topically applied, against arachidonic acid-induced edema in mouse ear (43). Furthermore, alcoholic extracts of C. spinosa leaves proved to elicit a significant antiinflammatory effect against carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats (44). In conclusion, the present in vitro and in vivo findings demonstrate that the methanolic extract of C. spinosa flowering buds (LECS) possesses a strong antioxidant/free radical scavenging effectiveness, which is probably due to the presence of phenolic compounds. Furthermore, this polar extract gives excellent photoprotection against UVB-induced skin damage. Thus it could have important applications as an ingredient of topical cosmeceutic products employed in skin alterations caused, initiated, or exacerbated by ROS and free radical overproduction. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank Dr. Rosario Cappadona and the "Cooperativa agricola produttori capperi a.r.l." (Pantelleria, Trapani) for their help and suggestions during the course of this work. REFERENCES (1) M. Podda, M. G. Traber, C. Weber, L. J. Yan, and L. Packer, UV-irradiation depletes antioxidants and causes oxidative damage in a model of human skin, Free Rad. BioL Med., 24, 55-65 (1998).

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