Abstract

With age, a decrease of original elasticity of the skin due to enzyme elastase leads to the appearance of fine lines, age spots, irregular pigmentation and wrinkles showing saggy and dull skin. The collagen also decreases and abnormal elastic fibers replace the dermis. Skin aging is a multifactorial process and its signs are influenced by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Beside the process of aging, a daily external injury of skin (UV radiation, heat, pollutants, etc..) causes loss of moisture. The key molecule involved in skin moisture is hyaluronic acid (HA) that has unique capacity in retaining water. By time, HA diminishes, degraded and skin become dry and wrinkled. Hence, the need to conserve matrix is recommended. Degradation of HA can be occurred either enzymatically or by a free – radical mechanism. Thus, natural agents that delay free – radical catalyzed degradation or acting for as inhibitors of hyaluronidase enzyme are useful to maintain the integrity of dermal HA. The market of cosmeceuticals from natural products is a demand nowadays to maintain a healthy skin instead of the use of harmful synthetic cosmetics. Few reports concerning hyaluronidase inhibitors from natural source. This article presents the reported potent herbal hyaluronidase enzyme inhibitors worldwide and most reported Egyptian products.

Keywords: skin aging, wrinkles, hyaluronidase inhibitors, herbal cosmeceutical