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439
R.R. Watson and S. Zibadi (eds.), Bioactive Dietary Factors and Plant Extracts in Dermatology,
Nutrition and Health, DOI 10.1007/978-1-62703-167-7_40, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
A. A. Zanwar
Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth University ,
Medical college campus, Off satara road , Dhankawadi, Pune 411 043 , Maharashtra , India
e-mail: anandzanwar@rediffmail.com; anandzanwar10@gmail.com
S. L. Badole, M.Pharm., Ph.D. (Pharmacology) (*)
Department of Pharmacology , PE Society’s Modern College of Pharmacy ,
Sector 21, Yamuna Nagar , Nigadi, Pune , Maharashtra , India 411044
e-mail: sachinbadole@rediffmail.com; sachinbadole8880@gmail.com
R. Saini
Molecular Biology Laboratory , Center of Hematology and Hemotherapy-HEMOCENTRO,
University of Campinas (UNICAMP) , Rua Carlos Chagas, 480 , Campinas , Sao Paulo , Brazil
e-mail: dr.rashmisaini@gmail.com
Key Points
• Phyllanthus emblica Linn. syn. Emblica of fi cinalis Gaertn. belonging to Euphorbiaceae family.
The species is native to India and also grows in tropical and subtropical regions. •
• E. of fi cinalis mainly contains vitamin C which is responsible for its antioxidant activity.
• E. of fi cinalis have been used in traditional medicine to treat broad-spectrum disorders.
Toxicological studies have shown it to be safe and nontoxic. •
Keywords Amla • Antioxidant activity • Emblica of fi cinalis • Indian gooseberry • Phyllanthus emblica
Introduction
Indian gooseberry or Emblica of fi cinalis enjoys a hallowed position in Ayurveda—an Indian indigenous
system of medicine. According to the belief in ancient Indian mythology, it is the fi rst tree to be
created in the universe [ 1 ] . The species is native to India and also grows in tropical and subtropical
regions. Indian gooseberry is a medium-sized tree, the fruit of which is used in many ayurvedic prepa-
rations from time immemorial. The parts of Emblica of fi cinalis ( E. of fi cinalis ) such as leaf, roots, stem,
fruit, fl ower, and bark have been used in traditional medicine to treat broad-spectrum disorders [ 2 ] .
Chapter 40
Role of Emblica of fi cinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
Anand A. Zanwar , Sachin L. Badole, and Rashmi Saini
440 A.A. Zanwar et al.
Botanical Descriptions
Synonym : Phyllanthus emblica Linn.
Family : Euphorbiaceae
Habitat : Native to tropical Southeast Asia; distributed throughout India.
English : Emblic, Indian gooseberry
Ayurvedic : Aaamalaki, aaamalaka, dhaatri, kaayasthaa, amoghaa, amritaphala, amla, aaamalaa,
dhaatriphala, Vayasyaa, vrshya, shiva, hattha
Unani : Aamalaa, amlaj
Siddha/Tamil : Nellikkaai, nelli
Distribution : Tropical and subtropical countries
It fl owers during March–April and has an extended fruiting period from October to March. The
feathery leaves are linear-oblong, with a rounded base and obtuse or acute apex. Leaves are simple,
many sub-sessile, closely set along the branchlets, distichously light green having the appearance of
pinnate leaves [ 2 ] . Leaves measure about 1.8 × 0.5 cm which are closely set in pinnate fashion, making
the branches feathery in general appearance. Bark is thick (12 mm), shining grayish brown or grayish
green. The fruits are yellowish green (Fig. 40.1 : Photograph of E. of fi cinalis fruit), fl eshy, globose,
and shining and changed to light yellow or red-brick when mature. The average yield of wild trees
growing in the forests is 23.5 kg.
Cultivation and Collection
Indian gooseberry is quite hardy and it prefers a warm dry climate. It needs good sunlight and rainfall.
It can be grown in almost all types of soils, except very sandy type. The seeds are enclosed in a hard
seed coat which renders the germination dif fi cult. Seeds are soaked in water for 3–4 h and sown
on previously prepared seed beds and irrigated. Excess irrigation and water logging are harmful.
One-month-old seedlings can be transplanted to polythene bags and 1-year-old seedlings can be
planted in the main fi eld with the onset of monsoon. Pits of size 50 cm
3 are dug at 6–8 m spacing and
fi lled with a mixture of top soil and well-rotten planting is done. Irrigation and weeding are required
during the fi rst year. Application of organic manure and mulching every year are highly bene fi cial.
Fruit yield ranges from 30 to 50 kg/tree/year when fully grown [ 2 ] .
Fig. 40.1 Photograph of
Emblica of fi cinalis fruit,
fl eshy, globose, and shining
and changed to light yellow
or red-brick when mature
441
40 Role of Emblica officinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
The fruiting season is exceptionally long. The fruit in this area becomes fi t for harvesting in
December. They can be retained on the tree up to March without any signi fi cant loss in quality or yield.
The picking of fruits is generally done by the villagers in February and March. Indian gooseberry is
being cultivated on a large scale due to increase in demand.
Pharmacology and Phytochemistry of E. of fi cinalis
Traditionally, the fruit is useful as astringent, cardiotonic, diuretic, laxative, liver tonic, refrigerant,
stomachic, restorative, antipyretic, anti-in fl ammatory, hair tonic, and digestive medicine. It is used for
a variety of ailments such as anemia, hyperacidity, diarrhea, eye in fl ammation, anomalies of urine,
leucorrhea, jaundice, nervine debility, liver complaints, and cough [ 3 ] . The taste of Indian gooseberry
is sour, bitter, astringent, and is quite fi brous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt
water and turmeric to make the sour fruits palatable.
Seeds contain fi xed oil, phosphatides, and a small quantity of essential oil. The fi xed oil yields about
16% and has the following physical and chemical characteristics: acid value 12.7; saponi fi cation value
185; iodine value 139.5; acetyl value 2.03; unsaponi fi able matter 3.81%; sterol 2.70%; and saturated
fatty acid 7% [ 1 ] .
The E. of fi cinalis fruits are not good for fresh consumption because of astringency and acidic taste.
These fruits are used in huge quantities for making pickles and preserves, both in the villages and in
the towns. They are offered for sale in the towns for this purpose. The Indian gooseberry-fruits are
dried for making triphala. They are also used as a principal ingredient in making another famous
ayurvedic tonic, chyavanprash [ 2 ] .
The norsesquiterpenoid glycosides isolated from roots of Phyllanthus emblica include
4 ¢ -hydroxyphyllaemblicin B, phyllaemblicins E and F, phyllaemblic acid, phyllaemblicin B, and
phyllaemblicin C [ 4 ] .
There are different types of compounds which are responsible for antioxidant activity of
E. of fi cinalis. Emblica fruit contains vitamin C (478.56 mg/100 ml), and emblicanins A and B. The
medicinally important compounds such as ellagic acid, gallic acid, tannins, methyl gallate, corilagin,
furosin and geraniin were isolated from ethyl acetate extract of E. of fi cinalis and the potency of nitric
oxide scavenging activity was found to be in following manner: geraniin > corilagin > furosin > gallic
acid > methyl gallate [ 5 ] .
The total antioxidant capacity in terms of the ascorbic acid equivalents by cyclic voltammeter is
94 mg/g of E. of fi cinalis extract and total reactivity is 6.23 ± 0.15 × 10
−3 s −1 with diammonium salt
method [ 6 ] .
In the study of effect of E. of fi cinalis extract on lipid pro fi les and oxidative stress in the aging pro-
cess, the oral administration of ethyl acetate extract of E. of fi cinalis for 100 days to aged rats par-
tially prevented age-related increases in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the serum and liver. Oral
administration of E. of fi cinalis signi fi cantly inhibited the serum and hepatic mitochondrial thiobarbi-
turic acid-reactive substance levels in aged rats. These results indicate that E. of fi cinalis may prevent
age-related hyperlipidemia through attenuating oxidative stress in the aging process [ 7 ] .
E. of fi cinalis extracts on mature human osteoclasts suggest the possible use of this medicinal plant
as therapeutic tools against different forms of arthritis and osteoporosis, improving the activity of
already employed drugs [ 8 ] . E. of fi cinalis have antidiabetic and hypotriglyceridemic activity, do not
show any toxic effects, and improve liver function by normalizing the activity of liver-speci fi c enzyme
alanine transaminase [ 9 ] .
E. of fi cinalis can be used as an alternative/adjuvant drug in preventing and treating the extra pyra-
midal side effects of antipsychotic agents in clinical practice. It was shown that in addition to vitamin C,
other polyphenols like tannins and gallic acid may contribute to its effectiveness to reduce oxidative
stress and catalepsy [ 10 ] .
442 A.A. Zanwar et al.
Antibiotic activity against a wide variety of microorganisms—pathogenic and nonpathogenic
gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeast, and fungi—was also noted with fruits of
E. of fi cinalis [ 11 ] .
The administration of ethyl acetate extract of E. of fi cinalis reduced the elevated levels of serum
creatinine and urea nitrogen in the aged rats. In addition, the tail arterial blood pressure was markedly
elevated in aged control rats as compared with young rats, while the systolic blood pressure was
signi fi cantly decreased and signi fi cantly reduced thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels of
serum, renal homogenate, and mitochondria in aged rats. These results indicate that E. of fi cinalis is an
antioxidant for the prevention of age-related renal disease [ 12 ] .
Role of E. of fi cinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
Mitochondrial activity of human skin fi broblasts was measured by 2-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3-
(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2 H -tetrazolium (WST-8) assay for evaluation of cell prolifera-
tion. When fi broblasts were incubated with various concentrations (0–40 g/mL) of amla extract
(prepared by solvent extraction) for 48 h, elevation in the mitochondrial activity in a concentration-
dependent manner was observed. Amla extract when added to fi broblast culture media at varying
concentrations (0–40 mg/mL) and subjected to incubation for 48 h or to time course test (0, 24 and
48 h) at 20 mg/mL, the result indicated concentration-dependent manner effect of amla extract on
procollagen type I C-peptide production by human skin fi broblasts in culture. Also procollagen type I
C-peptide signi fi cantly increased by 36% at 20 mg/mL and by 17% at 40 mg/mL, as compared with the
non-treated control cells. In case of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), marked reduction was
observed in MMP-1 production in a dose-dependant manner as compared with the non-treated control
cells. On the other hand, MMP-2 levels did not change and hence amla extract has a number of poten-
tial cosmetic applications [ 13 ] .
Different types of formulations of E. of fi cinalis are used in different types of skin disorders treated
as per survey Assamese people in India. The extracted juice of E. of fi cinalis is mixed with sugar and
the mixture is orally taken for scabies. The fruits are orally taken for dry skin. The paste is applied
directly on the skin. The extracted juice is used for taking bath for wrinkled skin. The fruit and
Curcuma longa are together crushed and the juice produced is orally taken for measles. The juice
extracted from the fruit is mixed with citrus lemon juice and hot water. The obtained product is used
for washing the hairs in pediculosis [ 14 ] .
E. of fi cinalis enhances the fi broblast proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner and also
exhibits a highly signi fi cant photo-protective effect against UVB-induced cytotoxicity, thereby
suggestive of strong skin protective ability. E. of fi cinalis pretreatment signi fi cantly protects against
this loss in cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. E. of fi cinalis possess the potential
inhibitory effect on intracellular oxidative damage induced by UVB irradiation. The antioxidant
activities were associated with the improved cell viability which is due to increased cellular levels of
ROS lead to cellular damage and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the use
of antioxidants, protecting the cells from such cellular damage has been a good strategy for development
of photo-protective agents of cosmetic interests. E. of fi cinalis has also shown strong skin photo- protective
effects through its ability to quench ROS generated by UVB irradiation and thus preventing DNA
damage which is due to antioxidant activity related to UV protection (antiphoto-aging). E. of fi cinalis
has strong anti-hyaluronidase activity which suggests the increased hyaluronic acid, and is highly
bene fi cial for prevention of premature skin aging, i.e., wrinkle formation [ 15 ] .
443
40 Role of Emblica officinalis in Prevention of Skin Disease
Toxicity
Acute oral toxicity with PartySmart (containing E. of fi cinalis ) revealed that the LD
50 was greater than
2,000 mg/kg body weight. Repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity with PartySmart (1,000 mg/kg body
weight) revealed no clinical signs and preterminal deaths were observed. Body weights of male and
female rats in the PartySmart-treated groups were comparable with the control group. No change in
food intake was observed. Hematological and biochemical parameters were within normal range in all
the drug-treated groups. No gross abnormalities attributing to the drug toxicity were noticed in any
of the treated groups. There was no signi fi cant difference in the organ weight pro fi le of the animals in
the treated groups as compared to control. Histopathological examination of all target organs showed
no evidence of lesions attributing to drug toxicity. Repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity with PartySmart
revealed no adverse effect on the parameters evaluated, thereby indicating that PartySmart is devoid
of adverse effects with the doses employed [
16 ] .
In sub-acute toxicity study of Kalpaamruthaa (a modi fi ed indigenous formulation containing
E. of fi cinalis ) for 30 days revealed no toxicity up to a dose level of 500 mg/kg, body weight did not
cause any changes in biochemical and hematological changes, but transient rise in hemoglobin, leu-
kocyte count, free fatty acid, plasma, and urine creatinine and signi fi cant decrease in blood glucose,
triglyceride, and phospolipid level were observed [ 17 ] .
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