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Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
38
Quality, safety and activity of an ointment formulated from Butyrospermum parkii
and Ricinus communis oils on rabbits hair growth
KPOROU Kouassi Elisée 1,*, OUATTARA Sitapha2, GBOGBO Moussa1, GOUEDJI Yabo Parfait1, KRA Adou Koffi
Mathieu2 and DJAMAN Allico Joseph2,3.
1 Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Research Unit of Bioactive Natural Substances, Jean Lorougnon Guede
University, Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire.
2 Biology and Health Laboratory, Felix Houphouët-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
3 Medical and fundamental Biochemistry, Pasteur Institute/Company, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Date de réception : 30 Septembre 2021; Date de révision : 23 Octobre 2021; Date d’acceptation : 27 Octobre 2021
Abstract:
Hair loss is a dermatologic disorder, and the surge for discovering natural products anti hair loss with less side effects is continuous.
This study aimed to promote hair growth of a safety ointment on rabbits. The ointment was formulated by a mixture of oils of
Ricinus communis as active and Butyrospermum parkii as an excipient, two species well known for their uses in hair maintenance.
Eight healthy, male and female rabbits weighting 1.5-1.8 kg were divided in four groups. The ointment was applied to the rabbits
previously shaved on the flank area at the rate of twice treatments daily for 28 days. Hair length was measured each two days while
the hair mass was assessed on day 29. In addition, quality of this ointment was evaluated by specific microbiological control, stability
by observation of some appearance parameters along the experiment and safety by in vivo skin irritation test. PKR ointment with
yellowish color obtained had an excellent consistency, was homogeneous, with an interesting odor and pH= 4.1. After 28 days of
ointment application, results showed for the male a cumulative growth length round to 20 mm i.e. average daily growth of 0.714
mm/day against 15.5 mm i.e. average daily growth of 0.553 mm/day for female. On Day 29, hair mass also increased in treated
groups. The ointment did not show any microbial contamination, it remained stable over time with a good pH and non irritative.
The ointment could be used as potential topical formulation hair grower in replace to synthetic cosmetics.
Keywords: Ointment, PKR, Formulation, Vegetable oils.
Qualité, sécurité et activité d'une pommade formulée à partir des huiles de Butyrospermum
parkii et Ricinus communis sur la croissance des poils chez le lapin.
Résumé :
La chute des cheveux est un trouble dermatologique pour lequel la recherche sur des produits naturels avec des effets supportables
est continue. Cette étude vise à promouvoir une pommade de qualité pour la croissance des poils chez les lapins. La pommade a été
formulée par un mélange des huiles de Ricinus communis comme actif et de Butyrospermum parkii comme excipient, deux espèces
bien connues pour leurs utilisations dans l'entretien des cheveux. Huit lapins sains, mâles et femelles, pesant entre 1,5 et 1,8 kg ont
été répartis en 4 groupes. La pommade a été appliquée deux fois par jour sur les lapins préalablement rasés sur les flancs pendant 28
jours. La longueur des poils a été mesurée tous les deux jours tandis que la masse des poils a été évaluée au 29ème jour. Les tests de
contrôle microbiologique, de stabilité et d'innocuité ont été également réalisés. La pommade jaunâtre de pH= 4,1 présentait une
excellente consistance, une bonne homogénéité et une agréable odeur. Après 28 jours, les résultats ont montré pour le mâle une
longueur de croissance cumulée de 20 mm soit une croissance journalière moyenne de 0,714 mm/jour contre 15,5 mm soit une
croissance journalière moyenne de 0,553 mm/jour pour la femelle. Au jour 29, la masse des poils a également augmenté dans les
groupes traités. La pommade n'a montré aucune contamination microbienne, elle est restée stable avec un bon pH et était non
irritant.
Cette pommade pourrait être utilisée comme potentiel produit capillaire en remplacement des cosmétiques synthétiques.
Key words: Pommade, PKR, Formulation, Huiles végétales.
Introduction
Hair is one of the vital parts of the body
considered to be protective and esthetic on the
body (Melanie, 2016). Today, many people still
suffer from distress condition due to hair loss,
thinning, baldness and pre-mature graying
among younger generation. Hair loss affects
millions of people worldwide in framing their
personality and general appearance of an
individual. This leads to significant psychosocial
manifestation which may cost additional
expenses on hair treatments. In the era of hair
care technology, synthetic cosmetic products
were developed to solve the problem of hair loss.
However, there is a greater risk of side effects
such as headache, irritation, hypertrichosis and
sexual health problems (Semalty et al., 2011).
These unsupportable side effects encouraged
scientists to research new hair grower products
------------
(*) Correspondance : Kporou K. E. ; e-mail : elykoua@yahoo.fr ; tél. : (+225) 07 48 71 32 65.
Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
39
which will be safe and gentle to use on hair
without the harsh side effects caused by synthetic
available hair growers. In traditional system of
medicine, many plants such as Persea americana,
Aloe vera, Peperomia pellucida, Zizyphus jujuba, etc.
and herbal formulations are reported for hair
growth promotion but lack of sound scientific
backing and information limits their use (Ake-
Assi, 1984; Rathi et al., 2008).
In the last decade there has been a lot of
pharmacological research on the hair-growth
promoting activities of plant extracts using test
animals and even man (Adhirajan et al., 2001).
Herbal cosmetics were very developed in the
world market in the goal to stop hair loss and to
enhance hair growth. Adding herbs in cosmetics
is safer for our skin. They provide numerous
essential nutrients such as vitamins,
carbohydrates, flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins
and phytosterols, which were required to
maintain normal functions of the sebaceous
gland and promote natural hair growth (Cho et
al., 2014; Agrawal & Singh, 2017). In this field,
there is interesting results of research works; for
instance herbal topical formulation containing
crude corms extract of pisang kepok (Musa
balbisiana) significantly increases the hairs length
and mass of rabbits in comparison to the normal
and negative control (Mashuri et al., 2017).
Formulation containing extract of Hibiscus rosa
sinensis, Calotropis gigantea and the combination
of both plants extracts reported to show better
hair-growth acitivitie (Pathan et al, 2012).
Pumpkin seed oil extracted from Cucurbita pepo
L. reported to increase mean hair count up to
40% at 24 weeks in men suffer from androgenetic
alopecia (Cho et al., 2014).
In addition to the above mentioned plants, there
are numerous vegetables oils known to be
utilized in ivorian folk medicine as hair
maintenance and growth, such as Ricinus
communis L. and Butyrospermum parkii (G. Don)
Kotschyi (Ake-Assi, 1984; Kamanzi, 2002). These
oils were also reported to be used as analgesic,
anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant
activities (Lewis, 1986; Aslania, 2007; Dumeignil,
2012).
The present work was aimed to prepare and
evaluate an ointment for hair growth containing
Ricinus communis and Butyrospermum parkii oils in
rabbits.
Materials and Methods
1. Matérial
- Plant material:
Caspsules from Ricinus communis L.
(Euphorbiaceae) identified by a botanist of our
unit were collected from Daloa (Côte d'Ivoire)
and shea butter from Butyrospermum parkii
obtained from Korhogo market (Côte d’Ivoire).
Materials were collected from July 2019- to
September 2019.
- Animal:
Eight (8) healthy rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
aged 5 months old weighting 1.5-1.8 kg were
used for the study of efficacy of the ointment.
Rabbits were provided by the pet shop of
Bioactive Natural Substances Unit of Jean
Lorougnon Guede University. Both during the
acclimation period (7 days) and throughout the
treatment, the animals were individually housed
in a room with natural light cycle with the
temperature range of 20°C – 25°C, humidity
monitored 45%-65% environment and fed with
normal diet and water ad libitum. All experiments
performed on animals followed the standard
operation recommended by National Ethic and
Research committee (NERC) during a workshop
in 2010 (CSRS, 2010).
2. Methods
- Ricinus communis oil extraction:
Oil extraction was performed according to the
traditional method described by Oluwole et al.
(2012). Ricinus communis capsules were collected
and were dried in a dark ventilated room for 7
days. Then, the seeds were isolated, washed and
crushed into a paste. A quantity of 250 g of the
paste was boiled in 2 L of water at 100 °C for 2
hours. After this boiling time, oil appeared on the
surface of the water, and it was collected in
graduated eppendorffs in order to quantify the
volume of oil.
- Shea butter oil from Butyrospermum parkii:
A quantity of 150 g shea butter (Butyrospermum
parkii) was melted completely into oil at 40 °C
under a hot plate.
- Ointment formulation:
The ointment was formulated with Ricinus
communis vegetable oil (castor oil) as an active
ingredient and shea butter oil as an excipient. For
the formulation, castor oil was incorporated into
shea butter oil in order to obtain an
homogeneous phase. The homogeneous mixture
obtained was distributed directly into 150 mL
plastic container. Then, these containers were left
Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
40
to stand at a temperature below 25 °C until their
solidification.
Formulation PKR ointment: X% shea butter oil + Y% castor oil.
The parameters X and Y represented the proportions by
volume of each vegetable oil.
- Evaluation of PKR ointment formulation:
The physical appearance was visually checked
for the colour, odour, homogeneity and
consistency as per the methods mentioned earlier
in evaluation for Herbal hair formulations
(Adhirajan et al., 2001; Rathi et al., 2008). The pH
was detected using pH meter (HANNA HI 8010,
USA).
- Microbiological control of PKR ointment:
Microbial control was carried out in the goal to
examinate safety of the ointment PKR.
Microbiological analysis was achieved according
to method based on normalized process from 3
samples of the ointment (FAD, 2014, Jwel et al.,
2014).
To enumerate total viable bacteria (TVB) and
fungal count, ten grams of the ointment were
homogeneously mixed with 90 mL of buffer
peptone water (BPW), and serial dilutions were
prepared up to 10-2 following the standard
protocols. An aliquot of 0.1 mL of each
suspension from the dilution 10-2 was spread
onto nutrient agar (NA) plate to enumerate the
total bacteria and on Sabouraud +
Chloroamphenicol (SC) plate for the estimation
of fungal load. Then, the NA plate and SC plates
were incubated at 37 °C for 24 hours and at 25 °C
for 72 hours, respectively (Jwel et al., 2014).
To enumerate specific pathogens, 0.1 mL from
the dilution of 10-2 of the sample was spread
onto Violet Red Bile Lactose Agar (VRBL), Rapid
E. coli 2, Baird Parker and BEA Bile-Esculine-
Azide (BEA) for the enumeration of total
coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., and
Streptococcus spp. consecutively. All the plates
were incubated at 37 °C for 24 hours (Jwel et al.,
2014).
Number of microorganisms present in a sample
of the ointment was obtained by the formula
described by AFNOR (2001). The number of
germs per mL or g of sample was calculated for
each germ, then compared to the normative
reference of the microbiological criteria for herbal
medicinal products from FAD (2014).
- Primary skin irritation assay of PKR ointment
in rabbits:
A primary skin irritation test was conducted on
rabbits to determine the potential for PKR
ointment to produce an irritation after a single
topical application. Two rabbits, male and non-
pregnant female Oryctolagus cuniculus weighing
between 1.5 kg and 1.8 kg, were allowed free
access to water and food. Two areas of flanks
(left and right) measuring 25 cm2 each one of
rabbits were shaved. Five-tenths of a gram of the
ointment was applied at the right side and the
excipient (Shea butter) as negative control at the
left side on each rabbit (OECD, 2017; Nor zafirah
et al., 2020). Four test areas (Two on the right side
and two on the left side) were marked for the
test, then animals were acclimatized at least 5
days before the tests. Each rabbit was housed in
an individual cage in a temperature‑controlled
(20–25°C) and humidity‑monitored (45–65 %)
environment. On the day of dosing, but prior to
application, the animals were examined for
health and the skin checked for any
abnormalities. No pre-existing skin irritations
were observed. After application, the pad and
entire trunk of each animal were then secured
with semi-occlusive micropore tape to avoid
dislocation of the pad and rabbits were returned
to their designated cages. After 30-60 min, 24 h
and 72 h of exposure to ointment, the pads were
removed and individual dose sites were scored
according to Draize with scoring system for
dermal reactions (Nair et al., 2010; Nor Zafirah et
al., 2020).
- Shelf life control of the ointment PKR:
Six samples of formulated ointment were stored
in different temperature conditions (room
temperature 25 °C, 30 °C, 45°C), opened, handled
and hermetically closed in the goal to follow their
degradation for 28 days. Every week, the samples
were observed for drug decomposition by
physical analysis of odour, colour, consistency
and homogeneity according methods describes
by Adhirajan et al., 2001. However, the sample
hermetically closed was observed only D28.
- Evaluation of PKR ointment activity on hair
growth in rabbits:
Test was carried out on 4 males and 4 females of
rabbits. Animals were divided into 4 groups: 2
test groups including Test Male (Group A: 2
males) and Test Female (Group B: 2 females) then
2 control groups including Male control (Group
C: 2 males) and Female control (Group D: 2
females). Twenty-four hours (24 h) before the
ointment application, the right flank of rabbits
were shaved by electric pet clipper on an area of
25 cm2, on where the ointment PKR was applied
without irritating the skin. Immediately, the site
was occluded by placing sterile gauze flats. A
quantity of 0.5 g PKR ointment was administered
Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
41
topically on the animal shaved skin of the test
groups, twice a day (morning and afternoon), for
28 days according to the method described by
Mohammad et al. (2017). Every 2 days, from each
treated area was taken randomly 10 hairs, then
the length of each hair was measured using
caliper and the mean of hair length was
calculated (Mashuri et al., 2017). On day 29, all
hairs in the treated area and control were taken
and weighed using a digital microbalance and
expressed in milligram. From data collected,
curves of the cumulative rabbit's hair growth
were made. All these experiments were carried
out within the research unit on Natural Bioactive
Substances according to the guidelines of the
National Ethics and Research Committee (NERC)
of Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS, 2010).
- Statistical analysis:
The data were described as mean ± Standard
Error (SE). One-way ANOVA and Least
Significant Difference (LSD) test were used to
determine the statistical significance (p < 0.05) of
the differences between values of various
experimental and control groups.
Results and Discussion
- Extraction yield and ointment formulation:
Extraction yield of castor oil from the method
described above was evaluated at 8.45% for a
volume of 24 mL from 250 g of castor seeds. This
method would therefore not be suitable for a
good extraction of castor oil. Indeed, according to
Dumeignil (2012), castor seeds contain 50 to 70 %
oil. In addition, Guergour (2011) obtained an
extraction yield of 30% with the extraction
process using the Soxhlet apparatus. The low
yield of 8.45 % obtained with the boiling method
would due to the very high viscosity of castor oil,
making it to be the densest vegetable oil
(Dumeignil, 2012).
- Evaluation of PKR ointment formulation:
Formulation adopted for PKR ointment was as
follows: X% shea butter oil + Y% castor oil, where X
and Y are quantities of each oil expressed in
percentage. In the goal to request later a patent
for this formulation, values X and Y were not
indicated.
Physical appearance for this formulation were
collected in Table I. In terms of physical analysis,
PKR ointment exhibited good macroscopic
qualities. It was homogeneous with a pleasant
odor of shea butter. These data suggested that
the proportions X and Y retained for the
formulation of the ointment were well chosen.
Table I: Description of appearance of PKR ointment quality.
Parameters
PKR ointment
Color
Yellowish
Odour
Pleasant
Consistency
Excellent
Homogeneity
Good
In addition, shea butter is the preferred excipient
for formulating ointments because it releases the
active compounds better (Semde, 2003; Toé,
2004). Considering parameters obtained, PKR
ointment showed significant physical parameters
evaluation as cited by Adhirajan et al. (2001). The
subjective properties such as consistency and
homogeneity were good. The pH value of the
ointment was evaluated at 4.1 at room
temperature (Fig 1). This suggested that the
ointment was compatible to cosmetic use because
it’s closer to skin pH which is 4.5 (Semdé, 2003;
Toé, 2004). Therefore, PKR ointment could not
interfere with the physiology of skin. After
formulation, pH of PKR ointment was also closer
to the components. This would mean that oils
mixture didn’t increase or decrease significantly
pH. This showed that there wasn’t additional
compound produced from this mixture and the
original components still stable.
- Primary skin irritation of PKR ointment in
rabbits:
Under the experimental conditions, PKR
ointment was not irritating (Table II). This result
showed this ointment was safety for skin. This
skin tolerance in rabbits would indicate that PKR
ointment was not irritating to the skin; this could
be explained by the fact that shea butter
(excipient) was not aggressive for the skin, as
was castor oil (Alsania et al., 2007; Toe, 2007).
- PKR ointment safety:
The microbiological analysis carried out on the
samples of the PKR ointment did not show any
presence of the targeted germs, namely yeasts
and molds, total coliform, Escherichia coli,
Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus.
Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
42
Fig. 1: pH values of components and PKR ointment.
Table II: Skin irritation scores in rabbits after exposure to Negative control and PKR ointment.
Rabbits
Negative Control
PKR Ointment
Erythema
Edema
Erythema
Edema
24 h
72h
24 h
72h
24h
72h
24h
72h
Male
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Female
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
This result suggested the formulation of the
ointment was made in Good Manufacturing
Pactices (GMP) by compliance with the hygiene
measures adopted. The acidity of PKR ointment
could limit the microbial proliferation, because
the growth of most microorganisms was slowed
down when the pH is below 4.2 (FAD, 2014).
- PKR ointment shelf life:
Beyond a temperature above 30°C, PKR ointment
became unstable and began to melt. The
observations carried out on different days on
PKR, left open, handled and hermetically closed
showed that the color, the odor, the consistency
and homogeneity remained unchanged Table III.
The physical parameters evaluated indicated that
preparation was physically stable at
temperatures inferior to 30 °C.
- Efficacy of PKR ointment on hair growth on
rabbits:
The choice of Ricinus communis and
Butyrospermum parkii species was justified by
their use in some local communities for their
different needs for well-being, food and
aesthetics. Indeed, the butter from the seeds of B.
parkii is known in West Africa particularly for its
many benefits in food, cosmetics and therapy
(Lewis, 1986; Aslania, 2007, Dumeignil, 2012). As
for the oil of R. communis, it enters in the
preparation of several cosmetic proposals and is
widely used locally to reinforce the shine of the
hair (Maroyi et al., 2007; Olowule et al., 2012).
For this study, the animal model was rabbits
because they are phylogenetically closer to
humans and this avoids carrying out these tests
on humans for ethical considerations (Kamanzi,
2002).
Prominent hair growth initiation response was
observed on 10th day (D10) after applying PKR
ointment to Test male group (A) and Test Female
Group B in comparison to control groups (C and
D). Fig. 2 showed comparative effect on hair
growth response in rabbits for a 28-day period
with the different groups. Group B (Test male)
had the longest mean hair growth after 28 days
which is 20 mm. The group B (Test female)
attained 15.50 mm mean hair length. In Fig 2, on
D28, hair length mean on rabbits control male
(Group C) was 11 mm against 8 mm for hair
length mean on control female (Group D). This
demonstrated that naturally hair growed fatser
on male rabbits than female rabbits.
Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
43
Table III: Ointment PKR shelf life.
Days
Macroscopic
parameters
PKR
Open
Handled
Hermetically
Closed
D0
Colour
Yellowish
Yellowish
_
Odour
Pleasant
Pleasant
Consistency
Excellent
Excellent
Homogeneity
Good
Good
D7
Colour
Yellowish
Yellowish
_
Odour
Pleasant
Pleasant
Consistency
Excellent
Excellent
Homogeneity
Good
Good
D14
Colour
Yellowish
Yellowish
_
Odour
Pleasant
Pleasant
Consistency
Excellent
Excellent
Homogeneity
Good
Good
D28
Colour
Yellowish
Yellowish
Yellowish
Odour
Pleasant
Pleasant
Pleasant
Consistency
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Homogeneity
Good
Good
Good
0
5
10
15
20
25
D0 D2 D4 D6 D8 D10 D12 D14 D16 D18 D20 D22 D24 D26 D28
Rabbits hair growth length (mm)
Days
Test Male (Group A) Control Female (Group D)
Control Male Group C) Test Female (Group B)
Fig. 2: Effect of PKR ointment on a cumulative rabbit’s hair growth length during 28 days experiment.
Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
44
Tables IV and V present descriptive and
analytical data of the effect of PKR ointment
treatment on rabbit hairs daily growth and mass
after 28 days of application. The one-way
ANOVA results in F= 7.286 for Table IV and F=
105.25 for Table V at P< 0.05. LSD test on the
mean values between groups for the data in these
tables suggest that PKR ointment significantly
increase the animal hairs length and mass in
comparison to the control.
Hair growth rate in rabbits male treated with
ointment PKR (Group A) is highest with
0.714±0.009 mm/day during the 28th day against
0.553±0.006 mm/day for rabbits female treated
(Table IV).
Table IV: Daily hair growth length in rabbits.
Groups
Daily growth (mm/day)
Mean±SE
(mm/day)
1
2
Group A Test Male
0.725
0.703
0.714±0.009a
Group B Test Female
0.512
0.594
0.553±0.006b
Group C Control Male
0.402
0.382
0.392±0.025c
Group D Control Female
0.298
0.272
0.285±0.015d
Mean±SE values followed by the different superscript are differ at α =0.05. Group A (Test Male) and
Group B (Test Female) are shaved skin treated with PKR ointment; whereas Group C (Control Male) and
Group D (Control female) are the shaved skin without treating with PKR ointment.
Table V: Rabbits hair mass in shaved skin area on Day 29.
Groups
Hair mass of rabbits (mg)
Mean±SE
1
2
Group A Test Male
43.7
45.5
44.25±0.022a
Group B Test Female
41.9
41.6
41.75±0.051b
Group C Control Male
39.8
39.5
39.65±0.015c
Group D Control Female
40.5
40.3
40.40±0.003d
Mean±SE values followed by the different superscript are differ at α =0.05. Group A (Test Male) and
Group B (Test Female) are shaved skin treated with PKR ointment; whereas Group C (Control Male) and
Group D (Control female) are the shaved skin without treating with PKR ointment.
This result suggested that PKR ointment
increased hair growth rate nearly twice times
per day in comparison to male control
(0.392±0.025 mm/day) and female control
(0.285±0.015 mm/day).On the Day 29, the weight
of newly grown hairs in all the treated groups
were measured and compared with that of the
control group. Also, It was found that hair mass
was higher for the male treated group A
(44.25±0.022 mg) than female treated group B
(41.75±0.051 mg) as shown in the Table V.
In addition, in comparison to control groups,
PKR ointment showed an increase on hair mass
of the rabbits male treated (44.25±0.022 mg) and
female treated (41.75±0.051 mg) against control
male (39.65±0.015 mg) and control female
(40.40±0.003) (Table V). It demonstrated that the
application of the ointment influenced probably
hair density on rabbits and this ointment was
effective as a potent hair grower.
PKR ointment had a stronger promoting hair
growth in male rabbits than female rabbit. The
effect of this ointment on hair growth in male
rabbits could be explained by the presence of
omega 9 in the composition of castor oils. Omega
9 are monounsaturated fatty acids with a double
bond in the C9 position, and possess hair growth
promoting activity by strengthening hair
structure and the capillary wall of smaller blood
vessels supplying hair follicles, improve blood
circulation to nourish the hair follicles and
thereby promote the hair growth (Mboui, 2003,
Maroyi, 2007). In addition, castor oil contained
85% glycerids, including the main fatty acid;
Ricinoleic acid (90%) which is an omega 9
(Dumeignil, 2012). Considering the particular
chemical composition of shea butter (excipient)
which is known to easily release the active
compounds of the preparations in which it is
included (Toe, 2007). The effectiveness of this
ointment in male rabbits may suggest its use to
prevent pre-mature graying among younger
men.
This study evidently showed positive promotion
effects of vegetables oils as ointment on the hair
growth in rabbits. Vegetables oils, as indicated by
Kporou K.E. et al, Revue RAMReS – Série Pharm. Méd. Trad. Afr., 2021 ; 20(1) : 38-46. ISSN 2630-1296
45
many authors, contained majority or at least
some of the phytochemicals that were found to
show hair growth promoting activities. Semwal
et al. (2011) stated there are more than ten
substances suspected effect on hair growth,
including saponin, alkaloids, ecliptine, wedelic
acid, lauric and myristic acids, luteolin,
triterpine, glycosides, β- sitosterol,
hentriacontanol, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron
calcium oxalic, malic acid; α pinene, β pinene,
fatty acid, sterol compounds, polyphenols,
steroids, volatile oil and essential oil.
Moreover, according to Begum et al. (2014), hair
growth is coordinated by hormones and It
commands the follicle to undergo appropriate
changes during this process. The hormone
androgens may cause stimulation of hair growth.
This process is followed by a specific cyclic order
and characterized by anagen (growth phase),
catagen (regression), and telogen (resting phase).
The PKR ointment contained probably
compounds that act like the hormonal activity.
In vitro study revealed that vegetable oils used
for this ointment formulation had direct impact
on hair follicles and thus may improve the hair
growth. It is expected that several fatty acids, e.g.
palmitic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic
acids, as well as mixture of these acids showed a
significant anti-androgenic effect owing to their
testosterone 5-α-reductase inhibitory activity
(Yoon et al., 2010; Jain et al., 2012)
Data of the study provide a significant
contribution to the pharmaceutical science,
particularly in the field of hair care. It opens the
insight that in nature there are too many plants
which could potentially be used as alternative
ingredients for enhancing hair growth, including
vegetable oils.
Conclusion
The species of Ricinus communis and
Butyrospermum parkii have made it possible to
formulate from their vegetable oils an ointment
which promote hair growth in male rabbits and
would not be irritating. This ointment was very
homogeneous with very good physical
parameters. The effectiveness of this ointment
suggests that its application could be extended to
humans in order to prevent early hair loss. To do
this, additional studies including methods of
optimizing its activity against some germs
responsible for diseases of the scalp and clinical
trials should be carried out.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The
authors alone are responsible for the content and
writing of the paper.
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