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. 2014 Apr;10(Suppl 2):S392-403.
doi: 10.4103/0973-1296.133291.

In Vivo skin hydration and anti-erythema effects of Aloe vera, Aloe ferox and Aloe marlothii gel materials after single and multiple applications

Lizelle T Fox  1 , Jeanetta du Plessis  1 , Minja Gerber  1 , Sterna van Zyl  2 , Banie Boneschans  2 , Josias H Hamman  1
Affiliations

In Vivo skin hydration and anti-erythema effects of Aloe vera, Aloe ferox and Aloe marlothii gel materials after single and multiple applications

Lizelle T Fox et al. Pharmacogn Mag. 2014 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the skin hydrating and anti-erythema activity of gel materials from Aloe marlothii A. Berger and A. ferox Mill. in comparison to that of Aloe barbadensis Miller (Aloe vera) in healthy human volunteers.

Materials and methods: Aqueous solutions of the polisaccharidic fractions of the selected aloe leaf gel materials were applied to the volar forearm skin of female subjects. The hydration effect of the aloe gel materials were measured with a Corneometer(®) CM 825, Visioscan(®) VC 98 and Cutometer(®) dual MPA 580 after single and multiple applications. The Mexameter(®) MX 18 was used to determine the anti-erythema effects of the aloe material solutions on irritated skin areas.

Results: The A. vera and A. marlothii gel materials hydrated the skin after a single application, whereas the A. ferox gel material showed dehydration effects compared to the placebo. After multiple applications all the aloe materials exhibited dehydration effects on the skin. Mexameter(®) readings showed that A. vera and A. ferox have anti-erythema activity similar to that of the positive control group (i.e. hydrocortisone gel) after 6 days of treatment.

Conclusion: The polysaccharide component of the gel materials from selected aloe species has a dehydrating effect on the skin after multiple applications. Both A. vera and A. ferox gel materials showed potential to reduce erythema on the skin similar to that of hydrocortisone gel.

Keywords: Aloe ferox; Aloe marlothii; Aloe vera; Anti-erythema; herbs; skin hydration.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart to indicate enrollment, allocation, follow-up of volunteers and data analysis for the different studies (Adapted portions from CONSORT[17])
Figure 2
Figure 2
A typical skin deformation curve obtained with the Cutometer®, which is similar to previously reported curves[2425]
Figure 3
Figure 3
[1]H-NMR spectra of A. vera (a), A. marlothii (b) and A. ferox (c) precipitated gel materials
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percentage change measured by the Corneometer® (a) Visioscan® entropy (b) Visioscan® homogeneity (c) and the Visioscan® energy (d) measurements
Figure 5
Figure 5
Percentage change in skin hydration relative to initial conditions (T0) as measured with the Corneometer®
Figure 6
Figure 6
Percentage change relative to initial conditions (T0) as determined with the Visioscan® entropy (a) Visioscan® homogeneity (b) and the Visioscan® energy (c)
Figure 7
Figure 7
Percentage change relative to initial conditions (T0) for the Cutometer® R2 (a) Cutometer® R6 (b), Cutometer® R7 (c) and the Cutometer® R8 (d)
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