Screening the Dermatological Potential of Peruvian Cañihua Oil (Chenopodium pallidicaule): Antioxidant Activity and Inhibitory Capacities over Collagenase and Elastase

Using oils from exotic and native vegetables is an important trend in cosmetics today. Some studies have shown that free saturated and unsaturated fatty acids can inhibit collagenase and elastase. Chenopodium pallidicaule, also known as "cañihua," is a plant whose seeds contain oil with both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and squalene. This study aimed to identify and quantify the fatty acids in Chenopodium pallidicaule seed oil and evaluate its antioxidant, anticollagenase, and antielastase properties. Fatty acids were identified and quantified using a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry technique. Antioxidant, anti-collagenase, and anti-elastase activity were determined using spectrophotometry with 96-well microplate reader methods at specific wavelengths. The main fatty acid was linoleic acid (46.66 ± 0.03%), followed by oleic acid (25.69 ± 0.02%), palmitic acid (15.20 ± 0.01%), and linolenic acid (5.31± 0.02%). The DPPH decolorization assay evidenced an IC50 of 112.06 ± 0.47 mg/mL, while the ABTS decolorization assay evidenced an IC50 of 78.9 ± 0.14 mg/mL. The anti-collagenase assay showed an IC50 of 42.87 ± 4.76 mg/mL, and the anti-elastase assay evidenced an IC50 of 244.2 ± 17.30 mg/mL. All these results indicate that Chenopodium pallidicaule seed oil has the potential for use in the development of dermo-cosmetics.