Evaluation of the Antioxidant, Photoprotective and Wound Healing Capacity of Guazuma ulmifolia lam. Extracts in L-929 Cells Exposed to UV-A and UV-B Irradiation

The UV irradiation causes the generation of reactive oxygen species in the skin that mediate oxidative damage, favoring photoaging and skin cancer. Photoaging can be mitigated with the use of plants with antioxidant capacity. This study sought to evaluate the photoprotection capacity of two extracts of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam., aqueous (G1) and acetonic (G2), on UV-A and UV-B irradiated L-929 cells, besides the wound healing capacity. In the antioxidant evaluation, it was found that the extracts have great antioxidant potential. In the irradiation tests, G2 increased cell viability by 19.99%. Furthermore, both extracts have shown wound healing capacity. There was a significant restoration of the superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymatic activity by G2 and through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS), two antioxidant compounds were identified: (epi)catechin and procyanidin. The results showed that the extracts are promising antioxidants, and may collaborate in wound healing, with emphasis to G2 which protected cells from UV-A irradiation.