Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves

Abstract The outer leaves (OL) of Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage) are often discarded as agricultural waste despite their potential health benefits. This study evaluated the skin-whitening, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of cabbage OL extract (OLE) and compared them with tho...

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Main Authors: Hamin Lee, Kichan Kim, Kyungtae Park, Bo-Kook Jang, Ju-Sung Cho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03568-6
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author Hamin Lee
Kichan Kim
Kyungtae Park
Bo-Kook Jang
Ju-Sung Cho
author_facet Hamin Lee
Kichan Kim
Kyungtae Park
Bo-Kook Jang
Ju-Sung Cho
author_sort Hamin Lee
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The outer leaves (OL) of Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage) are often discarded as agricultural waste despite their potential health benefits. This study evaluated the skin-whitening, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of cabbage OL extract (OLE) and compared them with those of cabbage head extract (CHE). OLE exhibited significantly higher levels of total polyphenols, flavonoids, and glucosinolates than did CHE, leading to excellent radical scavenging activities. Additionally, OLE demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory activity by reducing nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Notably, tyrosinase inhibition activity of OLE reached 100.4% with respect to that of ascorbic acid, a well-known skin-whitening agent. Vitamin C and trace amounts of sulforaphane in OLE, which were absent in CHE, probably contributed to these effects. These findings suggest that cabbage OL, an agricultural byproduct, holds significant promise as a functional ingredient for health products and cosmetics, highlighting its potential for waste valorization.
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spelling doaj-art-499025c5739f44fcbff13d779ac40e752025-08-20T03:46:00ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-011511910.1038/s41598-025-03568-6Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leavesHamin Lee0Kichan Kim1Kyungtae Park2Bo-Kook Jang3Ju-Sung Cho4Division of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National UniversityDivision of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National UniversityDivision of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National UniversityDepartment of Horticulture, Sunchon National UniversityDivision of Animal, Horticultural and Food Sciences, Chungbuk National UniversityAbstract The outer leaves (OL) of Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage) are often discarded as agricultural waste despite their potential health benefits. This study evaluated the skin-whitening, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities of cabbage OL extract (OLE) and compared them with those of cabbage head extract (CHE). OLE exhibited significantly higher levels of total polyphenols, flavonoids, and glucosinolates than did CHE, leading to excellent radical scavenging activities. Additionally, OLE demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory activity by reducing nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Notably, tyrosinase inhibition activity of OLE reached 100.4% with respect to that of ascorbic acid, a well-known skin-whitening agent. Vitamin C and trace amounts of sulforaphane in OLE, which were absent in CHE, probably contributed to these effects. These findings suggest that cabbage OL, an agricultural byproduct, holds significant promise as a functional ingredient for health products and cosmetics, highlighting its potential for waste valorization.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03568-6Agricultural wasteErucinFunctional cosmetic materialsGlucosinolateSulforaphaneTyrosinase Inhibition activity
spellingShingle Hamin Lee
Kichan Kim
Kyungtae Park
Bo-Kook Jang
Ju-Sung Cho
Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves
Scientific Reports
Agricultural waste
Erucin
Functional cosmetic materials
Glucosinolate
Sulforaphane
Tyrosinase Inhibition activity
title Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves
title_full Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves
title_fullStr Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves
title_full_unstemmed Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves
title_short Skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves
title_sort skin whitening potential of extracts from discarded cabbage outer leaves
topic Agricultural waste
Erucin
Functional cosmetic materials
Glucosinolate
Sulforaphane
Tyrosinase Inhibition activity
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03568-6
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