ANTIOXIDANT COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF USING THEM

Abstract: Antioxidant compositions and methods are disclosed that are prepared by the extraction of natural antioxidants from plant substrates.

Description: This invention relates to novel compositions, substances and methods that may be used for cosmetics, food preservation or therapeutic purposes. The use of specific materials to inhibit or prevent oxidative degradation of natural or synthetic materials is well known. Many of the materials utilized for this purpose are insoluble in water and toxic to mammals at both high and low levels. Examples of such materials are BHA (butylated hydroxy anisole); BHT (butylated hydroxy toluene); propyl gallate; and alpha-tocopherol. It is known that natural antioxidants are widely distributed in plant tissues. Certain of these antioxidants have been obtained in crude form and have been shown to have an effect on commercial soybean lipoxygenase [J. Food Science, 36: 571 (1971)]. Japanese patent application SHO 58-42686 discloses an alkali-organic solvent extraction process for obtaining an antioxidant from white pepper powder. The Polish publication Medycyna Weterynaryjna 28: 430-433 describes the extraction with boiling distilled water of dried hay or Urtica. The resulting extract was used as an antioxidant for fish meal; it is stated that the extract may be stored until use for not more than 48 hours at 4°C. The applicants have described in the parent application, antioxidants which are stable under ambient conditions for extended periods, and which may be obtained by water extraction of plant tissues, and that such antioxidants are absorbed percutaneously, and exert an antioxidant effect on the outer and inner layers of the skin. These effects are advantageously obtained when the antioxidant is applied to the skin as a dispersion in a hydrophilic or hydrophobic base. The cosmetic result of the application of the antioxidant comprises a softening of the skin which is detectable by touching with the fingertips. In addition, it was found that the peroxide level of the skin is reduced by application of the antioxidants and that the antioxidants may also be utilized for the preservation of food in place of, for example, BHT or BHA. The particular plant tissues (e.g. the leaves) mentioned in the parent application, from which the water-soluble antioxidants were extractable, were Spinacia ( Spinacia oleracea : spinach), Trifolium (clover), Medicago ( Medicago sativa : alfalfa), Zea ( Zea mays : corn), Nicotiana ( Nicotiana tabacum : tabacco), Pennisetum and Allium (onion and garlic). In accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that other specific species may also be used as a source of the antioxidants. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises compositions and methods which relate to water soluble antioxidants, derived from plant tissues, which are capable of being absorbed into mammalian skin where they reduce the peroxide level. The antioxidants may also be used for food preservation and for therapeutic purposes. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide antioxidant materials prepared from hitherto undisclosed sources, as well as a process for preparing such substances. It is still a further important object of the invention to provide a cosmetic composition and methods which may be used for application to the skin. It is also an object of the invention to provide a composition that may be absorbed through the skin to provide an antioxidant effect. It is a further object of the invention to provide compositions and methods for therapeutic purposes. It is yet a further object of the invention to provide compositions and methods for preventing oxidation in foods. Other objects of the invention will appear from the description which follows. According to the invention, there is provided a skin-oxidation-preventing cosmetic composition comprising a cosmetically acceptable carrier and, as the active skin-oxidation-preventing agent, at least one of the coloured antioxidant active fractions which are chromatographically separated, by purification with dextran cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and having a pore-size of from 40 um to 50 um, or with DEAE cellulose, as the chromatographic column packing, from an aqueous vegetable extract obtained at a temperature of from 4°C to 100°C, preferably at 25°C, by comminuting, in the presence of water, vegetable tissues of a plant selected from the species Atriplex hortensis and Tetragonia expansa. Atriplex hortensis belongs to the botanical family Chenopodiaceae of the order Chenopodiales, and is commonly known as "Mountain spinach" or "Orach", whereas Tetragonia expansa belongs to the botanical family Aizoaceae, again of the order Chenopodiales, and is commonly known as "New Zealand spinach". The purified vegetable extracts obtained according to the invention from these two plant species are antioxidants, are stable for an extended period of time, at least in the dry state, at ambient temperature and pressure, are absorbed by the skin and lower the peroxide level of the skin. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a chart which shows the synergistic results of the use of selected antioxidant fractions. Fig. 2 shows a graphical comparison of the antioxidant effect of the composition of the invention with BHT. Fig. 3 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction A of the invention, isolated from spinach. Fig. 4 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction B of the invention, isolated from spinach. Fig. 5 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction C of the invention, isolated from spinach. Fig. 6 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction C₁ of the invention, isolated from spinach. Fig. 7 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction A₁ of the invention, isolated from spinach. Fig. 8 shows an interest curve of the antioxidant fraction A of the invention, isolated from clover. Fig. 9 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction B of the invention, isolated from clover. Fig. 10 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction C of the invention, isolated from clover. Fig. 11 shows an infrared curve of the antioxidant fraction A₁ of the invention, isolated from clover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides cosmetic compositions for application to the skin. These compositions comprise a cosmetically acceptable carrier and an effective amount of a water soluble extract, from plant tissue such as plant leaves and stems, which is capable of being absorbed through the skin and lowering the peroxide level of the skin. The plants which were especially utilized in the parent application as a source of the water soluble extract included the plant tissues of selected species such as the stems and green leaves selected from the group consisting of Spinacia, Trifolium, Medicago, Zea, Nicotiana, Pennisetum and Allium. On the other hand, the present invention uses plant tissues obtained from members of the plant order Chenopodiales (as defined herein). The antioxidant effect is determined by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test. This test is described in Food Res. 23: 620 (1958). Generally, the level of peroxide in the skin may be determined by assay of a sample of untreated skin which is peeled from a test animal. A preweighed sample from 10 to 50 mg. is homogenized in 0.2M phosphate buffer pH 6.5 and centrifuged. The supernatant is collected and the peroxide level is determined using the TBA test. A sample of the skin from the same animal which has been treated with the antioxidant according to the invention is also peeled and the peroxide level is determined. A reduction in the peroxide level of about 35%, when an antioxidant according to the invention is applied at 0.5% w/w dispersion in a petrolatum base, is the criterion for determining if a given plant extract is a useful antioxidant. The cosmetically acceptable carrier may be any liquid or semisolid type of material that is compatible with the plant extract and non-irritating to the skin. The antioxidant may be extracted from plant material using a plant to water ratio in the range of 0.5:100 to 1.0:0.5 (w/v), preferably 2:1 (w/v), after comminution of the plant material. This may be carried out at temperatures within the range of 4° to 100°C, preferably at about 25°C, using a blender, grinder or any other type of apparatus which will fragment the cell walls. A especially preferred extraction process comprises boiling the whole plant leaves in water for 30-90 minutes or longer. The extracted plant material is separated using filtration, centrifugation, decantation, froth flotation, or any other conventional method used for separating a solid from a liquid. The crude antioxidant may be used as obtained from the plant, either in dilute form or as an aqueous mixture or as a purified extract. Generally, it is preferred to separate the aqueous extracting medium from the dissolved antioxidant by evaporation or lyophilization of the liquid portion to provide a dry, water soluble antioxidant. The crude extract may be purified using chromatographic techniques. Generally, the powder is dissolved in water to form a 10 to 30% w/w solution which is applied to the top of the column and is allowed to move through the column. The various fractions are eluted using water as washing medium and the various fractions are separately collected. The individual fractions may be further purified by a second chromatographic procedure using a packing medium having a smaller pore size than in the preceding step. Sephadex G-25 may be utilized as a chromatographic column separation medium to resolve the crude extract from spinach into a brown fraction, a yellow fraction and an orange fraction. The orange fraction may be extracted with water and further separated chromatographically using a Sephadex G-10 column. Sephadex G-25, medium grade, is dextran that has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore size of 50-150 um. Sephadex G-10 is dextran that has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore size of 40-120 um. Thin layer chromatography is utilized to separate a yellow fraction from the orange fraction. The Sephadex materials are described in Gell Filtration Theory and Practice, Pharmacia pp. 1-64, which is incorporated by reference. The applicants have isolated several different active antioxidant fractions, which may be used separately or in combination. Several of the combined fractions have been shown to have higher activity than the crude fraction. The relative amounts of the brown, orange and yellow fractions may be varied to give optimum results. Generally, any two fractions may be used at weight ratios of 1:99 to 99:1, based on the total weight of the combined fractions. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to combine together more than two fractions. For cosmetic use, the total amount of antioxidant that may be used may vary from 0.005 to 5% preferably from 0.1 to 1%, by weight, of the total weight of the product. The nature of the cosmetic base is not critical and any suitable cosmetic cream or lotion may be utilized. The antioxidant may be used in lipstick, face cream, body lotion, moisture creams, burn remedies containing local anaesthetics such as 1% benzocaine and the like. The antioxidant has a protective effect against damage to the skin that is induced by ultraviolet light having a frequency in the range of 200-340 nm. Therefore, the antioxidant may be applied to the skin, to prevent damage caused by radiation from natural sources such as the sun, or from artificial sources, either alone or in combination with sunscreen agents such as PABA. When foods are preserved with the antioxidants of the invention, an amount of the latter effective to prevent oxidation of the fat comprised in the food should be used. Generally, from 0.001 to 1%, preferably from 0.005 to 0.1% by weight of the foodstuff may be used, depending on the foodstuff and the type of oxidative activity which is to be inhibited. More particularly, foodstuffs which contain fats or oils comprising fatty acids or their esters, either saturated or unsaturated, may be preserved using the water soluble antioxidants according to the invention. The fatty acids are well know and are listed in Noller, Textbook of Organic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. pp. 108-113 and 138-146 (1958), which is incorporated by reference. Typical foodstuffs, or fats and oils contained therein, include soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, butter, margarine, dairy products, ice cream, frozen vegetables, soups, fried foods and the like. Both crude and purified antioxidants in accordance with the invention are stable to high temperature, e.g. at the temperature of boiling water for 30 minutes. Moreover, they have good stability for extended periods under ambient conditions. By way of example, the crude extract from spinach in powder form has been kept for more than one year at room temperature, without any loss in its antioxidant activity. Toxicity studies have been carried out using both crude and purified fractions, and no pathological changes have been detected when the materials have been administered by injection or orally. The antioxidants have also been shown to be effective in inhibiting tumors such as fibrosarcoma induced by methylcholanthrene and skin cancer such as squama cell carcinoma which is induced by dimethylbenzoicanthrene and 4B-phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate, and ultraviolet light. For this purpose the antioxidants may be administered at dosages within the range of from 20 to 500 mg./kg. of body weight, either orally, rectally or parenterally, e.g. by injection. The invention accordingly includes pharmaceutical compositions which comprise the antioxidants of the invention, together with an inert diluent or carrier. In the case of the inhibition of skin cancer, the antioxidants are administered topically. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Leaves from Spinacia oleracea were homogenized with H₂O at 25°C at a ratio of 2:1 (w/v) in a Waring blender for 5 minutes. The resulting homogenate was filtered through cheesecloth and then centrifuged at 15000 x g for 10 minutes. The supernatent was collected and lyophilized. The isolation and purification of antioxidant fractions from the crude homogenate preparation was achieved through gel filtration followed by preparative TLC or HPLC. 1 g. of the lyophilized powder of the crude homogenate was dissolved in 5 ml. H₂O and after centrifugation at 20000 x g for 10 minutes, the supernatant was applied to a Sephadex G-25 column (40 cm. x 2.5 cm.), equilibrated and eluted with water. Fractions of 5 ml. were collected and each was assayed fro antioxidant activity. The active fractions (A, B and C) were pooled (fraction A has a brown, B a yellow and C an orange color), and lyophilized fraction C was further purified. The lyophilized material of fraction C was dissolved in water to form a 20% solution (m/v), centrifuged at 20000 x g for 10 minutes, and the supernatant was chromatographed on a Sephadex G-10 column (40 cm. x 2.5 cm.), and equilibrated with water. Fractions were collected, pooled and lyophilized as before. Lyophilized fraction C("C₁") was dissolved in a minimum amount of water, applied to 0.2 mm. silica gel plates (DC-Karten SIF, Riedel-Dollaen AG., sleeze-Hanover) and developed in 30:60 v/v H₂O-ethanol. The active fraction was identified by its weak (pale) yellow color and was extracted from the silica gel plate with wter and lyophilized. A further purification was carried out using DEAE cellulose (small size). The fraction identified hereinabove as A was dissolved in water and passed through a 5 cm. x 1 cm. column packed with DEAE cellulose (small size). (Alternatively, the column packing may be Ecteola, a condensation product of cellulose with epichlorohydrin and triethanolamine having a capacity of 0.3 to 0.4 meg./g. and a particle size 0.05-0.2 mm.) The column was equilibrated with water that was acidified to a pH of 5-6 with 0.2N HCl. The column was eluted with a solution of HCL, pH 2.0 and the eluted material was recovered as a powder by vacuum evaporation. A pure product (A₁) was obtained which had the infrared curve of Fig. 7. The powder was further purified by dissolving in water at a concentration of 20 ug./ml. and passing through a high pressure liquid chromatography silica 60 column (250 mm. x 4 mm.) with a 90:10 solution of water:acetonitrile applied at a rate of 0.5 ml./min. A fraction was obtained which had a retention fraction at 5.4 nanometers (UV absorption). EXAMPLE 1 From the crude extract of the plant material, 3 antioxidant active fractions (A, B and C) were obtained following the first step of purification. Fraction C was further purified on a column packed with Sephadex G-10 and two other active fractions were obtained by elution with water (C₁ - dark brown and C₂ - yellow orange). Fraction C₁ was finally purified using HPLC. In studying the antioxidant activity of the crude plant extracts and the isolated fractions, both the inhibition of linoleate oxidation by lipoxygenase and the inhibition of auto-oxidation of peroxides were used as criteria for antioxidant activity. The antioxidant fractions exhibited synergistic activity. The synergism obtained with the natural isolated antioxidants is shown in Fig. 1, which depicts the percentage inhibition on lipid oxidation of 1 mg. each of single purified antioxidant fractions, as well as the analogous percentage inhibition using combinations of 0.5 mg. each of two such fractions. By way of example, it may be seen that this synergism increased the potency produced by the compounds from 167% (B + C₂) up to 250% (A + B), without increasing the total antioxidant content. Since lipid peroxidation catalyzed by hemeproteins is a basic deteriorative and pathological reaction, the effectiveness of the isolated fractions to prevent such peroxidation was followed. It was found that the isolated fractions prevent such peroxidation induced by haemoglobin, cytochrome C and myoglobin, in a similar way to the inhibition of lipoxygenase-induced oxidation. The purified antioxidant fractions retained their antioxidative activities for months, without any loss, when kept at room temperature. Moreover, boiling the purified antioxidants for up to 30 minutes, did not reduce their antioxidant capacity. The following infrared data was obtained from the spinach-derived fractions: A: (see Fig. 3) broad band at 3400 cm.⁻¹, strong bands at 1050 and 1650 cm.⁻¹, weak bands at 1250 and 1430 cm.⁻¹. B: (see Fig. 4) broad bands at 3400, 1640 and 1080 cm.⁻¹, additional bands at 1420, 1300 and 810 cm.⁻¹. C: (see Fig. 5) broad bands at 3400 and 1600 cm.⁻¹, strong band at 1390 cm.⁻¹, additional bands at 1070 and 820 cm.⁻¹. C₁: (see Fig. 6) broad band at 3300 cm.⁻¹, strong band at 1620 cm.⁻¹, additional bands at 1390, 1320, 1080 and 770 cm.⁻¹. A₁: (see Fig. 7) broad band at 3300-3400 cm.⁻¹, strong band at 1650 cm.⁻¹, additional bands at 1730, 1540, 1250 and 1080 cm.⁻¹, weak bands at 2920, 1400 and 1150 cm.⁻¹. EXAMPLE 2 Samples of creams and appropriate controls were applied to mice or rat skin for a fixed period. The application was done once a day. Experiments were terminated by killing the animal, peeling the skin and freezing it in liquid nitrogen. Samples of the frozen skin were homogenized in 0.2.M phosphate buffer, pH 6.5. After centrifugation, the supernatant was collected and analyzed for the peroxide value using the TBA (thiobarbituric acid) test as described by Sinnhuber et. al, Food Res. 23: 620 (1958). In the experiments which follow, newborn (hairless) rats were used. It is generally considered that the penetration through the skin of newborn rats is better than in adult rats, since at this stage they have not yet develoed any fur. TEST No. 1 In this experiment the control group was treated with Vaseline only, while the test group was treated with Vaseline containing a C₁ fraction. The test was run for 12 days and the results are presented in Table 1. It is clearly demonstrated that the C₁ penetrates the skin of newborn rats and consequently reduces the level of peroxides in the skin. Since peroxides, and the free radicals involved in their formation and breakdown, constitute one of the main routes leading towards aging, the activity of this unique antioxidant can be considered as an anti-aging factor. TEST No. 2 In this experiment the antioxidant was dissolved in Oil of Olay obtained in Israel (excellent solubility) and experiments similar to that described in No. 1 were performed. The results are presented in Table 2. As in test no. 1, the antioxidant significantly reduced the level of peroxides in the skin. It is intersting to point out that in newborn rats, Oil of Olay without the antioxidant also reduced the peroxide level. This may be attributed to the commercial antioxidants present in the Oil of Olay which was used. It is possible that in newborn skin, due to its relatively high permeability, small amounts of these antioxidants can also penetrate the skin. However, in adult mice or rats, as will be shown later, Oil of Olay did not reduce the level of peroxides in the skin. On the contrary, in general, a small increase in peroxide level was detected, which perhaps may be attributed to traces of metals in the cream. EXAMPLE 3 In these experiments adult mice (2 months old) were treated as described in Example 2. The grown mice were shaved before applying the creams to the skin. In this experiment the antioxidant was dissolved in Oil of Olay. Mice were sacrificed after 21 days. The results are presented in Table 3. It seems that in grown mice the Oil of Olay slightly increases the level of peroxides while addition of the antioxidant at a concentration of 0.3% significantly reduced these peroxides, thus indicating that even with grown mice the antioxidant penetrates the skin. We would like to point out that in similar experiments when we tried the effect of 0.1% BHT, BHA and alpha tocopherol dissolved in Oil of Olay on the level of peroxides in the skin, no reduction of the level of peroxides was observed. EXAMPLE 4 A new model for studying aging was developed. The new model involves the exposure of adult shaved mice to a UV lamp (sun lamp 300W) for a short period. As a result, the aging processes as expressed by the level of peroxidation are stimulated and the effect of the natural antioxidant was studied. Using this new technique, the optimal antioxidant dose for the inhibition of aging was determined. In this experiment, a crude preparation of antioxidant (and not the final purified antioxidant) was used. Adult mice were shaved and the individuals were exposed to the UV light (Philips HP 3115), with or without antioxidant, for a short period of one minute for two days (two exposures in total). On the third day they were sacrificed and the level of peroxidation in the skin was determined by the TBA (thiobarbituric acid) test. Controls without exposure to the UV light were also included. Antioxidant was dissolved in Oil of Olay. The results are presented in Table 4. The optimal dose of crude antioxidant to be used is 0.3 to 0.4%. EXAMPLE 5 Samples of human skin were obtained from a Plastic Surgery Department of a hospital. These samples were placed in a saline solution immediately after their removal from the patients. The skin samples were exposed to UV rays (Philips Sun Lamps) for 5 minute intervals, three successive times with a 5 minute rest period between each exposure. The distance between the lamp and the tissue was 12 cm. The skin samples were stored for 3 days at 4°C, after which time they were peeled and homogenized. 20-30 mg. of peeled tissue were assayed for peroxide level using the spectrophotometric TBA test. The results clearly demonstrate that the peroxide level (aging) of the skin tissue was raised due to the exposure to UV rays. Skin treated with the antioxidant of the invention and exposed to Uv rays for the same period of time showed a peroxide level similar to the untreated control. These results are shown in Table 5. The experiments run on human skin indicate the following: (a) the antioxidant penetrates the skin; (b) the antioxidant significantly reduces the level of peroxides. It is noted that when a mixture of fractions A + B + C was used, an effective antioxidant result was observed. EXAMPLE 6 The crude extract was tested in vivo for its effect on the immune response system in experimental mice. In these experiments, male Balb-C mice were injected intraperitoneally with 1 mg. of the crude extract from Spinacia oleracea per 0.2 ml. of phosphate buffer solution (PBS) per animal. Animals were sacrificed one, three and seven days after injection, following which their spleens were removed. Spleen cells (10⁷ cells/ml. enriched RPMI) were cultured for 24 hours in the presence of CON A ( concavalin -A) 2 ug./ml. and the supernatants thus obtained were tested for both IL-2 (interleukin-2) and CSF (colony stimulating factor). No significant differences were found between controls (i.e. animals receiving no treatment) and experimental animals, in their ability to produce IL-2 as well as CSF, indicating that the antioxidant has no adverse effect on the immune system. In addition, no pathological findings were observed in injected animals. Additional testing determined that a single dose of 25 mg./mouse i.p. may be tolerated and that the LD₅₀ is in the range of 1400 mg./kg. for mice. EXAMPLE 7 The C₁ fraction was dissolved in PBS (50 mg./10 ml.) and 0.2 ml. of this solution was injected i.p. into each mouse twice weekly. The C₁ fraction was also administered orally in an aqueous solution (1 mg./ml.) and the mice were allowed to drink the solution from a calibrated bottle to enable measurement of the quantity of the C₁ fraction consumed by each individual mouse to be determined. Each mouse was subsequently injected with 0.6 mg. methylcholanthrene, a known inducer of fibrosarcoma. Test series A and B were carried out as follow, in which the figures refer to number of animals in which the appearance of tumors occurred/the number of animals in the groups: At week 13 (test B), after as many as 25-29 injections, one mouse frome ach group was sacrificed and observed for gross internal changes (i.e. lymph nodes, spleen, liver, kidney, heart and lung, etc.): no significant changes and no pathological damage were observed. This demonstrated that even a prolonged treatment with the C₁ fraction by different routes of administration did not cause any damage to the treated mice. The in vivo experiments demonstrated that i.p. or oral administration with C₁ is effective in delaying the appearance and reducing the frequency of methylcholanthrene-induced tumors. EXAMPLE 8 Skin tests on human volunteers using a 0.3% w/w dispersion of the crude extract in Oil of Olay have resulted in subjective improvement in the texture of the skin with no adverse effects in any test subjects. EXAMPLE 9 This example is illustrative of compositions which may be used in the practice of the invention. EXAMPLE 10 The crude antioxidant (A, B and C) was added to linoleic acid to form a mixture containing 20 ml. of 7.5 x 10⁻³M linoleic acid in 0.2M aqueous sodium phosphate buffer (ph 6.5), containing 0.25% Tween 20 (R) and 1 mg. of the crude antioxidant. Controls were run which contained the buffer and Tween 20 but no antioxidant, as well as a sample of linoleic acid with 1 mg. of BHT and the same dispersant system. The mixture was kept at 30°C and the optical density was determined using the ferric thiocyanate method describe by R.B.Koch et. al. in Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 78: 165 (1959). The test results depicted in Fig. 2 show that the antioxidant of the invention is more effective than BHT in preventing oxidation of linoleic acid. EXAMPLE 11 Isolation of antioxidant materials from clover . A similar procedure to that described for spinach, was applied to isolate antioxidant materials from clover ( trifolium alexandrinum ). The crude extract was separated on Sephadex G-25 to give fractions A, B and C. Fraction A was purified on Ecteola to give fraction A₁. Fraction C was resolved on Sephadex G-10 to give fractions C₁ and C₂. Fraction C₁ was further resolved by dissolving in a minimum amount of water, applying to 0.2 mm. silica gel plates and developing in 30:60 v/v H₂O-athanol, to give fractions labelled TLC-1, -2 and -3. The following infrared data was obtained: A: (see Fig. 8) similar to the analogous spinach fraction. B: (see Fig. 9) strong and broad bands at 3300, 1560 and 1130 cm.⁻¹, medium band at 1400 cm.⁻¹, weak bands at 1350 and 1430 cm.⁻¹. C: (see Fig. 10) broad band at 3430 cm.⁻¹, strong bands at 1600, 1380 and 1150 cm.⁻¹. A₁: (see Fig. 11) similar to the analogous spinach fraction. Certain of the foregoing fractions (0.2 mg. in each case) derived from clover were tested as antioxidant in a system which contained linoleic acid as substrate and the enzyme lipoxygenase as catalyst. Oxygen absorption was followed using an oxygen monitor according to Grossman and Zakut, in Methods of Biochemical Analysis (D.Glick, Ed.) 25: 303-29 (1979). The results are shown in Table 7. EXAMPLE 12 Isolation of antioxidant materials from algae. A number of algae samples were homogenized with distilled wter and an extract was prepared according to the technique described above for spinacia oleracea. The crude homogenate was centrifuged, and the supernatant was collected and dried by lyophilization. The dried crude extracts were tested as antioxidants in a system which contained linoleic acid as a substrate and enzyme lipoxygenase as catalyst. Oxygen absorption was followed using an oxygen monitor according to Grossman and Zakut, in Methods of Biochemical Analysis (D.Glick, Ed.) 25: 303-29 (1979). The results in Table 8 wre obtained using 2.5 mg. crude extract. While the invention has been described above with respect to its presently preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations and modifications may be made.

Claims: A skin-oxidation-preventing cosmetic composition comprising a cosmetically acceptable carrier and, as the active skin-oxidation-preventing agent, at least one of the coloured antioxidant active fractions which are chromatographically separated, by purification with dextran cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and having a pore-size of from 40 µm to 50 µm, or with DEAE cellulose, as the chromatographic column packing, from an aqueous vegetable extract obtained at a temperature of from 4°C to 100°C, preferably at 25°C, by comminuting, in the presence of water, vegetable tissues of a plant selected from the species Atriplex hortensis and Tetragonia expansa. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 1, wherein said active skin-oxidation-preventing agent is the orange fraction which is chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned using dextran which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore size of from 50 µm to 150µm as the chromatographic column packing. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 1, wherein said active skin-oxidation-preventing agent is a brown fraction which is chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned using dextran which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size if from 40 µm to 120 µm as the chromatographic column packing. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 1, wherein said active skin-oxidation-preventing agent is a yellow fraction which is chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size of from 50 µm to 150 µm as the chromatographic column packing. A cosmetic composition according to Claim 1, wherein said active skin-oxidation-preventing agent is a mixture of at least two of the orange, yellow and brown fractions which have been chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned with dextran cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size of from 40 µm to 120 µm as the chromatographic column packing. A cosmetic composition according to claim 1, wherein said active skin-oxidation-preventing agent is obtained by chromatographically separating from said aqueous vegetable extract by purification with dextran which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size of from 50 um to 150 um, fractions which are coloured brown (A), yellow (B) and orange (C), and of which fraction (A) is chromatographically split on a substance selected from (1) a condensation product of cellulose with epichlorohydrin and triethanolamine having a capacity of from 0,3 milliequivalent per gram to 0,4 milliequivalent per gram and a particle size of from 0,05 mm to 0,2 mm, and (2) dextran which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size of from 40 um to 120 um, to give a fraction (A₁) having an infrared spectrum with a broad band at from 3300 cm⁻¹ to 3400 cm⁻¹, a strong band at 1650 cm⁻¹, additional bands at 1730, 1540, 1250 and 1080 cm⁻¹, weak bands at 2920, 1400, 1250 and 1080 cm⁻¹, fraction (C) being chromatographically split on dextran which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore size of from 40 um to 120 um into a dark brown couloured fraction (C₁) and a yellow-orange fraction (C₂). A cosmetic composition according to claim 1 and 6, wherein said active skin-oxidation-preventing agent is selected from the fractions A, A₁, B, C₁ and C₂. A cosmetic composition according to claim 1, wherein said active skin-oxidation preventing agent is selected from the chromatographic fractions having the following infrared spectral characteristics: (1) broad band at 3400 cm⁻¹, strong bands at 1050 and 1650 cm⁻¹, weak bands at 1250 and 1430 cm⁻¹; (2) broad bands at 3400, 1640 and 1080 cm⁻¹, additional bands at 1420, 1300 and 810 cm⁻¹; (3) broad band at 3300 cm⁻¹, strong band at 1390 cm⁻¹, additional bands at 1070 and 820 cm⁻¹; (4) broad band at 3300 cm⁻¹, strong band at 1620 cm⁻¹, additional bands at 1390, 1320, 1080 and 770 cm⁻¹, and (5) broad band at 3300-3400 cm⁻¹, strong band at 1650 cm⁻¹, additional bands at 1730, 1540, 1250 and 1080 cm⁻¹, weak bands at 2920, 1400 and 1150 cm⁻¹. A method for cosmetically enhancing the texture of the skin comprising the step of applying to the skin a cosmetic composition according to any of claims 1 to 8. A method for protecting the skin from damage induced by ultraviolet radiation comprising the step of applying to the skin before or after exposure to such radiation, a cosmetic composition according to any of claims 1 to 8. An oxidation-resistant alimentary fatty composition comprising an alimentary fatty substance, and, as the active fat-oxidation preventing agent, at least one of the coloured antioxidant active fractions which are chromatographically separated, by purification with dextran cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and having a pore-size of from 40 µm to 150 µm as the chromatographic column packing, from an aqueous vegetable extract obtained at a temperature of from 4°C to 100°C, preferably at 25°C, by comminuting, in the presence of water, vegetable aërial tissues of a plant selected from the species Atriplex hortensis and Tetragonia expansa. A composition according to claim 11, wherein the alimentary fatty substance contains a fatty acid ester, a saturated free fatty acid, or an unsaturated free fatty acid or other free-radical oxidative compound. A composition according to claim 11, wherein the alimentary fatty substance is linoleic acid. A composition according to claim 11, wherein said active fat-oxidation preventing agent is the orange fraction whch is chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned with dextran, which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size of from 50 µm to 150 µm, as the chromatographic column packing. A composition according to claim 11, wherein said active fat-oxidation-preventing agent is the brown fraction which is chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned using dextran, which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size of from 40 µm to 120 µm, as the chromatographic column packing. A composition according to claim 11, wherein said active fat-oxidation-preventing agent is the yellow fraction which is chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned using dextran, which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore size of from 50 µm to 150 µm, as the chromatographic column packing. A composition according to claim 11, wherein said active fat-oxidation-preventing agent is a mixture of at least two of the orange, yellow and brown fractions which have been chromatographically separated from the supernatant obtained by aqueous extraction of the plant tissue concerned using dextran, which has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and has a pore-size of from 40 um to 120 um, as the chromatographic column packing.

Inventors: ALBECK, MICHAEL, GROSSMAN, SHLOMO
Applicants: BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY
Application year: 1987
Main classification: C09K15
IPC codes: A61K36, A23L3, A61K8, A61P3, A61P35, C09K15, A61Q19, A61P43