Antioxidant, antimicrobial, and skin-whitening effects and quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds in Korean wild Chrysanthemum flowers via HPLC/UV

To assess the potential of Korean wild Chrysanthemum flowers as cosmetic ingredients, this study evaluated the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and skin-whitening activities of extracts from Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum, C. zawadskii var. lucidum, C. zawadskii var. yezoense, and C. makinoi. Subsequently, HPLC analyses were conducted to characterize the phenolic compound contents of these extracts. The Korean wild Chrysanthemum flowers exhibited strong antioxidant properties, as evidenced by in vitro radical scavenging activity assays. They also exhibited skin-whitening activity by inhibiting melanin contents in α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced B16F10 cells. Notably, C. zawadskii var. lucidum displayed higher antioxidant activity due to its elevated flavonoid content and potent radical scavenging activity compared to other wild Chrysanthemum flowers. Furthermore, C. makinoi exhibited strong in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activity and reduced melanin contents in comparison to the other wild Chrysanthemum flowers. Our findings also confirmed the antimicrobial activity of the wild Chrysanthemum flower extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. Additionally, our HPLC analyses revealed that C. zawadskii var. lucidum had significantly higher contents of chlorogenic acid, linarin, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid. Therefore, Korean wild Chrysanthemum flowers hold promise as functional cosmetic ingredients due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and skin-whitening effects, as well as their elevated levels of phenolic compounds.