Botox could soon be usurped by maple tree extract after researchers found that its leaf compounds appear to protect skin from some effects of ageing.
University of Rhode Island scientists were inspired by historical records of maples being used for therapeutic purposes in North America. “Native Americans used leaves from red maple trees in their traditional medicine,” Navindra Seeram, the study leader, said.
The envied properties of younger skin are largely a result of its elasticity, maintained by proteins such as elastin. Wrinkles form when elastase, an enzyme, breaks down elastin as part of the ageing process. The research looked at phenolic compounds found in maple leaves and their ability to inhibit elastase. Some showed promise as a means of reducing wrinkles and lightening unwanted freckles or age spots. “You could imagine that these extracts might tighten up human skin like a plant-based Botox, though they would be a topical application, not an injected toxin,” Dr Seeram said.
Botox works by temporarily paralysing the muscles underneath wrinkles to smooth the skin. Treatments start at about £150 and can be found on the high street.
The researchers also suggested that using the leafs could boost the income of maple farmers, who at present harvest only the sap from their trees. “Many botanical ingredients traditionally come from China, India and the Mediterranean, but the sugar maple and the red maple only grow in eastern North America,” they wrote.
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The findings were presented at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society.