Aloe vera - A review. Review Article INTRODUCTION. B. Bharadwaj, V. Vishnu Priya*, R. N. Balakrishna ABSTRACT

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1 Review Article Aloe vera - A review B. Bharadwaj, V. Vishnu Priya*, R. N. Balakrishna ABSTRACT Aloe vera is a characteristic plant that is currently often utilized as a part in the field of cosmetology. A. vera is the most commercialized aloe species and processing of the leaf pulp has become a large worldwide industry. In the food industry, it has been used as a source of functional foods and as an ingredient in other food products, for the production of gel-containing health drinks and beverages. In the cosmetic and toiletry industry, it has been used as base material for the production of creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, facial cleansers and other products. In spite of the fact that there are different properties for its use, controlled trials are expected to decide its genuine viability. The A. vera plant has been known and used for quite a long time for its wide properties, excellence, restorative, and healthy skin properties. Complex carbohydrates obtained from natural sources from these plants have shown diverse biological activities such as wound healing, enhancement of the reticuloendothelial system, stimulation of the immune system, treatment of tumors, and effects on the hematopoietic system. The name A. vera gets from the Arabic word Alloeh signifying sparkling bitter substance, while vera in Latin signifies true 2000 years prior, and the Greek researchers viewed A. vera as the universal panacea. The Egyptians called Aloe the plant of immortality. Today, the A. vera plant has been used for different purposes in dermatology. A. vera has been used for many centuries for its curative and therapeutic properties, and although over 75 active ingredients from the leaf have been identified, therapeutic effects have not been correlated well with each individual component. Many of the medicinal effects of aloe leaf extracts have been attributed to the polysaccharides found in the leaf parenchymatous tissues. In the pharmaceutical industry, it has been used for the manufacture of topical products such as ointments and gel preparations. KEY WORDS: Alkaline phosphatase, Anthraquinones, Bradykinase, Glycoprotein, Lipolysis, Transepidermal INTRODUCTION Aloe vera is the most commonly used aloe species. The processing of the leaf pulp of Aloe species has now become a large worldwide industry. It has been used as a source of functional foods, as an ingredient in other food products and for the production of gel-containing health drinks and beverages in food industry. [1] It is also used as a base material for the production of creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, facial cleansers, and other products in cosmetic and toiletry industry. In spite of the fact that there are different properties for its use, controlled trials are expected to decide its genuine viability. [2] The A. vera plant has been known Access this article online Website: jprsolutions.info ISSN: and used for quite a long time for its wide properties, excellence, restorative, and healthy skin properties. Complex carbohydrates obtained from natural sources from these plants have shown diverse biological activities such as wound healing, enhancement of the reticuloendothelial system, stimulation of the immune system, treatment of tumors, and effects on the hematopoietic system. [3] The name A. vera gets from the Arabic word Alloeh signifying sparkling bitter substance, while vera in Latin signifies true 2000 years prior, and the Greek researchers viewed A. vera as the universal panacea. The Egyptians called Aloe the plant of immortality. Today, the A. vera plant has been used for different purposes in dermatology. A. vera has been used for many centuries for its curative and therapeutic properties, and although over 75 active ingredients from the leaf have been identified, therapeutic effects have not been correlated well with 1 Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 2 Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 3 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding author: V. Vishnu Priya, Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, 162 Poonamallee High Road, Chennai , Tamil Nadu, India. drvishnupriyav@gmail.com Received on: ; Revised on: ; Accepted on:

2 each individual component. [4] Many of the medicinal effects of aloe leaf extracts have been attributed to the polysaccharides found in the leaf parenchymatous tissues. A. vera has been of great importance to pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of topical products such as ointments and gel preparations. A. vera has been used in medicine in several countries such as Greece, Egypt, India, Mexico, Japan, and China. [5] The first reference to A. vera in English was the translation by John Goodyew in A.D [6] Aloe barbadensis miller is the botanical name for A. vera. It belongs to Asphodeloideae (Liliaceae) family and is a shrubby or arborescent, perennial, xerophytic, succulent, pea-green color plant. It is found to grow mainly in the dry regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. In India, it is mainly found in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu and seldomly found in other Northeast states. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae Subfamily: Asphodeloideae Genus: Aloe Species: A. vera. CONSTITUENTS Vitamins Antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C, and E are present. Vitamin B12, folic acid, and choline are the other vitamins found. Enzymes Alkaline phosphatase, amylase, bradykinase, carboxypeptidase, catalase, cellulase, lipase, and peroxidase are the eight enzymes found. Minerals It has calcium, chromium, copper, selenium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, and zinc. Sugars It provides monosaccharides which are glucose and fructose and the polysaccharides such as polymannose, arabinan, galactan, galactogalacturan, glucogalactomannan, galactoglucoarabinomannan, and glucuronic acid. These are known as mucopolysaccharides which are mainly derived from mucilage layer of the plants. The most prominent monosaccharide is mannose-6-phosphate, and the most common polysaccharides are called polymannose [beta-(1,4)-acetylated mannan]. Acemannan, a prominent glucomannan, has also been found. Alprogen, a glycoprotein with antiallergic properties, a novel anti-inflammatory compound, and C-glucosyl chromone have been isolated from A. vera gel. [7,8] Fatty Acids It has four plant steroids: Cholesterol, campesterol, β-sitosterol, and lupeol. Hormones It has auxins and gibberellins that help in wound healing and have anti-inflammatory action. Amino Acids It has isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, and tryptophan Non-essential amino acids: It has alanine, arginine, asparagine, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, proline, serine, tyrosine, glutamine, and aspartic acid. Anthraquinones These are one of the most important constituents of A. vera. It contains aloe emodin, aloetic acid, aloin, anthracene, anthranol, barbaloin, chrysophanic acid, emodin, ethereal oil, ester of cinnamic acid, isobarbaloin, and resistannol. Lignin It is cellulose-based substance. Salicylic Acid It is aspirin-like compound. Saponins It has glycosides. Sterols It has cholesterol, campesterol, lupeol, and betasitosterol. PROPERTIES OF A. VERA Therapeutic properties of A. vera are remarkable and have found a great importance in this world. They have immunostimulatory effect; anti-inflammatory effect; wound healing property; promotion of radiation damage repair; antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antidiabetic, antioxidant and anti-neoplastic activities; stimulation of hematopoiesis and several other effects. [9,10] HEALING PROPERTIES Glucomannan, a mannose-rich polyose, and growth regulator, a somatotropin interact with protein receptors on the embryonic cell, thereby stimulating its activity and proliferation, that successively proliferation considerably will increase albuminoid synthesis. [9] Succulent gel not 3705

3 solely exaggerated albuminoid content of the wound, however, conjointly modified albuminoid composition and exaggerated the degree of albuminoid crosslinking; due to this, it accelerated wound contraction and exaggerated the breaking strength of ensuing connective tissue. [10] Associate in nursing exaggerated the synthesis of mucopolysaccharide and dermatan salt within the granulation of a healing wound following oral or topical treatment has been reportable. [11] ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY It has been studied by many authors that totally different fractions of A. vera likewise as unfractionated whole gel have antioxidant effects. Glutathione peroxidase activity, superoxide dismutase enzymes, and phenoblast antioxidant were found to be gift during A. vera gel, which can be liable for these antioxidant effects. It absolutely was shown in two non-cellular in vitro systems and by incubation with inflamed body part tissue layer biopsies that A. vera gel includes a dose-dependent antioxidant impact. The non-cellular techniques utilized in the study assessed the scavenging of each superoxide and peroxyl radicals. The A. vera gel during a concentration of one in fifty conjointly inhibited autacoid E2 production from inflamed body part biopsies, however, had no impact on thromboxane B2 unharness. [12,13] ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY A. vera plays an important role in inhibiting the cyclooxygenase pathway and thereby reduces prostaglandin E2 production from arachidonic acid. In recent studies, it has been found that the novel antiinflammatory compound called C-glucosyl chromone can be isolated from gel extracts. [14-16] LAXATIVE EFFECTS Anthraquinones gift in latex square measures a potent laxative. It will increase enteric water content, stimulates secretion, and will increase the enteric body process. [17] Mucopolysaccharides facilitate in binding wetness into the skin. Succulent stimulates embryonic cell that produces the albuminoid and scleroprotein fibers creating the skin additional elastic and fewer wrinkled. It co jointly has cohesive effects on the superficial flaking dermal cells which softens the skin. [18-20] The amino acids conjointly soften the hardened skin cells and atomic number 30 acts as an astringent to tighten pores. Its moisturizing effects have conjointly been studied in the treatment of dry skin related to activity exposure wherever A. vera gel gloves improves the skin integrity, decreases look of fine wrinkle, and reduces erythroderma. [21] It conjointly has anti-acne result. ANTISEPTIC EFFECT A. vera contains six antiseptic agents: Lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamic acid, phenols, and sulfur. They all have an inhibitory action on fungi, bacteria, and viruses. HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY Aerial components of A. vera considerably reduced viscus harm iatrogenic by carbon tetrachloride in mice and reversed sure organic chemistry parameters. Histopathological studies confirmed the curative effectuality of the water extract of A. vera against carbon tetrachloride results in iatrogenic liver harm as indicated by reversal of centrilobular death, macrovascular fatty changes, and scattered lymphomononuclear cell infiltration in viscus parenchyma. Moreover, a rise in gall flow and gall solids as a result of treatment with the extract suggests stimulation of the secretory activity of the liver cells. The hepatoprotective action was conjointly attributed to conserve the metabolizing enzymes of the liver through AN inhibitor activity. [20] EFFECTS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM Alprogen inhibits metal inflow into mast cells and thereby inhibits the antigen-antibody-mediated unharness of amine and leukotriene from mast cells. Fifteen lowmolecular-weight compounds also are capable of inhibiting the discharge of reactive atomic number eight free radicals from activated human neutrophils. IMMUNOMODULATORY EFFECT A. vera has a robust immunomodulatory activity, whereby it downregulates the production of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory protein and expression of NACHT, LRR, and PYD domaincontaining macromolecule 3 inflammasome in human macrophages. A. vera might inhibit the inflammatory method following burn injury. This is characterized by the red blood corpuscle adhesion similarly as professional inflammatory cytokines. A. vera has been universally incontestable to end in marked increase in somatic cell and proliferative activity of the system. A recent report of a clinical study evaluated the therapeutic impact of A. vera gel whereby two oral gels are not solely effective in decreasing the pain score and wound size. However, in addition, it also decreased the aphthous wound healing amount. INTESTINAL ABSORPTION Aloe material has been used for drug absorption sweetening for medication with Lactobacillus brevis 3706

4 strains were isolated from naturally hard A. vera gel that prevented the entry of many harmful enteropathogens while not restraining most traditional commensals within the gut and hence were named probiotics. ROLE OF A. VERA IN SKIN There is a high interest in transdermic drug delivery, the poor penetration of medication into the skin, and low permeation across the skin which severely hamper the utilization of this route of drug administration. Techniques for rising transdermal delivery of medication supports the utilization of the chemical penetration enhancers, the novel vehicle systems, and physical ways such as iontotherapy, sonophoresis, ultrasound, microneedles, and electroporation. [22-25] A. vera gel injected in vitro skin penetration of several compounds counting on their molecular weights with an inverse correlation between the quantitative relation and the mass of the compound. This penetration sweetening impact of the succulent gel was explained by a probable pull impact of complexes which shaped between the compounds. Some constituents of the A. vera gel itself additionally penetrated the skin and this was curiously enthusiastic about the mass of the coapplied compounds. The upper the mass of the coapplied compound, the less of the gel parts were transported across the skin. This was explained by the probable displacement of A. vera parts from the penetration pathways, and thereby, it inhibits permeation of the gel. [26] WOUND HEALING EFFECTS Wound healing may be a response to skinned tissue that leads to the restoration of tissue integrity. It had been shown that succulent gel may improve wound healing when topical and general administration in many studies, whereas others claimed no impact or maybe a delay in wound healing. Many mechanisms were planned for the wound healing effects of this succulent gel that embrace keeping the wound wet and increase vegetative cell migration, a lot of fast maturation of albuminoid, and reduction in inflammation. [27] A 5.5 kda compound protein that was isolated from A. vera showed a rise in cell migration and accelerated wound healing in a very human keratinocyte monolayer. In a very raft culture, it exhibited stimulation of cuticular tissue formation similarly as a marked expression of proliferation markers on the immunohistochemical level. The improved wound healing impact and cell proliferation were found. [28] SIDE EFFECTS On topical application over the skin, it causes redness, burning, stinging sensation, and infrequently generalized eczema in extremely sensitive people. Aversions are largely due to anthraquinones, such as aloin and barbaloin. It is best to use it to a little space first to check for potential hypersensitivity. In oral, it causes abdominal cramps, diarrhea, red urine, hepatitis, dependency, or worsening of constipation. Prolonged use has been reported to extend the chance of body part cancer. The laxative impact could cause solution imbalances such as low potassium levels in the body. [29] CONCLUSION Although A. vera has a wide spectrum of the properties and uses, a number of them may be myths and a few of them may be real magic. Variations in plant composition thanks to geographic location similarly as variations in gel extraction strategies and sample preparation techniques have contributed to discrepancies within the results obtained from several studies in terms of the chemical composition and biological activities of A. vera leaf. In future, controlled studies are definitely needed to prove the importance and effectiveness of A. vera underneath numerous conditions. REFERENCES 1. Marshall JM. Aloe vera gel: What is the evidence. Pharm J 1990;244: Davis RH. 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