Preliminary study of minerals, tyrosinase and elastase activity in plants from urbans park– green analytical solutions

Users of cosmetics in particular show a strong preference for products derived from plant extracts and other natural sources, as they consider them to be environmentally friendly, safe, and capable of positively affecting the health and appearance of human skin. The present study aims to analyze the composition of elements important for skin health and toxic elements, as well as tyrosinase and elastase activity of four species (Medicago lupulina L.¸ Fabaceae, Lotus corniculatus L., Fabaceae, Knautia arvensis (L.) Coult., Caprifoliaceae, Plantago major L., Plantaginaceae), which are frequent inhabitants of urban parks in Zagreb. In this work, two groups of green solvents were used for extraction of plant material: Cyclodextrins (CD) and eutectic mixtures. Total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (TXRF) was used for multi-element analysis of the studied plants, which is a fast and simple technique for quality control and safety testing of the plants. The results showed good cosmeceutical potential for all the samples and the activity of the prepared extracts was species and solvent dependent. In addition, the plants tested contained low levels of toxic heavy metals, so they are considered safe for human use. The content of other elements varies greatly due to the environment.