Aloe vera leaf

Identification

Brand Names

Alcortin A, Aloquin

Generic Name

Aloe vera leaf

DrugBank Accession Number

DB13906

Background

Aloe describes a genus including over 500 species of flowering succulent plants that grow in the Southern peninsula and various islands. Aloe vera, or Aloe barbadensis miller, is the most common species of Aloe that is cultivated for agricultural and medical purposes. It is a perennial succulent xerophyte with elongated leaves that contain a clear gel. While aloe vera has a long history of commercial uses, it is still widely used in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical products. The use of aloe vera in constipation, inflammatory disorders, cancer, ulcer, and diabetes has also been investigated ⁴. The active constituents of aloe vera include polysaccharides with protective effects on skin, as they exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties ⁵. Common active polysaccharides include glucomannans, polymannose, and acemannan, or b-(1–4)-acetylated polymannose ³. Acemannan and other modified polysaccharides are responsible in preventing suppression of contact hypersensitivity or immune suppression induced by external factors such as irradiation ².

Type

Biotech

Groups

Experimental

Synonyms

Aloe
Aloe (aloe barbadensis)
Aloe barbadensis leaf
Aloe barbadensis leaf extract
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice
Aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder
Aloe barbadensis leaf powder
Aloe barbadensis leaf water
Aloe folii extractus (aloe vera)
Aloe folium (aloe vera)
Aloe herba (aloe vera)
Aloe leaf extract
Aloe vera
Aloe vera dry leaf juice
Aloe vera extract
Aloe vera leaf extract
Aloe vera leaf exudate
Aloe vera leaf juice
Aloe vera leaf mucilage
Aloe vera leaf powder
Aloe vera mucilage
Aloes
Aloes (aloe barbadensis)
Barbatos aloe leaf
Curacao aloe leaf
Ghrita kumari leaf
Kanyasara
Lu hui (aloe vera)
Lu hui ye
Luhui (aloe barbadensis)

External IDs

Fema no. 2047

Pharmacology

Indication

Indicated for use as a topical agent to soothe sensitive skin and to relieve symptoms of various skin conditions, including contact or atopic dermatitis, eczema, dermatitis and acne urticata, first- and second-degree burns, radiation dermatitis, and sunburn.

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Associated Conditions

Contraindications & Blackbox Warnings

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Pharmacodynamics

Aloe polysaccharides mediate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, as well as immunoregulatory activities. Various studies indicate that aloe polysaccharides possess effective free radical scavenging activity in vitro, and produce potent antioxidant potential during oxidative stress in vivo ⁴. According to the findings of studies in vitro and in vivo, aloe polysaccharides exhibit radioprotective activity. Treatment with acemmanan, which is a common aloe polysaccharide, on CH3 mice with radiation-induced skin reactions resulted in reduced signs of those reactions ². Studies suggest that aloe polysaccharides may evidently attenuate tumor growth in mice ². Treatment of aloe polysaccharides in Vero cells as well as in the in vivo zebrafish model led to protective effects against AAPH-indued oxidative stress resulting from accumulation of free radical species and improved cell viability ¹.

Mechanism of action

It is suggested that aloe polysaccharides mediate skin-protectant effects in damaged skin, induced by internal or other external factors such as radiation, via inhibiting apoptosis of normal cell lines in vitro and thrombocytes in vivo ². Following irradiation, aloe polysaccharides block the upregulation of pro-apoptotic p53, Bax, and Bad while blocking downregulating anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 ². In vivo, aloe polysaccharides may act as a scavenger for oxygen free radicals including DPPH, alkyl radicals, superoxides, and singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals that may also be generated by superoxides ^1,4. Hydrogen peroxide, which is a weak initiate lipid peroxidation, may also be effectively scavenged by aloe polysaccharides ⁴. In a Fenton reaction system, aloe polysaccharides demonstrated a concentration-dependent scavenging activity against hydroxyl radical that were generated during the reaction ⁴. Aloe polysaccharides may also compete with oxygen to react with nitric oxide (NO), thereby inhibiting the generation of nitrite and peroxynitrite anions that act as free radicals ⁴.

Findings from a study investigating the effects of aloe polysaccharides on doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress suggest that aloe polysaccharides mediate potent antioxidant actions in vivo ⁴. Doxorubicin, known to generate reactive oxygen species such as superoxide and hydroxy radicals, was administered to albino rats. This led to myocardial oxidative stress and cardiac injury accompanied by leakage of LDH and CPK from cardiac myocytes and to serum due to lipid peroxidation of cardiac membranes, reduced levels of antioxidant coenzyme GSH, and increased levels of SOD from a compensatory and combative mechanism of oxidative stress ⁴. Treatment with aloe polysaccharides resulted in a significant decrease in serum LDH and CPK levels, indicating that aloe polysaccharides are capable in stabilizing cardiac membranes from peroxidative damage. Restored levels of endogenous GSH and SOD in a dose-dependent manner were also observed with the treatment of aloe polysaccharides, suggesting that aloe polysaccharides exhibit potent antioxidant properties ⁴.

In a study of rats with open cutaneous back wounds, treatment with aloe polysaccharides decreased the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) and induced tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) during the early stage of wound repair, resulting in decreased collagen breakdown and increased preservation of collagen content in the injured area ⁶. A study proposes that acemannan, a common aloe polysaccharide, stimulates BMSC proliferation, ALPase activity, expression of VEGF, BMP-2, OPN, BSP, and mineralization leading to osteoblast differentiation and bone formation during socket healing ³.

Target	Actions	Organism
AFree radicals	chelator	Humans

Absorption