Poplar leaf bud extract fights aging

Paris — French researchers say they have uncovered a new source of antioxidants for use as an anti-aging ingredient in skin creams: the leaf buds of poplar trees, ScienceDaily.com reports.

Investigators noted that poplar bud extract has long been used to treat colds, sinusitis, sunburn and arthritis, and that propolis, a substance found in beehives that is often made from poplar tree resin, appears to have similar disease-fighting benefits. Researchers set out to see whether poplar buds are a good source of antioxidants for skin creams.

Testing on poplar bud extract revealed that it possessed moderate antioxidant activity and demonstrated anti-aging effects on cells in the laboratory.

“The collective antioxidant properties and transcriptional effect of this extract suggest potential anti-aging properties which could be utilized in cosmetic and nutraceutical formulations,” the authors wrote.

Their study appears in the May 11 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.