Utilization of somatic embryos from the endangered species eleutherococcus seoulensis and their potential bioactivities for promoting skin health

Abstract

Eleutherococcus seoulensis, commonly known as “Seoul Ogalpi,” is an endangered deciduous shrub native to the Seoul region of the Korean Peninsula. E. seoulensis is extensively utilized in herbal medicine and pharmaceutical applications, leading to its overharvesting in the wild. Therefore, we employed a biotechnology approach to achieve mass production of this endangered plant, supporting both conservation efforts and its applications in the bioindustry. Somatic embryos of E. seoulensis were induced from immature zygotic embryos cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 3.0 mg/L of gibberellic acid. At a concentration of 0.1%, the somatic embryo extracts of E. seoulensis exhibited strong antioxidant activity, with DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging rates of 95% and 96%, respectively. The extracts contain eleutherosides B and E and effectively inhibit elastase, collagenase, and tyrosinase, while also reducing melanin content in melanocytes. Furthermore, the extracts promoted the proliferation of human skin cells. These results suggest that E. seoulensis somatic embryo extracts can be used as cosmetic ingredients with antiaging and skin-whitening properties. In conclusion, we successfully employed biotechnological techniques for the mass production of somatic embryos from this endangered E. seoulensis, supporting both its conservation in nature and its use in the biohealth industry. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.