Anti-aging Activity of Ethanol Extract Palm Oil Mesocarp (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) : In Vitro and In Silico Studies

Aging constitutes a natural biological process and represents a major global health concern. In tropical regions such as Indonesia, elevated ultraviolet (UV) exposure accelerates cutaneous aging through mechanisms involving DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Although numerous chemical-based anti-aging products are commercially available, their frequent adverse effects, including irritation and itching, necessitate the exploration of safer alternatives. Natural ingredients are therefore of increasing interest, with palm oil (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) recognized as a potential candidate due to its empirical use in wound healing and tissue regeneration.The present study investigated the anti-aging potential of secondary metabolites from ethanol extract of palm oil mesocarp (EEPOM) through in vitro enzymatic assays and in silico molecular docking. In vitro evaluation was conducted against mushroom tyrosinase and collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum. Molecular docking simulations were performed to analyze binding interactions with tyrosinase (PDB: 5M8P) and collagenase (PDB: 2D1N). The enzymatic assays demonstrated dose-dependent inhibitory activity, with IC₅₀ values of 218.42 µg/mL for tyrosinase and 22.44 µg/mL for collagenase. These inhibitory effects were lower in potency compared with standard agents, kojic acid (IC₅₀ = 46.42 µg/mL) and ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ = 5.58 µg/mL). Docking analysis further revealed that Tocotrienol exhibited the strongest affinity toward tyrosinase (-7.33 kcal/mol), while β-carotene displayed the highest affinity toward collagenase (-12.71 kcal/mol). Collectively, these findings suggest that EEPOM contains bioactive secondary metabolites capable of inhibiting tyrosinase and collagenase, thereby demonstrating anti-aging potential. Although its activity is lower than standard inhibitors, this study provides the first combined in vitro and in silico evidence supporting EEPOM as a prospective natural alternative for the development of safer anti-aging agents.