Solar Irradiation on Lawsonia Inermis Sensitized with Red Blood Cells: Effect on Osmotic Fragility

Lawsonia Inermis, known as Henna, is a widely used product for cosmetic and medicinal purposes in many countries. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, and northern Australia. Although Henna is widely used; it has been shown to cause oxidative hemolysis, especially in people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. The objective of this study was to determine whether henna is light sensitive or not and to examine the effect of henna seed extract and henna powder on osmotic fragility of blood cells. Henna seeds were extracted using a microwave-assisted extraction method. The effect of henna seed and powder was tested on red blood cells (RBCs) with three different NaCl concentrations. Henna seed extraction increased hemolysis rate, meanwhile, henna powder did not affect hemolysis even at high NaCl concentration. This suggests that henna powder is not sensitive to sunlight. Our results suggest that the seed extraction of Lawsonia inermis could be potentially used as a protective agent as well as a sunscreen substitute.