eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal 0974-6242 2025-09-30 18 3 2133 2149 10.13005/bpj/3242 67946 article Rajesh Dattatray Tak 1 Ajit Babruvahan Patil 1 Bhimrao Vishwanath Jaiwal 2 Yuvraj Prakash Kale 2 Department of Chemistry, BPH Education Society's Ahmednagar College, Ahmednagar affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University (M. S.) India Department of Biochemistry, Ghulam Nabi Azad Art, Commerce and Science College, Barshitakli Dist. Akola (M. S.) India The market value of natural cosmetics continues to rise due to their reduced side effects, resulting in their increasing amalgamation into cosmetic formulations. Plant-derived materials are a rich source of bioactive compounds that can serve as anti-aging and anti-wrinkle agents, as well as therapeutic agents for various dermatological conditions. In this study, 140 medicinal plant materials were collected, taxonomically authenticated, and subjected to ethanolic extraction. The resulting extracts were screened for their inhibitory activity against Clostridium histolyticum collagenase (ChC), Porcin pancreatic elastase (PpE), and Bovine testes hyaluronidase (BtH) for identifying potential anti-aging agents suitable for cosmetic applications. The highest total phenolic content (TPC) (31.95 ± 0.045 mg/ml) was observed in Terminalia arjuna bark. Overall, 71, 42, and 59 plant extracts exhibited anti-ChC, anti-PpE, and anti-BtH activities, respectively. Among all inhibitory activity exhibiting plants, Terminalia arjuna bark exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against ChC, PpE (99.95 ± 1.3% and 99.98 ± 1.5% at 100 µg/ml TPC), and BtH (98.80 ± 2.4% at 150 µg/ml TPC). Woodfordia fructicosa flower, Peltophorum pterocarpum leaf, and Bergenia ligulata root exhibited maximum inhibitory potential against aging enzymes. The inhibitory activities of plant extracts were found to be dependent upon the concentration of TPC. A one-way ANOVA test revealed plant extracts exhibit significant inhibitory potential (p<0.05) against aging enzymes. The findings indicate that medicinal plants exhibiting effective inhibitors of collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase could be useful for application in cosmetic formulations. https://biomedpharmajournal.org/vol18no3/exploring-medicinal-plants-as-natural-inhibitors-of-collagenase-elastase-and-hyaluronidase-a-novel-approach-for-cosmeceutical-innovation/ Terminalia arjuna Woodfordia fructicosa Peltophorum pterocarpum Bergenia ligulata collagenase elastase hyaluronidase