The Utility of Oral Polypodium Leucotomos Extract for Dermatologic Diseases: A Systematic Review
April 2025 | Volume 24 | Issue 4 | 346 | Copyright © April 2025
Published online March 28, 2025
Melissa P. Zundell BSa, Abigail Katz BAb, Milaan Shah MDb, Joshua Burshtein MDb, Darrell Rigel MD MSc, Danny Zakria MD MBAb
aAlbert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
bIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
cNew York University Department of Dermatology, New York, NY
Abstract
Background: Polypodium leucotomos extract (PLE), a fern plant product with strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, has been employed to reduce photoaging and skin cancer. PLE may also serve as an adjuvant treatment for psoriasis, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, photodermatoses, and melasma. This systematic review synthesizes the current data on PLE usage to manage dermatological diseases.
Methods: This systematic review followed the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Methods Guide for Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRIMSA) guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library were queried using keywords. Articles were screened for inclusion and subsequently grouped by dermatological condition.
Results: Twenty-one of the 152 identified articles met inclusion criteria, including 11 randomized controlled trials and 5 treatment trials. Implicated dermatological conditions were photoaging/skin cancer (9 studies), actinic keratosis (3), photodermatoses (3), melasma (2), vitiligo (3), and atopic dermatitis (1). A thorough article review revealed several potential applications of PLE.
Conclusion: PLE exhibits strong therapeutic potential with an encouraging safety profile. It has photoprotective and immunomodulatory properties, underscoring its potential as an adjuvant therapy for multiple dermatological conditions.
J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24(4):346-351. doi:10.36849/JDD.8410R1
INTRODUCTION
Polypodium leucotomos is a South American fern rich in antioxidants that produces polypodium leucotomos extract (PLE) from its leaves. PLE exhibits immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, making it beneficial for treating psoriasis, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, and melasma.1-3 PLE also inhibits ultraviolet (UV) induced generation of radical oxygen species, decreasing photoaging and skin cancer development.4 PLE formulations include topical gels, creams, powders, and oral capsules. The most prominent commercially available oral PLE supplement is Heliocare, (Heliocare®, Ferndale Healthcare®, Ferndale, Michigan).
Numerous applications of PLE have been studied. In 2014, Choudry et al completed a literature review of PLE summarizing its indications for dermatological conditions.1 Multiple studies supporting its efficacy have since been published. This updated systematic literature review synthesizes the emerging data on PLE’s role in managing dermatological diseases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This systematic review followed the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Methods Guide for Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. On May 8, 2023, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library were queried using "polypodium leucotomos" as keywords. Results were limited to full text, English-language articles, with humans as the study subject.
RESULTS
The literature search yielded 152 unique articles, which were screened by 2 independent reviewers (MPZ and DZ). Fifty-two articles underwent full text review and 21 studies met inclusion criteria, 11 of which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Articles were grouped by dermatologic condition: photodermatoses, photoaging and skin cancer, vitiligo, melasma, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis. The findings are summarized in Table 1.
