Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure causes various injurious effects to human 
skin by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Excessive ROS production can 
lead to oxidative stress which may damage cellular components like lipids and 
proteins and causing photoaging. The use of natural photochemopreventive agents 
with antioxidant properties is an important alternative to improve the 
effectiveness of sunscreens and reduce skin photodamage. A crude extract (CE) 
from the leaves of Arrabidaea chica underwent partition by a liquid-liquid 
method. The hexane fraction (FH), chloroform fraction (FC), and ethyl acetate 
fraction (FEA) were obtained. The antioxidant capacity of the CE, FH, FC, and 
FEA was studied in a cell-free system using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl 
(DPPH) method and the xanthine/luminol/xanthine oxidase system. The FC had the 
best antioxidant activity. We also evaluated the photochemoprotective effect of 
A. chica in protecting L929 fibroblasts against UV-A- and UV-B-induced cell 
damage. A. chica inhibited the extended production of ROS up to 3h. 
Posttreatment with the CE and FC attenuated UV-induced cell damage through 
scavenging mechanisms, including the quenching of intracellular ROS and 
mitochondrial O2- and preventing lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that 
A. chica may be a promising non-sunscreen photoprotector that can improve the 
effectiveness of commercial sunscreens.