Generation of Leontopodium alpinum differentiated biomass as a new active biotechnological ingredient

Leontopodium alpinum, better know as Edelweiss, is a protected asteraceae species only found in mountains above 1800 m of altitude. This delicate plant has received some interest from the cosmetic industry due to its metabolites, and in particular leontopodic acids, which are capable of providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefit for the human skin. The protection of the species along with its specific growing environment is a bottleneck for the large-scale production of active ingredients based on this plant species. To circumvent this issue, we developed several in-vitro propagation methods for the production of undifferentiated (cell suspension cultures) and differentiated biomass (root cultures and leafy-biomass generation) of Leontopodium alpinum. Cryopreservation is also implemented to avoid genetic drift of the plant materials and to provide a sustainable production. Quantification of important metabolites, such as leontopodic acid, was performed by HPLC-DAD and the identity of the compounds were confirmed by LC-MS. The impact of plant tissue differentiation is discussed in relation to the choice of biomass to be selected when using Leontopodium alpinum extracts in cosmetic creams.