Integrated technologies for the discovery and development of cosmeceutical agents from plant biodiversity – NATPROTEC project

In the framework of the FP7 EU Project “NATPROTEC” an integrated technological platform is proposed for the discovery and development of new agents for the cosmetic industry where safety and in vitro biological activity are assessed. The cornerstone of this effort is the Mediterranean and Alpine biodiversity. In this context, literature and empirical knowledge have been leveraged while in parallel, the reverse pharmacognosy concept aiming at the determination of active scaffolds and the rationalized bioprospection is employed. Thus, around 1300 natural compounds were combined from consortium libraries, and computational tools were elaborated to mine putative bioactive compounds targeting histone deacetylase (HDAC) and tyrosinase activities. In parallel, 300 plant species, mainly from the Lamiaceae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Boraginaceae and Cistaceae families were selected as potential candidates for their skin protecting effects. The extracts were first tested for their antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, ORAC) and quinone reductase inducing effects. The hit list of the plants will guide the selection of promising extracts that will be further evaluated for their HDAC activity, anti-ageing (elastase, collagenase and hyaluronidase assays) and anti-hyperpigmenting properties (tyrosinase inhibition). NATPROTEC inspires to integrate this pharmacognosy and reverse pharmacognosy concept and surround them with state-of-the-art technologies aiming at an accelerated research process.

Acknowledgment: SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME (PEOPLE- Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways) Grant agreement no. 286287