In the current study, by-product seed pastes (VSPs) from Vitis vinifera, Foeniculum vulgare, Cannabis sativa and Punica granatum, generated during the oil production process, were investigated for their potential exploitation as dermo-cosmetic agent. The extraction pipeline of all the raw materials was developed with emphasis on green methodologies and employed on laboratory scale based on industry-adopted techniques. Two different protocols were applied, Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) and Ultrasound Assisted Extraction (UAE); the by-product pastes were defatted with supercritical CO₂ and n-Hexane, respectively. Then, two SFE extracts (CO₂ with 10% and 20% of ethanol as co-solvent) and two UAE extracts (with ethanol and ethanol/water 1:1 v/v) were obtained from each raw material. The providing yield range was between 2.6 to 76.3 mg/g raw material. The extracts were analyzed with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD) and Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer (LC-HRMS), and the major compounds, were identified. All the extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant and inhibition activity against collagenase, elastase and tyrosinase enzymes. Grapevine by-product extracts found rich in proanthocyanidins and presented the higher inhibition activity. A holistic green experimental methodology is proposed for the obtainment of extracts from significant medicinal plants by-products that provides us with promising results concerning dermo-cosmetic properties, especially for grape seeds extracts.

This study aimed to characterize a Sideritis scardica extract (SidTea+^TM) and investigate its effect on the physiological profile, metabolic health and redox status in healthy individuals. The chemical profile and antioxidant potential of the SidTea+^TM extract were evaluated by UPLC-HRMS analysis and in vitro cell-free methods. Twenty-eight healthy adults participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants consumed 1500 mg/day of SidTea+^TM or a placebo for 4 weeks. At baseline and post-supplementation, participants were assessed for their anthropometric and physiological profile and provided a resting blood sample. SidTea+^TM decreased (p < 0.05) systolic blood pressure (−10.8 mmHg), mean arterial pressure (−4.5 mmHg), resting heart rate (−3.1 bpm) and handgrip strength of the non-dominant limb (−0.8 kg) whereas the placebo decreased (p < 0.05) handgrip strength of the dominant (−5.8 kg) and non-dominant (−3.2 kg) limb. SidTea+^TM also resulted in an increase (p < 0.05) in estimated VO₂max (+1.1 mL/kg/min) and a reduction (p < 0.05) in γ-GT and SGPT enzymatic activity in serum (−3.7 and −3.3 U/L, respectively). Finally, SidTea+^TM increased (p < 0.001) total antioxidant capacity and decreased (p < 0.05) lipid peroxidation levels in plasma. These results indicate that SidTea+^TM is a potent and safe to use antioxidant that can elicit positive changes in indices of blood pressure, cardiorespiratory capacity, liver metabolism, and redox status in healthy adults over a 4-week supplementation period.

Olive leaves, the main byproducts of olive cultivation, are characterized by a plethora of bioactive metabolites with significant nutritional value. Their main pentacyclic triterpenes, Oleanolic Acid (OA) and Maslinic Acid (MA), are two high added-value compounds with remarkable activities. This study aimed to develop an efficient methodology for extracting and purifying OA and MA, utilizing Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) and Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC)—two modern, scalable, and green techniques. A total of 21 g of olive leaves were subjected to SFE using supercritical CO₂ and ethanol as co-solvent. The extraction employed a step gradient mode, starting with 100% CO₂ and incrementally increasing ethanol (0–10% w/w) every 20 min. Fractions rich in OA and MA (500 mg) were further purified via CPC, utilizing pH zone refining to exploit the protonation and deprotonation properties of acidic triterpenes. The biphasic solvent system consisted of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water (8:2:5:5 v/v/v/v), with trifluoroacetic acid added to the stationary phase and triethylamine added to the mobile phase. This two-step process yielded 89.5 mg of OA and 28.5 mg of MA with over 95% purity, as confirmed by HPLC-ELSD and ¹H-NMR. Moreover, purified compounds and SFE fractions exhibited promising elastase and collagenase inhibition, highlighting them as dermocosmetic agents.

Characteristic manifestations of skin aging, due to either intrinsic or extrinsic factors, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation and oxidative stress, include cell senescence, alterations in collagen and elastin networks, and melanogenesis disorders. Natural products are considered a rich source of anti-aging molecules. Accordingly, the screening of a plant extract library from the Greek flora for a panel of biological activities related to skin aging is presented herein. In particular, 52 plant materials extracted using Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) and Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) were assessed for their effects on (1) human skin cell viability, (2) antioxidant activity—using both cell-free and cell-based methods—(3) photoprotective capacity, and (4) interference with collagenase, elastase, and tyrosinase, as well as with proteasomal and lysosomal activities of human skin cells. In vivo phenotypic screens on Danio rerio (zebrafish) embryos were also used for assessing melanogenesis. Many active extracts were identified, some of them for the first time, and others in agreement with previous reports. In general, ASE extracts exhibited higher activities than SFE ones. Seven extracts showed multiple activities, being highly effective in at least four different assays. These data support the potential use of these extracts against skin aging in medicinal and cosmetic applications.

Microbial production of bioactive molecules provides a promising alternative to traditional isolation or chemical synthesis approaches, enabling high-yield production of pure compounds without the need for heavy-metal catalysts, harsh conditions, or complex plant-based processes. Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a potent antioxidant with significant pharmacological properties, has attracted considerable interest due to its broad applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries. While Escherichia coli systems have been effective for HT production, optimization of extraction yield and recovery process remain a challenge. Furthermore, isolation of HT and its metabolites continues to suffer from inefficiencies even when biosynthetic pathways are successful. Centrifugal techniques such as annular centrifugal extraction and partition chromatography methods e.g., Annular Centrifugal Extraction - ACE, Countercurrent chromatography - CCC, Centrifugal Partition Chromatography - CPC offer advantages over traditional methods, including the absence of solid stationary phases, reduced organic solvent use, speed, and scalability. However, these techniques have been underutilized in biotechnology workflows. Additionally, existing procedures often employ simplistic analytical methods, which lead to loss of valuable data for pathway monitoring, validation and metabolite discovery. This study presents a comprehensive workflow for the production, extraction, isolation, and identification of HT and derivatives from metabolically engineered E. coli biofactories. The workflow combines ACE for media extraction with CPC for high yield and purity HT isolation. It also emphasizes the analysis and structural elucidation of HT metabolites by means of HRMS/MS and 1 & 2D NMR, facilitating biosynthetic pathway monitoring and discovery of novel HT metabolites with potential enhanced biological activity. Using this approach, 23 compounds were isolated and identified contributing to the completion of the complex biosynthetic route of HT synthesis from l-tyrosine. This is first reported of direct isolation of pure HT metabolites from E. coli biofactories and to our knowledge the first application of liquid-liquid centrifugal techniques in the treatment of biotechnological materials.