Valorização eco-sustentável de Cystoseira abies-marina e Caulerpa webbiana.

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Phytochemicals with Added Value from Morella and Myrica Species

Publication . Rosa, Gonçalo P.; Silva, Bruno J. C.; Seca, Ana M. L.; Moujir, Laila M.; Barreto, Maria do Carmo

Terrestrial plants, due to their sessile nature, are highly exposed to environmental pressure and therefore need to produce very effective molecules that enable them to survive all the threats. Myrica and Morella (Myricaceae) are taxonomically close genera, which include species of trees or shrubs with edible fruits that exhibit relevant uses in traditional medicine. For instance, in Chinese or Japanese folk medicine, they are used to treat diarrhea, digestive problems, headache, burns, and skin diseases. A wide array of compounds isolated from different parts of Myrica and/or Morella species possess several biological activities, like anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, and cardio-/neuro-/hepatoprotective activities, both in vitro and in vivo, with myricanol, myricitrin, quercitrin, and betulin being the most promising. There are still many other compounds isolated from both genera whose biological activities have not been evaluated, which represents an excellent opportunity to discover new applications for those compounds and valorize Morella/Myrica species.

2020-12Journal article

Open access

Cosmeceutical Potential of the Green Macroalga Caulerpa Prolifera

Publication . Rosa, Gonçalo P.; Seca, Ana M. L.; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Pinto, Diana C. G. A.

The present cosmeceutical industry has been gradually shifting its interest from products based on synthetic compounds to macroalgae-based products due to their interesting antiaging properties but also to their lower cytotoxicity and allergens content. Molecules isolated from macroalgae already showed potential as either active cosmetic ingredients or key elements for the consistency of the cosmetic formulation. In this regard, it is of foremost importance to keep studying the chemical composition of different algal species, aiming to find new compounds with cosmeceutical potential. […].

2022-08Conference object

Open access

Bio-Guided Optimization of Cystoseira abies-marina Cosmeceuticals Extraction by Advanced Technologies

Publication . Rosa, Gonçalo P.; Peixoto, Andreia F.; Barreto, Maria do Carmo; Seca, Ana M. L.; Pinto, Diana C. G. A.

Cystoseira abies-marina (reclassified as Gongolaria abies-marina) is a brown seaweed species rich in meroterpenoids, presenting interesting antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, there is still a lot to uncover regarding the bioactive potential of this species, as evidenced by the lack of records of antiaging activities from Cystoseira abies-marina, making this macroalga an excellent candidate for studies of its cosmeceutical potential. Ultrasound-(UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) are advanced sustainable technologies that are very efficient in enhancing bioactive compound extraction. Applying these extraction techniques to a new biological matrix often calls for optimizing the parameters toward the best extraction yield. Since Cystoseira abies-marina is a new matrix for both UAE and MAE techniques, the present work proposes the optimization of the extraction process, using a novel approach: instead of only focusing on increasing the yield, the goal of this work is to determine the parameters for UAE and MAE that lead to extracts with better antiaging activities. For this bio-guided approach, several Cystoseira abies-marina extracts were prepared by UAE and MAE under varying conditions of solvent, time, and algae/solvent ratios. Their antiaging activities were then determined, and all the results combined to unveil the conditions yielding extracts with higher cosmeceutical potential. Using statistical tools, it was found that, for UAE, the best conditions were ethyl acetate, 15 min, and a ratio of 1:4, which led to an extract with high yield, and causing the strong inhibition of tyrosinase and elastase. In turn, ethanol, 10 min, and a ratio of 1:4 were the best conditions for MAE, leading to the extract with the best antioxidant activity. The results show that the proposed bio-guided approach was effective in obtaining extracts with high cosmeceutical potential, unveiling the possibility of modulating an extract’s activity by changing the extraction method.

2022-12Journal article

Open access