Silva Ana, Pinto Cláudia, Cravo Sara, Mota Sandra, Rego Liliana, Ratanji Smeera, Quintas Clara, Silva Joana Rocha E, Afonso Carlos, Tiritan Maria Elizabeth, Cidade Honorina, Cruz Teresa, Almeida Isabel F
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.
CIBB-Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology/CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2025 Jan 17;18(1):121. doi: 10.3390/ph18010121.
: An emerging practice within the concept of circular beauty involves the upcycling of agro-industrial by-products. Cork processing, for instance, yields by-products like cork powder, which presents an opportunity to create value-added cosmetic ingredients. Building upon our previous research, demonstrating the antioxidant potential of hydroalcoholic extracts derived from two distinct cork powders (P0 and P1), in this work, aqueous extracts were prepared and analyzed. The safety and bioactivities of the newly obtained aqueous extracts, as well as the 30% ethanol extracts, previously reported to be the most promising for skin application, were also evaluated. : Aqueous extracts were obtained from cork powders (P0 and P1) and the identification and quantification of some polyphenols was achieved by liquid chromatography (LC). Antioxidant potential was screened by DPPH method and the bioactivity and safety of extracts were further explored using cell-based assays. : All extracts exhibited a reduction in age-related markers, including senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity. Additionally, they demonstrated a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing the production of several pro-inflammatory mediators in macrophages upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation. Moreover, the extracts upregulated genes and proteins associated with antioxidant activity, such as heme oxygenase 1. The aqueous extract from P1 powder was especially active in reducing pro-inflammatory mediators, namely the gene, inducible nitric oxide protein levels, and nitric oxide production. Moreover, it did not induce skin irritation, as assessed by the EpiSkin test, in compliance with the OECD Test Guidelines. : Overall, our findings underscore the potential of aqueous extracts derived from cork waste streams to mitigate various hallmarks of skin aging, including senescence and inflammaging, and their suitability for incorporation into cosmetics formulations. These results warrant further exploration for their application in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries and could foster a sustainable and circular bioeconomy.
循环美容概念中一种新兴的做法是对农业工业副产品进行升级再造。例如，软木加工会产生软木粉等副产品，这为创造高附加值的化妆品成分提供了机会。基于我们之前的研究，该研究证明了从两种不同软木粉（P0和P1）中提取的水醇提取物具有抗氧化潜力，在这项工作中，我们制备并分析了水提取物。新获得的水提取物以及先前报道的对皮肤应用最有前景的30%乙醇提取物的安全性和生物活性也进行了评估。
从软木粉（P0和P1）中获得了水提取物，并通过液相色谱（LC）实现了对一些多酚的鉴定和定量。通过DPPH法筛选抗氧化潜力，并使用基于细胞的分析方法进一步探索提取物的生物活性和安全性。
所有提取物都显示出与衰老相关的标志物减少，包括衰老相关β-半乳糖苷酶（SA-β-gal）活性。此外，它们通过抑制脂多糖刺激后巨噬细胞中几种促炎介质的产生，表现出显著的抗炎作用。此外，提取物上调了与抗氧化活性相关的基因和蛋白质，如血红素加氧酶1。P1粉的水提取物在减少促炎介质方面特别有效，即基因、诱导型一氧化氮蛋白水平和一氧化氮产生。此外，根据经合组织测试指南，通过EpiSkin测试评估，它不会引起皮肤刺激。
总体而言，我们的研究结果强调了从软木废物流中提取的水提取物在减轻皮肤衰老的各种特征（包括衰老和炎症衰老）方面的潜力，以及它们适合纳入化妆品配方。这些结果值得在制药和化妆品行业进一步探索其应用，并可能促进可持续的循环生物经济。
