EXploitation of planT wastes as a sustainable souRce of Anti-inflammatory Compounds for Therapeutics – EXTRACT

Chronic inflammation is associated with a broad spectrum of diseases. To combat this complex process, there is today a renewed interest in medicinal plants. It is however important to diversify biological resources in order to avoid any risk of depleting the widely used native European plants, like Arnica montana. In this context, the upcycling of biomass from ornamental plants (OP) or invasive alien species (IAS) can be of real interest.

During this project, a selection of by-products of OP harvesting and IAS waste from management plans will be extracted and screened on different molecular targets involved in inflammation. This selection will be made based on preliminary data already available within the laboratory but also on their ethnopharmacological uses and the state of the art on their phytochemical composition.

Then, a phytochemical study using modern tools will be carried out on a selection of 3 plants to identify the active molecules. A molecular network approach including taxonomic metadata and bioactivity of subfractions will be used to facilitate this identification. An optimization of the eco-extraction process of bioactive compounds will be carried out in order to find the optimal parameters to improve the yields in these compounds. The possibility of synergistic effects between these 3 extracts will also be studied and ultimately, the biological activity and toxicity will be validated on 2D and 3D cellular models.

This project will make it possible to expand the panel of anti-inflammatory molecules available, compounds which are very promising in the treatment of a large class of diseases, but it will also allow the valorization of plant biomasses available as a co-product. This should therefore promote the creation of circular economies and help reduce the erosion of biodiversity in Europe.