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Liposoluble extracts of Vitis vinifera grape marc and cell cultures with synergistic anti-ageing effects

corresponding

ANTONIETTA CAROLA1, ANNALISA TITO1, MARIDA BIMONTE1, ANNACHIARA MUSTILLI2, MIRNA CUCCHIARA3, IRENE MONOLI3, JACQUELINE HILL4, FABIO APONE5*, GABRIELLA COLUCCI5
1. Arterra Bioscience, via Brin 69, Napoli, 80142, Italy
2. Azienda Mustilli, via Dei Fiori 20, Sant’Agata dei Goti, Benevento, Italy
3. INTERCOS Spa, via Marconi 84, Agrate Brianza, MI, Italy
4. CRB S, Route du Verney 1, Puidoux, CH-1070, Switzerland
5. VitaLab/Arterra Bioscience, via Brin 69, Napoli, 80142, Italy
*Corresponding author

Abstract

Grapes are highly nutritious and contain several types of beneficial and curative compounds for humans. They are very rich in health-promoting vitamins, polyphenols and minerals. Moreover, grape skins contain high amounts of valuable phytonutrients, including beta-carotene, lycopene, ellagic acid and resveratrol.
Pomace or grape marc is the solid remains of grapes after pressing for juice, thus it contains skins, pulp and seeds of the fruits. It is usually produced in large quantities during wine production and it has to be disposed. Nevertheless, it is still extremely rich in active ingredients, which can be potentially exploited for biotechnological applications. Moreover, plant cells grown in liquid cultures have been studied for their potentialities in cosmetics and revealed many interesting applications in skin care, due to their high versatility and safety.
Based on this information, we developed a new active cosmetic ingredient, derived from both the liposoluble fraction of the Aglianico marc, used for making white wine DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin), in Sant’Agata dei Goti (Benevento, Italy) and that of Vitis vinifera cell cultures (Figure 1). We found out that this ingredient has interesting activities on cultured skin cells and can find suitable applications in skin care: it increases the proteasome activity, thus helping cell detoxifying capacity; it induces the production of new collagen and stimulates skin hydration by inducing the synthesis of new hyaluronic acid.


INTRODUCTION
Grapes are highly nutritious and contain several types of health-promoting and curative compounds for humans, such as vitamins, tannins, polyphenols and carotenoids (1-3). The concentration and composition of all these compounds is very variable and depends on the grape cultivar (or “vitigno”) and on several agro-geographical factors: this makes every wine so different from the other, even if originating from the same region (4).
Southern Italy has been producing wine for over 4000 years. Campania, the region surrounding the city of Naples, was at the centre of southern Italy's wine renaissance and still now remains a very active site for agriculture production. The rich soil and temperate climate are ideal for growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables, and grapes are no exception.
Campania's most important wines come from the Benevento province and the Irpinia hills: Aglianico is certainly the most valuable and the most prestigious wine in Campania. Aglianico is a full-bodied red wine, extremely rich in polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins, which are also responsible for its high ageing potential. Besides the well-known ...