Potential of plant cells in culture for cosmetic application

Plants and plant derived ingredients are common and of major importance in the fields of pharmacy, food and cosmetics. The cosmetic industry is a fast moving market. Products have short life-cycles and the industry has to come up with innovative products constantly. Most cosmetic products and their applications are defined by active ingredients. These active ingredients may derive from either synthetic sources or from plant sources. Beside this, no other origin like human or animal are accepted or allowed in cosmetics nor are genetically modified plant sources. The whole cosmetic research and development society is therefore desperately seeking for new innovative plant ingredients for cosmetic application. Unfortunately, new plant derived ingredients are limited because several plants of cosmetic interest are not to be used due to following facts: the plants contain toxic metabolites, the plants grow too slow and a seasonal harvesting is not possible, the concentration of plant constituents differ from harvest to harvest or the plant is endangered and not allowed to harvest. With the plant cell culture technology we bring complete new aspects in the development of novel cosmetic plant derived actives. Due to all these findings, we decided to risk the step into plant cell culture derived cosmetic active ingredient production. This article describes the successful establishment of an apple suspension culture producing a high yield of biomass, cultured in disposable, middle-scale bioreactors. The use of a bioactive extract out of these cells for cosmetic application and the efficacy of this extract on mammalian stem cells is also outlined in this article. To obtain a suitable cosmetic product we used the high pressure homogenization technique to decompose the plant cells and release all the beneficial constituents while encapsulating these components at the same time in liquid Nanoparticles. With the plant cell culture technology we bring complete new aspects in the development of novel cosmetic plants derived actives.     

TOL plasmid can prevent induction of chemotactic responses to aromatic acids

Growth conditions that elicited positive chemotaxis to benzoate and m-toluate in TOL- Pseudomonas putida cells failed to elicit taxis to these compounds in TOL+ cells. The inability of TOL+ cells to respond to these aromatic acids appears to be due to the preferential expression of TOL-encoded genes for aromatic degradation over chromosomally encoded genes. Expression of chromosomal genes for aromatic degradation is required for cells to form beta-ketoadipate, the inducer of benzoate and m-toluate taxis.     

Potential application of glycerol in the production of plant beneficial microorganisms

Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology - This review highlights the importance of research for development of biofertilizer and biocontrol products based on the use of glycerol for...     

Potential application of urea-derived herbicides as cytokinins in plant tissue culture

Various urea-derived herbicides and different cytokinin analogues were used to determine their effects on callusing response and shoot regenerating capacity of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and Coleus (Coleus forskohlii Briq.). The herbicides monuron and diuron evoked profuse callusing response from Coleus leaf segments and alfalfa petiole explants on Murashige and Skoog medium. Shoot regeneration by monuron (2.0 mg/l) showed a maximum of 3 multiple shoots both in alfalfa and Coleus with a frequency of 92% and 75%, respectively. Whereas diuron (0.5 mg/l) showed a high frequency of shoot regeneration (89%) with a mean number of 5 shoots in alfalfa, inC. forskohlii, the frequency of regeneration was 90% with a mean number of 6 shoots. Diuron with two chloride groups in the phenyl ring showed significantly higher cytokinin-like activity than single chloride substitution monuron. This study demonstrates the potential use of monuron and diuron as cytokinins in plant tissue culture.     

Binding of colchicine and lumicolchicine to components in plant extracts

Irradiation of dilute, aqueous solutions of colchicine and of colcemid by long wavelength UV resulted, in each case, in a mixture of three major lumi-products whose relative concentrations depended upon the degree of UV exposure. Components in plant extracts, after concentration by ammonium sulphate precipitation, bound the drugs and their lumi-derivatives. Consideration of the different ratios of colchicine- to lumicolchicine-binding activity in different fractions of a plant extract, and after various enzymatic and temperature treatments of the plant preparations, suggest the involvement of different binding sites for the various forms of the alkaloid.     

Broad-spectrum chemicals block ROS detoxification to prevent plant fungal invasion

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Antioxidant activity of anti-inflammatory plant extracts

The antioxidant properties of twenty medical herbs used in the traditional Mediterranean and Chinese medicine were studied. Extracts from Forsythia suspensa, Helichrysum italicum, Scrophularia auriculata, Inula viscosa, Coptis chinensis, Poria cocos and Scutellaria baicalensis had previously shown anti-inflammatory activity in different experimental models. Using free radical-generating systems H. italicum. I. viscosa and F. suspensa protected against enzymatic and non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation in model membranes and also showed scavenging property on the superoxide radical. All extracts were assayed at a concentration of 100 microg/ml. Most of the extracts were weak scavengers of the hydroxyl radical and C. chinensis and P. cocos exhibited the highest scavenging activity. Although S. baicalensis inhibited the lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes and red blood cells, the extract showed inhibitory actions on aminopyrine N-demethylase and xanthine oxidase activities as well as an pro-oxidant effect observed in the Fe3+-EDTA-H2O2 system. The results of the present work suggest that the anti-inflammatory activities of the same extracts could be explained, at least in part, by their antioxidant properties.     

Thromboplastic activity of higher plant extracts

Hemostatic properties of extracts isolated from the birch floscules and willow blossoms have been revealed. An agent of thromboplastic nature which is identical to thromboplasin of the rat brain according to its biochemical composition and procoagulative action has been found in these extracts. In contrast to brain thromboplastin thromboplastic activity of plant extracts does not possess the species specificity. After intravenous injection of the plant extracts a reaction similar to defence reaction of the anticoagulation system in response to thromboplastin infusion of the rat brain develops in rats.     

Potential of plant extracts in combination with bacterial antagonist treatment as biocontrol agent of red rot of sugarcane

Plant extracts and antifungal microorganisms were tested singly and in combination for biocontrol of sugarcane red rot disease (Colletotrichum falcatum) using two sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivars, CoC671 and CoC92061, in pot and field experiments. Leaf extracts of Abrus precatorius and Bassia latifolia and the rhizome extract of Curcuma longa reduced Colletotrichum falcatum mycelial growth by 80%, 58%, and 57%, respectively. Although sugarcane- planting materials (setts) treated individually with either Pseudomonas fluorescens Md1 or A. precatorius in pot experiments had the lowest incidences of red rot, 20.1% and 24.2%, respectively, none of the plant extracts were effective in the field. In contrast, when the two varieties were tested separately in two field locations, the setts treated with A. precatorius in combination with a spray or soil application of P. fluorescens Md1 had the lowest incidence of red rot in both locations, e.g., 3.1% and 3.4% incidence for CoC92061 in one location, and had a similar response to the chemical control. The results suggest the applicability of plant-based extracts for the suppression of sugarcane red rot disease in the field as an environment-friendly tool in combination with antagonists.     

Immunoaffinity techniques applied to the purification of gibberellins from plant extracts

The use of immunoaffinity columns containing anti-gibberellin (GA) antibodies for the selective purification of GAs in plant extracts is described. GA₁, GA₃, GA₄, GA₅, GA₇, and GA₉ conjugates to bovine serum albumin were synthesized and used to elicit anti-GA polyclonal antibodies (Abs) in rabbits. Protein A purified rabbit serum, containing a mixture of anti-GA Abs, was immobilized on matrices of Affi-gel 10 or Fast-Flow Sepharose 4B. Columns of these immunosorbents retained a wide range of C-19 GA methyl esters, but no C-20 GA methyl esters. Quantitative recovery of C-19 GA methyl esters was achieved from the columns, which, after reequilibration in buffer, could be reused up to 500 times. The immunosorbents were tested by examination of extracts from immature soybean and pea seeds. GAs were initially purified by passing the extracts through DEAE-cellulose and concentrating them on octadecylsilica. The extracts were methylated and further purified on the mixed anti-GA immunoaffinity columns. GAs were detected and quantified as methyl esters or methyl ester trimethylsilyl ethers by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-selected ion monitoring. GA₇ was found in soybean seeds, 17 days after anthesis, at low levels (8.8 nanograms per gram fresh weight). C-19 GAs were examined in cotyledons, embryonic axes, and testae of G2 pea seeds harvested 20 days after anthesis. High levels of GA₂₀ and GA₂₉ were found in cotyledons (3580 and 310 nanograms per gram fresh weight, respectively) and embryonic axes (5375 and 1430 nanograms per gram) fresh weight, respectively). Lower levels of GA₉ were found in cotyledons and embryonic axes (147 and 161 nanograms per gram fresh weight, respectively). GA₉ was the major GA of testae at levels of 195 nanograms per gram fresh weight. Trace quantities of GA₂₀ and GA₅₁ were also observed in testae.     

Instability of thymidine kinase in plant extracts

Thymidine kinase and phosphotransferase activities were assayedin various plant tissues to examine claims that phosphotransferaseis the dominant phosphorylating mechanism. Results showed thatthymidine kinase is the principal activity in young tissuesand that its apparent absence is due to the relatively highinstability of the enzyme in plant extracts. ¹Present address: Lab. Applicazioni Agricoltura, CSN Casaccia,Roma, Italy. (Received December 5, 1973; )     

Inhibition of SNARE-driven neuroexocytosis by plant extracts

Neuronal soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein (SNAP) receptor (SNARE) proteins mediate membrane fusion between synaptic vesicle and presynaptic membrane, resulting in neurotransmitter release. SNARE proteins are specific substrates of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) which are now widely used for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. While BoNT blocks neuroexocytosis by cleaving SNAREs, inhibiting SNARE assembly process might exert the same effect on neurotransmission. In the present study, some extracts of 100 plants reduced neurotransmitter release by inhibiting SNARE complex formation in neuronal cells. The extracts effectively paralyzed muscle of rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation. Our results raise the possibility that SNARE folding inhibitors from natural resources might replace some special BoNT application fields. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Chang Hwa Jung and Yoo Soo Yang equally contributed to this work.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis of plant extracts containing inulin

Inulin-rich extracts of chicory and Jerusalem artichoke are a good potential source of fructose. Total enzymatic hydrolysis of these extracts can be effected by yeast inulinases (EC 3.2.1.7). Chemical prehydrolysis is unfavourable. Enzymatic hydrolysis has advantages over chemical hydrolysis: it does not produce a dark-coloured fraction or secondary substances. It is possible to envisage the preparation of high fructose syrups using this process.