Bioprospecting: possibilities and challenges in development of novel bioactive compounds and novel foods

Title: Bioprospecting: Possibilities and Challenges in Development of bioactive compounds and novel foodsLecturer: Antonella LeoneE-mail: antonella.leone@ispa.cnr.itAbstract: "Bioactive compounds" are extra-nutritional constituents that typically occur in small quantities in foods. They are being intensively studied to evaluate their effects on health, based on the results of many epidemiologic studies that have shown protective effects of plant-based diets on cardiovascular disease and cancer. In the effort to identify active natural molecules among the thousands phytochemicals, new sources of bioactive compounds are being explored. Throughout life, the exposure to specific phytochemicals can affect gene expression via reversible epigenetic mechanisms. This has recently launched re-exploration of nutritional, botanical or phytopharmaceutical compounds for their epigenetic effects in order to identify promising nutraceuticals or nutricosmetics.The rapid ineffectiveness of many bioactives, as well as the requirement of new therapeutic, nutraceutical and protective products as well as high-value product development in the bio-industry, require the exploration of new sources. In this context, natural products from different sources, such as under-utilized vegetables, agro-industrial by-products together with some safe and environmentally friendly extraction processes, such as supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) extraction, are considered for the production of antioxidant from plant matrices.Beside terrestrial sources, the marine environment is the source of structurally unique secondary metabolites produced by different organisms such as microorganisms, invertebrates microalgae and seaweeds. The largely unexplored biodiversity of marine biomasses are considered for the production of new drugs; they provide greater structural diversity and offer major opportunities for finding novel molecules. The ability to modulate the gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) is considered a chemo-protective and chemo-preventive property of several bio actives. In animal cells, GJIC are involved in the cell growth control via adaptive responses: differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. GJIC is deficient in many human tumors and its restoration or up-regulation is associated with decreased tumor cell proliferation. In the carcinogenesis process, the reversible inhibition of GJIC has been hypothesized to be involved in the tumor promotion phase and could be considered as a target in anti carcinogenicity assays.The knowledge of molecular mechanisms underlies the effects of natural compound and the availability of environmentally friendly methods to produce bioactive molecules with potentially healthy properties, from natural sources, could lay new bases for preventive nutrition. On the other hand, the conservation of biodiversity and the possible promotion of sustainable development and should be the new strategy to assert the economic and social development.

Due lezioni agli studenti presso la UNIVERSITY OF VETERINARY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES di BRNO, Repubblica Ceca