Phytochemical Study and In Vitro Screening Focusing on the Anti-Aging Features of Various Plants of the Greek Flora
Aimilia D. Sklirou,
Maria T. Angelopoulou,
Aikaterini Argyropoulou,
Eliza Chaita,
Vasiliki Ioanna Boka,
Christina Cheimonidi,
Katerina Niforou,
Eleni Mavrogonatou,
Harris Pratsinis,
Eleftherios Kalpoutzakis,
Nektarios Aligiannis,
Dimitris Kletsas,
Ioannis P. Trougakos,
Alexios Leandros Skaltsounis
Affiliations
Aimilia D. Sklirou
Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Maria T. Angelopoulou
Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Ageing, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, NCSR ‘‘Demokritos’’, 15310 Athens, Greece
Aikaterini Argyropoulou
Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
Eliza Chaita
Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
Vasiliki Ioanna Boka
Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
Christina Cheimonidi
Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Katerina Niforou
Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Eleni Mavrogonatou
Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Ageing, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, NCSR ‘‘Demokritos’’, 15310 Athens, Greece
Harris Pratsinis
Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Ageing, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, NCSR ‘‘Demokritos’’, 15310 Athens, Greece
Eleftherios Kalpoutzakis
Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
Nektarios Aligiannis
Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
Dimitris Kletsas
Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Ageing, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, NCSR ‘‘Demokritos’’, 15310 Athens, Greece
Ioannis P. Trougakos
Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Alexios Leandros Skaltsounis
Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
Skin health is heavily affected by ultraviolet irradiation from the sun. In addition, senile skin is characterized by major changes in the collagen, elastin and in the hyaluronan content. Natural products (NPs) have been shown to delay cellular senescence or in vivo aging by regulating age-related signaling pathways. Moreover, NPs are a preferable source of photoprotective agents and have been proven to be useful against the undesirable skin hyperpigmentation. Greek flora harvests great plant diversity with approximately 6000 plant species, as it has a wealth of NPs. Here, we report an extensive screening among hundreds of plant species. More than 440 plant species and subspecies were selected and evaluated. The extracts were screened for their antioxidant and anti-melanogenic properties, while the most promising were further subjected to various in vitro and cell-based assays related to skin aging. In parallel, their chemical profile was analyzed with High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and/or Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). A variety of extracts were identified that can be of great value for the cosmetic industry, since they combine antioxidant, photoprotective, anti-melanogenic and anti-aging properties. In particular, the methanolic extracts of Sideritis scardica and Rosa damascena could be worthy of further attention, since they showed interesting chemical profiles and promising properties against specific targets involved in skin aging.
