Phenolics present in grapes have been explored as cosmeceutical principles, due to their antioxidant activity and ability to inhibit enzymes relevant for skin ageing. The winemaking process generates large amounts of waste, and the recovery of bioactive compounds from residues and their further incorporation in cosmetics represents a promising market opportunity for wine producers and may contribute to a sustainable development of the sector. The extracts obtained from grape marc and wine lees, using solid–liquid (SL) extraction with and without microwave (MW) pretreatment of the raw material, were characterized in terms of antioxidant activity through chemical (ORAC/HOSC/HORAC) and cell-based (keratinocytes—HaCaT; fibroblasts—HFF) assays. Furthermore, their inhibitory capacity towards specific enzymes involved in skin ageing (elastase; MMP-1; tyrosinase) was evaluated. The total phenolic and anthocyanin contents were determined by colorimetric assays, and HPLC–DAD–MS/MS was performed to identify the main compounds. The MW pretreatment prior to conventional SL extraction led to overall better outcomes. The red wine lees extracts presented the highest phenolic content (3 to 6-fold higher than grape marc extracts) and exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity, being also the most effective inhibitors of elastase, MMP-1 and tyrosinase. The results support that winemaking waste streams are valuable sources of natural ingredients with the potential for cosmeceutical applications.

Wine lees are rich in anthocyanins (AC), natural colorants with health promoting properties. The extraction kinetics of AC from different wine lees in conventional solid-liquid extraction were studied for the first time. The influence of parameters such as temperature, solid-liquid ratio (R S-L) and type of solvent (hydro-alcoholic mixtures) was also studied. Furthermore, microwaves (MW) and ultrasounds (US) were used as pre-treatments (a prior step to the conventional extraction) in order to increase AC yield. Maximum extraction yield (2.78 mg MALVIDIN-EQUIVALENTS /g DRY-2 LEES) was achieved after 15 minutes at 25ºC, with a R S-L of 1/10 (g/mL) and with a 50%vol. ethanol mixture. When MW were used AC extraction yield was doubled (6.20 mg MALVIDIN-EQUIVALENTS /g DRY-LEES) and the required time to achieve a constant yield was reduced (from 15 min to 90s). Meanwhile, US only shortened extraction time in less proportion (from 15 to 5 min). Putative identification of main extract compounds was performed by LC/MS-MS.

Inflammation is a crucial and complex process that reestablishes the physiological state after a noxious stimulus. In pathological conditions the inflammatory state may persist, leading to chronic inflammation and causing tissue damage. Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) are composed of a large and diverse group of highly bioactive plant secondary metabolites, characterized by a 15-carbon backbone structure. In recent years, the interest in SLs has risen due to their vast array of biological activities beneficial for human health. The anti-inflammatory potential of these compounds results from their ability to target and inhibit various key pro-inflammatory molecules enrolled in diverse inflammatory pathways, and prevent or reduce the inflammatory damage on tissues. Research on the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of SLs has thrived over the last years, and numerous compounds from diverse plants have been studied, using in silico, in vitro, and in vivo assays. Besides their anti-inflammatory potential, their cytotoxicity, structure–activity relationships, and pharmacokinetics have been investigated. This review aims to gather the most relevant results and insights concerning the anti-inflammatory potential of SL-rich extracts and pure SLs, focusing on their effects in different inflammatory pathways and on different molecular players.