Production of Plant-Derived Oleuropein Aglycone by a Combined Membrane Process and Evaluation of Its Breast Anticancer Properties

Abstract

Natural products and herbal therapies represent a thriving field of research, but methods for the production of plant-derived compounds with a significative biological activity by synthetic methods are required. Conventional commercial production by chemical synthesis or solvent extraction is not yet sustainable and economical because toxic solvents are used, the process involves many steps, and there is generally a low amount of the product produced, which is often mixed with other or similar byproducts. For this reason, alternative, sustainable, greener, and more efficient processes are required. Membrane processes are recognized worldwide as green technologies since they promote waste minimization, material diversity, efficient separation, energy saving, process intensification, and integration. This article describes the production, characterization, and utilization of bioactive compounds derived from renewable waste material (olive leaves) as drug candidates in breast cancer (BC) treatment. In particular, an integrated membrane process [composed by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and a membrane emulsification (ME) system] was developed to produce a purified non-commercially available phytotherapic compound: the oleuropein aglycone (OLA). This method achieves a 93% conversion of the substrate (oleuropein) and enables the extraction of the compound of interest with 90% efficiency in sustainable conditions. The bioderived compound exercised pro-apoptotic and antiproliferative activities against MDA-MB-231 and Tamoxifen-resistant MCF-7 (MCF-7/TR) cells, suggesting it as a potential agent for the treatment of breast cancer including hormonal resistance therapies.

Biorefinery of Tomato Leaves by Integrated Extraction and Membrane Processes to Obtain Fractions That Enhance Induced Resistance against Pseudomonas syringae Infection

“…Besides, a pH of around 2 avoids phenols oxidation and mildew growth [31]. Based on the obtained results, the extract subsequently treated by membrane processes was the one obtained at (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). The highest amount of carbohydrates (0.1 g/gleaves) was obtained at pH 2.3.…”

“…Recovery of biophenols from agricultural wastes (e.g., olive mill wastewater, OMWW) and plant biomass (e.g., olive leaves [4,5]) is also of interest, due to their important antioxidant properties. In particular, the development of innovative processes for OMWWs treatment has the dual effect of water purification from biophenols, as they represent a contaminant, and their recovery.…”

Enzyme catalysis coupled with artificial membranes towards process intensification in biorefinery- a review

“…Recently, a further improvement of the system in terms of conversion (93%) by using the enzyme free in solution and promoting aglycone extraction by ME process (Fig. 3D) was obtained (Mazzei et al, 2020). The role of the membrane, in this system, was to retain the enzyme and to wash out the glucose from the reaction mixture.…”

Production of α-Tocopherol–Chitosan Nanoparticles by Membrane Emulsification

“…The uniformity of size distribution guaranties predictable and reproducible release profiles with efficient therapeutic effects while the target size is required to achieve a controlled bio-distribution, degradation and clearance [ 17 , 18 ]. Process flexibility has extended the use of membrane emulsification toward the production of many types of structured particles for drug-delivery release [ 19 , 20 ]. The high encapsulation/loading efficiencies of active ingredients and the mild operative conditions used during the process are powerful tools with which the pharmaceutical industry can design highly efficient formulations.…”