A new method of obtaining mixoxanthophylls from Arthrospira platensis dye extracts (from spirulina) for use in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries

Mixoxanthophylls are carotenoid glycosides and they occur in cells of many species of cyanobacteria, including the commercially produced Arthrospira platensis (spiruline), which is used in food and cosmetic industries. Currently, there are over 600 known carotenoid dyes isolated from natural products and about 200 compounds belonging to this group, obtained synthetically or modified by human.

Carotenoids are produced by all photosynthesizing organisms that have chlorophyll. In plants and some microorganisms they are natural dyes and strong antioxidants. The antioxidant properties of carotenoids make that as a component of the human diet they show extensive pro-health effect, including anti-cancer. A diet rich in carotenoids protects eyes from the adverse effects of UV radiation, lowers the risk of macular degeneration as well as favorable affects the level of cholesterol in the blood. Carotenoids are also used in the cosmetics industry, especially as components of anti-aging cosmetics, anti-acne and depigmentation treatments. Some carotenoids are used extensively in the production of food and drinks as natural dyes, and in animal production to improve the color of the meat poultry and fish, and egg yolks

The predominance of the hydrophobic properties of carotenoids is the cause of their low solubility in water, which often results in limited bioavailability, as well as difficulties in obtaining these compounds from natural sources, which contributes to the high market prices of purified preparations.Thanks to unique structure of the molecule (the presence of sugar component) mixoxanthophylls have the potential to connect the antioxidant properties of carotenoids with increased solubility in the aquatic environment.Numerous methods of obtaining pure mixoxanthophylls from cyanobacteria cells are known and described. However, they are characterized by a multistage procedure and usually requires an combination of two or more division techniques, precipitation and / or chromatography. It contributes to increasing both time and cost. Additionally, depending on the reagents used, mixoxanthophylls fractions obtained by division techniques and precipitation may contain significant admixtures of other metabolites (including chlorophylls, other carotenoids, lipids), detectable by chromatographic methods and / or spectroscopic.

The new invention of the Jagiellonian University does not have these drawbacks. The subject of the hereby offer is a new method enabling the acquisition of mixoxanthophylls preparations of high purity from dye extracts from cells of Arthrospira platensis or other species cyanobacteria, regardless of the method used extraction techniques. This method is based on a preliminary extracting dyes from cyanobacterial cells or Arthrospira platensis commercially available dry biomass into the liquid phase followed by isolation fraction containing mixoxanthophylls by single-step adsorption chromatography.

Purified preparations of mixoxanthophylls are not currently available on the market.

Thanks to this, the offered technology stands out the following advantages:

• possibility of obtaining mixoxanthophylls as a pure substance in relatively large amounts using simple liquid chromatography
• greater simplicity of the method compared to the current used methods;
• confirmed by an independent laboratory high purity level (above 95%) of preparations containing mixoxanthophylls;
• possibility of using mixoxanthophylls in the pharmaceutical industry as a therapeutic substance and/or in the cosmetics industry as an protective ingredient.

The offered solution is patent pending.

Currently Center for Technology Transfer CITTRU is looking for entities interested in cooperating with commercialization of this innovation, especially in the field of acquiring a license for the described new method and its usage.

Desired business relationship

Technology selling

Patent licensing

Joint ventures

Technology development

Applications

For use in the pharmaceutical industry as a therapeutic substance and/or in the cosmetics industry as an protective ingredient.