OLITEC · Bioactive natural compounds extracted and isolated from olive tree using modern technologies: Probing into their therapeutic potential

OLITEC is a collaborative research project between academic community (Universities of Athens-Greece and Paris Descartes-France) and industry (Hitex-France, Lavipharm-Greece and Frutarom-Switzerland) focusing in the advance of new technologies and the development of new products from the olive tree with therapeutic or preventive potential (phytomedicines, food supplement). The main scientific and technological objectives of this project are: a) to develop extraction methods based on the combination of emerging new technologies (Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Adsorption Resin Technology, Accelerated Solvent Extraction and Microwave Associated Extraction) for the preparation of enriched extracts from olive tree leaves, b) to study the chemical composition of the extracts and their variation, depending on the extraction processes, the botanical origin c) to identify bioactive small molecules from the highly complex extract matrix with modern techniques , d) To investigate the preparation of oleocanthal (and analogues) using chemical and/or biotechnological transformations, e) to evaluate the biological activity of the pure isolated compounds and of the extracts, in terms of anti-inflammatory and cancer chemopreventive activity, by direct effect or through anti-angiogenic or neo-vascular disrupting processes, f) to study the transdermal formulation of the bioactive compounds and extracts and to scale up the best process for the preparation of transdermal products, and g) to study the feasibility of the development of a new commercial product and design the next steps of OLITEC results´ exploitation.. The final outcome of OLITEC project will be • The optimized production in pilot scale of extracts enriched in oleuropein (>50%), • the optimized production of oleocanthal (or its analogues) • the development of new transdermal pharmaceutical forms based on the active compounds • and Documentation on the anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity of the products