LOCAL FOOD NUTRACEUTICALS: Local mediterranean food plants: potential new nutraceuticals and current role in the mediterranean diet

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 01.0521

Key words (English)

Agriculture; Economic Aspects; Food; Industrial Manufacture; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK1-CT-2001-00173

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.3 The 'cell factory'

Short description (English)

See abstract

Abstract (English)

The EU health food market requires new products that can be used as high quality health food supplements (HFS). Many rural areas, esp. in the Mediterranean, have locally used a traditional food with potential positive effects on health and on ageing-related pathologies that now are only known by elderly people. The Consortium intends to study this local knowledge ethno-botanically and contribute to the development of new HFS. We plan to evaluate >150 species of food plants in a variety of primary in vitro assays (incl. CRE for memory formation, PPAR mediated transcriptional activity for diabetes type II, a series of 4 cell-based antioxidant assays, inhibition of ecosanoid generation). Active samples will then be studied in mechanistic in vitro/in viva models focusing on the CNS and the cardiovasculac system (CVS), e.g.: free radical generation, membrane fluidity, anti-oxidative enzymes (CNS); vasorelaxant NO, vascular endothelial function (CVS).

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 01.0521