Vytrus Biotech, a Spanish company specializing in active ingredients derived from plant biotechnology for the cosmetics industry, launched its latest research into plant exosomes for plant biotechnology-based skin and hair care at in-cosmetics Global Paris, bringing the concept of "exosomal peptides" to the cosmetics industry.
Exosomes are bounded by a lipid membrane and are naturally secreted by cells. Exosomes contain DNA, RNA, lipids, proteins, cytokines, transcription factor receptors, heat shock proteins, enzymes, antioxidants and other bioactive compounds.
Vytrus considers exosomes to be "natural biological communicators", carrying packets of relevant biological information. In the cosmetics industry, exosomes provide various beneficial properties: anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects, immunomodulatory properties, wound healing, hydration, synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins (collagen, elastin, etc.), skin protection, modulation of the microbiota, skin regeneration and homeostasis, among others.
Recently, the cosmetics industry has seen an explosion around synthetic/biomimetic exosomes (synthetically produced vesicles that have similar functions to exosomes, but a very different structure). However, Vytrus has just unveiled structurally intact natural plant exosomes with all their rich contents, transferred from the plant to the human body via cosmetics. These plant exosomes have the same structure as mammalian exosomes and can therefore penetrate human cells and transmit molecular information very efficiently.
Exosomes produced from plant cell cultures
The biotech company has demonstrated that it can produce and characterize true plant exosomes from plant cell cultures using its biotechnology platforms. Its plant cell cultures feature a high concentration of exosomes compared to traditional plant sources, reaching levels of billions of exosomes/ml. Vytrus' technology platforms make it possible to customize and guide plant cells to produce different types of exosomes for skin and hair care.
Cell cultures from Curcuma longa developed by Vytrus Biotech contain a high concentration of exosomes, on the order of a billion. These exosomes have very interesting applications in improving skin hydration and regeneration, as well as increasing hair density and delaying hair loss.
Vytrus has also developed cell cultures of Centella asiatica with a concentration of exosomes in the billion range. These natural exosomes have the capacity to encapsulate and protect interesting compounds such as growth factors, proteins and peptides. These exosomes from Centella are capable of activating skin gene expression profiles linked to ageing, the skin barrier and hydration in keratinocytes (increased expression of type I collagen, inhibition of elastase, etc.). A cocktail of properties that lead to the reversal of cellular senescence.
Exosomal peptides
Vytrus also turned its attention to the contents of its plant exosomes. After extensive research, the biotech company discovered an astonishing diversity of plant peptides in the contents of its natural plant exosomes, which Vytrus has dubbed "exosomal peptides" for the first time in the cosmetics field. This wide diversity of different peptides identified in Vytrus exosomes constitutes, according to the company, an enormous cocktail of natural plant peptides with anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle activities, among others.
Vytrus says these exosome-based active ingredients are highly effective on skin and hair, and have great potential for cosmetics innovation through sustainable plant biotechnology that is changing consumer demand for skin and hair care.
Photo taken from the vytrus biotech website.
