Introduction

This patent guarantees the exclusivity for the Italian market for the preparation of a nutraceutical extract from food industry by-products such as sour cherry seeds, or sour cherries (Prunus cerasus), compositions that include it and their use in the treatment of muscular atrophy, which has no effective drug therapies to date.

Technical features

The patent guarantees the exclusivity in the Italian market of a process for extracting an extract from the seeds of sour cherry seeds, or sour cherries (Prunus cerasus).

This category of red fruits have the highest content of phyto-nutrients such as polyphenols and anthocyanins, the last are known to have a toning effect on the muscle.

Furthermore, the bioactive molecules obtained from the extract, among other properties, can protect against induced ischemic and reperfusion damage, can have cardioprotective effects, and can have the ability to reduce the expression of inflammatory biomarkers in peripheral blood leukocyte cultures of patients with type II diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

The extraction process protected by the present patent has several advantages including the use of low volumes of extraction solvent and greater purity of the extract.

Possible Applications

• Production of nutraceuticals from waste materials from the food industry;
• Use of the extract and compositions that include it in food supplements;
• Use of food supplements containing the extract in the prevention and treatment of muscle atrophy.

Advantages

• Ultrasonic extraction process, the extract is better than those obtained with Soxhlet extraction;
• Process with low industrial cost and lower environmental impact, which uses waste products from the food industry;
• The extract stimulates in vivo the proliferation of stem cells of healthy skeletal muscle or in the presence of muscle atrophy induced by ageing and disuse.