HYPER-MASTIC project description

Chios Mastic consists one of the oldest, purely Greek herbal remedies and it has been registered by the EU as a product of Protected Designation of Origin. It is the resin of Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia, which grows exclusively in the southern territory of Chios island, Greece. Its action against helicobacter pylori is proven, while in 2015 it was recognized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as a phytotherapeutic with certain therapeutic indications.

Numerous new studies indicate the beneficial properties of Chios Mastic both for the liver and in auto-immune diseases of the intestine. New experimental studies of the researching network, support the possible beneficial effect of Chios mastic on the cardiovascular system, particularly on hypertension, which is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular death worldwide. This possible antihypertensive effect of Chios Mastic is the main reason for the commence of the HYPER-MASTIC research project.

HYPER-MASTIC’s subject is the research, development and commercial production of unique phytotherapeutic products with hypertensive action, based on Chios Mastic. The project will study both the raw material (resin) and new, innovative formulations that will be formed with the cooperation of Academic and Corporate Institutions. In fact, these institutions already have extensive cooperation, as well as preliminary results available, to support Chios Mastic’s possible antihypertensive action.

Within the HYPER-MASTIC project, "green" technologies for extraction and isolation of Chios Mastic will be used, to chemically determine its bioactive components. Furthermore, new, innovative quality control technologies will be developed, to reduce the spread of adulteration phenomena. During the project, both cellular and in vivo experimental models will be deployed, to determine the biological activity and safety of Chios Mastic products.

At the same time, a new phytotherapeutic product based on Chios Mastic will be developed, the antihypertensive action of which will be studied in a randomized clinical study. That study will be combined with both bioavailability studies and the application of modern approaches (metabolic, genomic), to investigate the acting mechanism of Chios Mastic components in humans.