IT Tralee - Shannon ABC

Experience

Extract developed from the unprocessed bark of the willow tree will be supplied to IT Tralee. This will be characterised for its biochemical antioxidant activity (ORAC), biological antioxidant activity (cell culture) and biological anti-inflammatory activity (cell culture). This will provide a baseline activity level against which subsequent work can be benchmarked, and will therefore also contribute to activity 2. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) will be used to separate the willow bark extract according to molecular weight. Fractions collected from the SEC will be characterised for their biochemical antioxidant activity, biological antioxidant activity and biological anti-inflammatory activity. This will identify which fractions contain the highest levels of bioactivity with respect to anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Fractions with the highest levels of activity will be applied a liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy system to achieve a first pass level of molecule identification.