Résumé : |
several classes of pigments to become colourful. Melanin pigments most commonly appear in bird feathers and bare parts. They confer black, brown and chestnut hues. Carotenoids are a second group of colouring bio-chemicals in birds. These two types of pigment-based coloration are found in nearly every order of extant birds. In contrast, parrots harbour bright-coloured pigments in their feathers, which have different structures. As many coloured substances perform free-radicals scavenging action, and parrots have quite a long life-span, the aims of our study were to identify the structures of these substances, to try their synthesis, to study their performances and the possibility of use in cosmetics, while overcoming stability problems. Efficacy studies were also programmed, in order to compare them with known anti-age molecules. The main findings of our study concern the identification of a structural moiety that could create a new family of molecules with high functionality. This example could open up the field of research for new functional molecules derived from animal or vegetal metabolism, which so far have been neglected because of their high instability. |