Dr Łyczko and Dr Kozłowska – specialists in unusual solutions

• Dr Jacek Łyczko: – Research on volatile compounds is as volatile as fragrances
• An aromatic appetite-regulating agent is being created at the UPWr
• Which smells make us feel hungry, and which ones make us feel full?
• Fungi enzymes can help in the production of new steroid-based medicine
• Fungi from Lower Silesia could be the key to developing a cure for cancer

Scientists from the Department of Chemistry at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences – Dr Łyczko and Dr Kozłowska are involved in research related to the search for unusual solutions to popular problems of the modern world, such as obesity, or the production of new forms of steroid-based medicine.

Volatile research

Dr Jacek Łyczko is currently conducting two projects at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. One for the National Science Centre, financed under the PRELUDIUM 18 programme, and the other for the National Centre for Research and Development, financed under the LIDER XI programme.

– Research on volatile compounds is difficult, because they are as volatile as the fragrances we are working on. It is not easy to get repetitive results. It is enough that you spin the sample too slowly and differences can already start to appear, so you have to be very careful to keep the results consistent during your research – admits the scientist.

The project carried out under the PRELUDIUM 18 programme is based on mint, and concerns the relationship between the composition of essential oils it contains and the volatile compounds that are released. Dr Łyczko wants to find out how the different composition of the oil can influence the profiles of volatile compounds and learn about their functioning in order to lay the foundations for future use. Essential oils are currently very popular, and fragrances are known to influence many elements of our life, such as our mood. Bad smells irritate us, while fragrances such as lavender calm you down and help you fall asleep, which is why car fragrances never contain a strong smell of lavender.

Dr Łyczko emphasises that oils can have many uses, but they can also be dangerous, which is why he is doing research into them with his team. If you don't know how an oil will react and what it will secrete, you can put yourself at risk – some of them may even contain carcinogens.

– Antimicrobial activity and antioxidant properties are interesting attributes of essential oils. Antimicrobial oils can be used as a feed additive. If eaten by animals, it should make them healthier and not require preventive antibiotic therapy. Oils with both properties can be used in food packaging. They can help extend the shelf life of the food products inside – explains the scientist from the Department of Chemistry at the Wrocław  University of Environmental and Life Sciences.

Appetite control

The project of Dr Łyczko financed by the LIDER XI programme consists of creating appetite regulating measures addressed mainly to the elderly, aged 60-65, and to the overweight and obese. According to Dr Łyczko, it is these groups that particularly need help with appetite regulation.

– Elderly people often suffer from malnutrition caused by less sensitive senses. Eating does not give any pleasure. Pharmacological methods are effective in this case, but their use is not ideal as they interact with medicine for high blood pressure, diabetes and thrombosis. Our solution is to increase the appetite through a pleasant aroma stimulus – explains Dr Łyczko, adding that they want to influence the appetite of overweight people, who constitute 53% of the population, with a similar group of fragrances.

By inducing a sense of being full, the scientist's team wants to help them to sustainably lose weight by reducing their daily calorie intake. 

Which smells affect our appetite?

A smaller appetite is caused by heavy smells associated with after-dinner desserts, such as the smell of dark chocolate or vanilla.

Appetite stimulation is more difficult, but in this case, according to Dr Łyczko, such smells as that of fresh bread, which has been used in aroma marketing for years, work well. The smell of roasted or grilled meat also enhances our appetite.

As Dr Jacek Łyczko admits, he has plenty of ideas for testing volatile compounds. He would like to explore the potential of fragrances in the future and the effect that aroma stimulation can have on humans. Currently, however, he is focusing on both his projects, as well as those of the Waste and Biomass Valorisation Group (WBVG) leading research group, to which he belongs. Supported by the team of Prof. Białowiec, who leads the WBVG, they analyse the emissions of volatile compounds released from waste and waste processing products. On the basis of his research, it will be possible to determine whether the method of their use is safe.

A new era in steroid production?

Dr Ewa Kozłowska is involved in research on biotransformation, i.e. chemical reactions catalysed by enzymes, transforming one chemical into another.

The scientist from the Department of Chemistry at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, as part of the Innovative Scientist project, wants to find out which enzymes are responsible for the transformation of certain steroid compounds. So far, her research has focused on finding new routes for the metabolism of steroid compounds and obtaining new compounds as a result of transformations with whole cells of microorganisms. In her current project, however, she wants to focus more on which enzymes are responsible for specific transformations and on discovering new methods for obtaining specific compounds.

– As catalysts, enzymes are essential to the life of every living organism, because they accelerate chemical reactions taking place in cells. Their most important feature is substrate specificity, i.e. catalysing the reaction of only a very narrow group of compounds. This means that not every chemical molecule can be transformed by a given enzyme, but at the same time it gives a chance that by using structurally similar compounds we can obtain an analogous transformation – explains Dr. Ewa Kozłowska.

Unusual fungi from Lower Silesia

In her research, Dr Kozłowska focuses mainly on entomopathogenic filamentous fungi collected in Lower Silesia. Entomopathogenic fungi attack and develop in insects and arachnids, and their surprising environment influences the very wide range of enzymes they produce. By using these unusual fungi, or more precisely their specific enzymes, it is possible to convert an inexpensive steroidal compound into a more expensive one with more desirable biological activity, such as anti-inflammatory or anti-cancer activity. Thanks to this research, perhaps in the future new compounds will be used in the treatment of cancer or autoimmune diseases.

– My research should find practical use in the pharmaceutical industry. They can be useful for the synthesis of steroid compounds, which are a component of contraceptives, are used in hormone therapy, and as anti-inflammatory medicine used in the treatment of skin diseases, while recently they are also administered to people suffering from COVID-19 – explains the UPWr scientist.

Currently, Dr. Kozłowska is preparing to go on a year-and-a-half internship in Australia, where she will continue to deal with steroid compounds, but at a more advanced level – I will no longer study transformations with whole cells, but with specific enzymes that I will have to immobilise for multiple use to obtain significant amounts of a specific product. We want to achieve a cheap and efficient nanoreactor for the production of steroid compounds for the pharmaceutical industry – says Dr. Kozłowska, who received a Bekker scholarship for this project.

– I sincerely hope that the trip will broaden my horizons, and that I will have totally new research ideas in a year and a half – emphasises the scientist.