Bulgarian Scientists Develop Plant-Based Compound Combination to Support Metabolic Health

A team of scientists from CPSBB and the Laboratory of Metabolomics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) has protected, through a utility model, a newly developed combination of natural bioactive compounds: maackiain, betulinic acid, and piperine. The development is the result of the team’s research on natural compounds with potential to support metabolic health and processes associated with healthy aging.

The findings from the five-year study are obtained through preclinical experiments using the model organism C. elegans. Extensive studies in rodents found no toxic effects under the conditions and doses tested. A clinical study in humans is planned to validate the results based on indicators related to metabolic processes in the human body.

Metabolic disorders and obesity are among the most serious global public-health challenges. This trend is also reflected in the widespread use of the term “globesity” which describes the pandemic-scale spread of obesity worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 2.5 billion adults worldwide were overweight in 2022, while one in eight people globally were living with obesity. The prevalence of obesity has more than doubled since 1990, and analyses indicate that the trend continues to rise globally.

The latest World Obesity Atlas 2025 (an international analytical report on global overweight and obesity trends) shows that the number of adults living with obesity will reach approximately 1.13 billion by 2030. This would represent an increase of more than 115% compared with 2010, when the number was around 524 million. The WHO has also warned that in 2024, approximately 35 million children under the age of five were overweight.

A significant amount of scientific research worldwide has identified links between obesity, impaired metabolic health, and the risk of a range of chronic diseases that can affect both life expectancy and quality of life. Disruptions in energy metabolism, lipid (fat) accumulation, changes in insulin sensitivity, oxidative stress, and inflammatory processes are among the complex mechanisms associated with the development of obesity and other metabolic disorders.

Against this backdrop, scientists from CPSBB and BAS have focused their research on natural compounds that may influence these complex molecular processes. The combination of the newly identified compounds is intended to achieve a synergistic effect on metabolic regulation.

The researchers’ primary objective is the pilot market transfer of a food supplement, with the longer-term goal of developing a pharmaceutical product. The supplement is expected to contain standardized bioactive compounds based on the newly identified combination and will be intended to support metabolic processes in the human body.

Production is planned in partnership with a Bulgarian company with an established track record in the domestic and international food-supplement market.

“Modern science demonstrates that complex health conditions such as metabolic disorders require a multidisciplinary approach. Our goal is not to promote miracle solutions, but to develop scientifically based approaches that pass through all the necessary stages—from the laboratory to real-world application. For Bulgaria, transferring research developments to the market is an important step towards building a scientific innovation ecosystem with genuine social impact,” said Prof. Milen Georgiev, Head of the research team behind the development.

“The market is gradually shifting toward products based not only on popular ingredients, but also on real scientific data. Partnerships between research organizations and industry create an opportunity for Bulgaria to develop a market niche in the science-based products segment—solutions built on research with potential for international development,” said Georgi Filipov, Managing Director of Fortex Nutraceuticals, a Bulgarian company specializing in the production of food supplements, with markets in Bulgaria and nearly 30 countries worldwide.