Publications by authors named "L Ragona"

We describe here the synthesis of ultrasmall Pt nanoparticles (NPs) obtained by a robust and reliable protocol using UV-Vis photoreduction of a platinum salt precursor, under continuous flow conditions. These ligand-free Pt NPs were rapidly dispersed onto a solid support or stabilized towards aggregation as a colloidal solution by the addition of an appropriate ligand in the reaction mixture. The proposed protocol exploits a microfluidic platform where the Pt precursor is photo-reduced to small Pt NPs (1.

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a critical global health crisis. An innovative strategy to deal with AMR is to interfere with biofilm formation and bacterial quorum sensing (QS). In this study, newly designed autoinducer-2 (AI-2)-inspired compounds in targeting biofilm-associated infections were evaluated for their ability to inhibit biofilm formation in and .

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This study delves into the early aggregation process of the Aβ1-40 amyloid peptide, elucidating the associated oligomers distribution. Motivated by the acknowledged role of small oligomers in the neurotoxic damage linked to Alzheimer's disease, we present an experimental protocol for preparing 26-O-acyl isoAβ1-40, a modified Aβ1-40 peptide facilitating rapid isomerization to the native amide form at neutral pH. This ensures seed-free solutions, minimizing experimental variability.

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The aberrant activation of the fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2)/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signalling pathway drives severe pathologies, including cancer development and angiogenesis-driven pathologies. The perturbation of the FGF2/FGFR axis via extracellular allosteric small inhibitors is a promising strategy for developing FGFR inhibitors with improved safety and efficacy for cancer treatment. We have previously investigated the role of new extracellular inhibitors, such as rosmarinic acid (RA), which bind the FGFR-D2 domain and directly compete with FGF2 for the same binding site, enabling the disruption of the functional FGF2/FGFR interaction.

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Water-blown polyurethane (PU) foams were prepared by bio-polyols from epoxidized linseed oils and caprylic acid in combination with toluene diisocianate (TDI). A series of terpenes (menthol, geraniol, terpineol, and borneol), natural compounds with recognized antibacterial properties, were included in the starting formulations to confer bactericidal properties to the final material. Foams additivated with Irgasan, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial molecule, were prepared as reference.

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