Publications by authors named "Maria E Di Cocco"

Pecan nuts ( (Wangenh.) K. Koch) contain the highest number of phytochemicals of all nuts, are a natural source of unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients and can be considered an important addition to the Mediterranean diet al.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The research focuses on two Italian hazelnut varieties, 'Tonda Gentile Romana' and 'Tonda di Giffoni', which are recognized for their quality and are studied using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques to understand their unique seed structures.
  • TD-NMR experiments identified that 'Tonda Gentile Romana' has five distinct relaxation components, while 'Tonda di Giffoni' has four, with specific components linked to lipid molecules and cytoplasmic water.
  • Temperature changes during the experiments showed a surprising phase transition in the oil of the 'Tonda Gentile Romana', highlighting differences in matrix mobility and structure between the two cultivars.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The development of the human gut microbiota is characterized by a dynamic sequence of events from birth to adulthood, which make the gut microbiota unique for everyone. Its composition and metabolism may play a critical role in the intestinal homeostasis and health. We propose a study on a single mother-infant dyad to follow the dynamics of an infant fecal microbiota and metabolome changes in relation to breast milk composition during the lactation period and evaluate the changes induced by introduction of complementary food during the weaning period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Brassicaceae family provides several crops which are worldwide known for their interesting phytochemical profiles, especially in terms of content of glucosinolates. These secondary metabolites show several beneficial effects toward consumers' health, and several studies have been conducted to identify cultivation factors affecting their content in crops. One of the agronomic practices which is attracting growing interest is the organic one, which consists in avoiding the use of mineral fertilizers as well as pesticides.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The rationale inspiring the discovery of lead compounds for the treatment of human parasitic protozoan diseases from natural sources is the well-established use of medicinal plants in various systems of traditional medicine. On this basis, we decided to select an overlooked medicinal plant growing in central Italy, Desr. (Lamiaceae), which has been used as a traditional remedy against protozoan diseases, and to investigate its potential against Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The winemaking process produces a huge number of pomaces that generally are used for energy purposes. Further valuable applications such as health-promoting properties are still under investigation. The seeds of the white berries of Mantonico and Pecorello were extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus, using -hexane and chloroform as solvents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Several epidemiological studies demonstrate that moderate (red) wine consumption may afford protection against cardiovascular diseases. Protection is ascribed to the biological activity of wine components, many of which, however, are discarded during winemaking. In vitro rat thoracic aorta rings contracted with phenylephrine or KCl were used to assess the vasorelaxant activity of extracts from wine pomaces (seeds and skins) of the Calabrian autochthonous grape variety Magliocco dolce (Arvino).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The water-holding capacity (WHC) is among the key factors in determining the quality of meat and its value, which is strongly influenced by the content and quality of the connective tissue proteins like collagen. Therefore, the factors that influence the proteins' stability, e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this work, the first phytochemical analysis ever performed on the unripe female cones of W. G. Jones, K.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inflammatory bowel disease and food allergies are a growing topic in the field of nutrition science. Polyphenols, which are the most important secondary metabolites of plants, demonstrated to modulate the expression and/or production of numerous proteins, but also to regulate the intestinal ecosystem. In this context, our aim was the investigation of protective effects against the gastrointestinal mucosa of fortified milk kefir obtained by adding seeds extract from Sangiovese .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The study focuses on the understanding, at molecular level, the mechanism of interaction between protein and flavonoids. Collagen and catechin interactions were investigated by NMR in solution and solid state. The effect of catechin on the stability of collagen to oxidation was also explored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bacterial canker of , caused by the bacterium pv. (Psa), is the most serious disease of these plants worldwide. Leaves of three species of , namely var.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An undescribed labdane-like diterpene with a rare spiro-β-lactone function was identified from the ethanol extract of the male cones of the coniferous tree Wollemia nobilis. This spirolabdadienolide (IUPAC name: syn-ent-8(17),13-labdadien-19,18-olid-15-oic acid methyl ester; trivial name: wollemolide), was isolated by means of traditional and high performance chromatography techniques and structurally elucidated through NMR and MS. In addition, six further known metabolites were evidenced in the extract.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this work, the phytochemical profile of the ethanolic extract of Euphorbia peplus L. collected in Central Italy, was reported. This specimen had never been studied before and the analysis was accomplished by means of Column Chromatography for the separation procedure and by means of NMR Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry for the identification step.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The metabolic profiling of pistachio (Pistacia vera) aqueous extracts from two different cultivars, namely 'Bianca' and 'Gloria', was monitored over the months from May to September employing high field NMR spectroscopy. A large number of water-soluble metabolites were assigned by means of 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The change in the metabolic profiles monitored over time allowed the pistachio development to be investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carrots are usually consumed in their native form or processed into many different products. Carrot juice is a popular beverage consumed throughout the world and is attracting increasing attention due to its nutritional value, being a natural source of bioactive compounds. Ready-to-drink carrot juices produced in the same factory were analyzed by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The responses of Hypericum perforatum root cultures to chitosan elicitation had been investigated through (1)H-NMR-based metabolomics associated with morpho-anatomical analyses. The root metabolome was influenced by two factors, i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Acetic acid acts as a signal molecule, strongly enhancing xanthone biosynthesis in Hypericum perforatum root cultures. This activity is specific, as demonstrated by the comparison with other short-chain monocarboxylic acids. We have recently demonstrated that Hypericum perforatum root cultures constitutively produce xanthones at higher levels than the root of the plant and that they respond to chitosan (CHIT) elicitation with a noteworthy increase in xanthone production.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Apple scab, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, is the most serious disease of the apple worldwide. Two cultivars (Malus domestica), having different degrees of resistance against fungi attacks, were analyzed by (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Aqueous and organic extracts of both apple flesh and skin were studied, and over 30 metabolites, classified as organic acids, amino acids, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, lipids, sterols, and other metabolites, were quantified by means of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR experiments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High-resolution proton NMR spectroscopy was performed on three Italian hazelnut cultivars, Tonda di Giffoni, Mortarella and Tonda Gentile Romana, and it allowed to define their metabolic profile. The hazelnuts were grown in the same pedoclimatic conditions in the Monti Cimini (Latium) area. The samples were obtained by using a modified Bligh-Dyer extraction protocol which did not give rise to artefacts arising from the demolition of macromolecular structures such as proteins and polysaccharides.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The metabolic profiling of aqueous extracts of Zespri Gold ( Actinidia chinensis ) and CI.GI (a controlled crossbreed from different species of Actinidia deliciosa ) kiwifruits and the water state of the outer pericarp of entire fruits were monitored over the season by means of high-field NMR spectroscopy and T(2) relaxation time measurements, respectively, and compared with the corresponding ones of Hayward kiwifruits previously investigated. A more complete assignment of the (1)H spectrum with respect to that obtained previously was reported: histidine, phenylalanine, quercetin 3-rhamnoside, and epicatechin were identified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of 13 steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in bovine milk is presented. Due to their weakly acid nature, analytes were separated by ion suppression reversed phase chromatography and detected in positive-ion mode by a high flow electrospray source. Dexamethasone-d4 was used as internal standard.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the systemic effects of an isotonic sports drink on the metabolic status of athletes of the Italian Olympic rowing team during recovery after strenuous and prolonged physical exercise by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics analysis on plasma and urine.

Methods: Forty-four male athletes of the Italian Olympic rowing team were enrolled in a double-blind crossover study. All subjects underwent 2 evaluations at 1-week intervals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An amidic derivative of a carboxymethylcellulose-based hydrogel was obtained and characterized in terms of amidation degree. NMR studies and FT-IR imaging spectroscopy demonstrated that the reaction allowed a polymer to be obtained that was characterized by a regular distribution of amidic groups along the polysaccharide chains. Through this regularity, a homogenous three-dimensional scaffold was obtained, which maintained the thixotropic property of the linear polysaccharide.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors structurally related to Tacrine, 6-methoxytacrine (1a) and 9-heptylamino-6-methoxytacrine (1b), and their interaction with Electrophorus Electricus AChE were investigated. The complete assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 1a and 1b was performed by mono-dimensional and homo- and hetero-correlated two-dimensional NMR experiments. This study was undertaken to elucidate the interaction modes between AChE and 1a and 1b in solution, using NMR.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF