Publications by authors named "Massimo Tacchini"

In the current investigation, a comprehensive analysis was carried out on essential oils (EOs) extracted from six aromatic plant species, namely Rosmarinus officinalis, Pelargonium graveolens, Thymus vulgaris, Origanum vulgare, Laurus nobilis, and Aloysia citrodora. An exploration was conducted into the chemical composition using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), antioxidant properties assessed through DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, FRAP, MCA, and PBD assays, ecotoxicological impacts evaluated via allelopathy and the Daphnia magna heartbeat test, as well as bio-pharmacological effects including anticancer activity and gene expression analysis. Results revealed strong antioxidant activity in all essential oils, with T.

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Since ancient times, mushrooms have been considered valuable allies of human well-being both from a dietary and medicinal point of view. Their essential role in several traditional medicines is explained today by the discovery of the plethora of biomolecules that have shown proven efficacy for treating various diseases, including cancer. Numerous studies have already been conducted to explore the antitumoural properties of mushroom extracts against cancer.

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Introduction: Today, alternative strategies based on the use of bioactive compounds have been proposed to reduce mycotoxin contamination and limit the use of chemical fungicides.

Methods: In the present work, several by-products collected from the agri-food chain (i.e.

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(CP) is a common Indian herb, largely employed in Ayurvedic medicine and known for its neuroprotective and neuroinflammatory action. Its effectiveness against several pathologic/sub-pathologic conditions is widely accepted, but it is not yet completely chemically characterized. In recent years, several researchers have pointed out the involvement of CP and other Convolvulaceae in lipidic and glucidic metabolism, particularly in the control of hyperlipidaemia and diabetic conditions.

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Wastes and by-products of plant origin are of particular interest to develop a circular economy approach, which attempts to turn them into resources. In this work, thirty-seven neglected plant matrices, including agricultural residues, pest plants, and by-products from the herbal and food industry were extracted and tested for their in vitro anti-tyrosinase, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity against the phytopathogens pv. ATCC 19310 and subsp.

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Essential oils (EOs) and their vapour phase of (Zingiberaceae), (Poaceae), (Lamiaceae), and (Zingiberaceae) of cultivated plants grown in an Amazonian Ecuador area were chemically characterised by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and Head Space-Gas Chromatograph-Flame Ionization Detector-Mass Spectrometry (HS-GC-FID-MS).figure The EOs analyses led to the identification of 25 compounds for (99.46% of the total; ar-turmerone: 23.

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Little is known about the pharmacological activity of Ammodaucus leucotrichus Coss. & Dur., a small annual species that grows in the Saharan and sub-Saharan countries.

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The ethnobotany of the Sahrawi people considers various species of plants and crude drugs as food, cooking spices and traditional health remedies. From among these, the fruits of Coss. & Dur.

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Excessive melanin production causes serious dermatological conditions as well as minor aesthetic problems (i.e., freckles and solar lentigo).

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Article Synopsis
  • - Three specimens of a plant subspecies were collected in Italy's Abruzzo region for botanical identification and analysis of their essential oils, revealing three distinct chemotypes, including a new one characterized by high levels of (-)-limonen-10-yl-acetate.
  • - Despite concerns about genotoxicity from related compounds reported by the EFSA in 2017, tests indicated that the new chemotype (CIV17-EO) showed no mutagenic activity, supporting its safety for use as a flavoring substance.
  • - The ethanolic extracts of the plants contained beneficial compounds like caftaric, chlorogenic, and rosmarinic acid, demonstrating significant antioxidant activity and slight cytotoxicity against the A549
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Industrial hemp is characterized by a huge amount of by-products, such as inflorescences, that may represent high-quality sources of biomolecules with pharmaceutical interest. In the present study, we have evaluated the phytochemical profile, including terpene and terpenophenolic compounds, of the essential oils (EOs) of , and hemp varieties. The EOs were also tested for antifungal properties toward and .

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Industrial hemp is a multiuse crop that has been widely cultivated to produce fibers and nutrients. The capability of the essential oil (EO) from inflorescences as antimicrobial agent has been reported. However, literature data are still lacking about the hemp EO antiprotozoal efficacy in vivo.

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To avail the possible pharmacological actions of Benth., the present investigation was designed to quantitatively analyze the total flavonoid and phenolic contents and assess the various antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties of leaf and stem bark extracts (ethyl acetate, water and methanolic) of Anti-proliferative effect was also investigated against human colon cancer cells (HCT116) as well as the antimicrobial potential against multiple bacterial and fungal (yeasts and dermatophytes) strains. The methanolic and water extracts of the stem bark demonstrated the highest phenolic content (193.

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To tackle the urgency of smarter crop management, the complex nature of agricultural ecosystems needs to be better understood, employing and combining different techniques and technologies. In this study, untargeted metabolomics and agro-meteorological survey were coupled to study the variation of (L.) Moench metabolome during crop development, in response to environmental and anthropic factors.

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The essential oil (EO), the methanolic (MeOH), and the 70% ethanolic (70% EtOH) extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Mill. (Ecuador) were chemically characterized through gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry detector (GC-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array-mass spectrometry detectors (HPLC-DAD-MS) and studied for their in vitro biological activity. The radical scavenger activity, performed by spectrophotometric 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, highlighted significant IC values for the EO, extracts and their main constituents (eugenol and rosmarinic acid).

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In the search of multifunctional compounds we designed benzimidazole derivatives endowed with phenolic hydroxy groups and a hydrazone moiety as potential radical-scavenger and the antioxidant agents. The target molecules have been prepared by a simple synthetic procedure and tested for their antioxidant activity by DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC test, for photoprotective activity against UV rays and for antiproliferative activity against Colo-38 melanoma cells. Furthermore, two different dermocosmetic formulations were prepared with the compounds endowed with the best antioxidant and photoprotective profile and their release from formulation evaluated using Franz Cells system.

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Three series of arylbenzimidazole derivatives 3-40, 45 have been simply synthesized and tested for their antioxidant capacity. The 2-arylbenzimidazoles were tested against various radicals by the DPPH, FRAP and ORAC tests and showed different activity profiles. It has been observed that the number and position of the hydroxy groups on the 2-aryl portion and the presence of a diethylamino group or a 2-styryl group are related to a good antioxidant capacity.

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Both environmental and economic issues are increasingly pushing for the revalorization of agri-food by-products, including those arising from wine industry. Wastes produced from wine-making processes are important sources of biologically active compounds, mainly phenolic acids and flavonoids, which could be re-used for several applications, for example as additive surrogates or new ingredients in foodstuffs and/or pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the development of methods aimed at isolating, characterizing and quantifying molecules present in winery by-products acquires considerable importance in view of their re-utilization on a large scale.

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Proteasome inhibition represents an important anticancer strategy. Here, we studied the mechanisms at the basis of the pro-apoptotic activity of the standardized decoction of Hemidesmus indicus, a plant evoking a complex anticancer activity, and explored its inhibition of proteasome activity in human leukemia cells. Additionally, we preliminary tested the cytotoxicity of some H.

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Aedes aegypti, the main arbovirus vector of the Yellow fever, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. Preventive control efforts have been implemented worldwide aimed at reducing its impact on human health. The recent reduction of chemicals available for vector control due to their negative impact on the environment and human health and the increase in mosquito resistance to insecticides have driven the research community to identify and evaluate sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides.

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Ruiz & Pav. (Piperaceae) is a perennial aromatic shrub of Amazonian area of Ecuador and Peru, belonging to the ethnomedicine of these countries. The traditional preparations of the crude drug (fresh leaves used topically as is, and dried leaves in infusions or decoctions) are known for anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antidiarrheal, antiparasitic effects, and wound healing properties.

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The ability of anticancer treatments to promote the activation of tumor-reactive adaptive immune responses is emerging as a critical requirement underlying their clinical effectiveness. We investigated the ability of , a promising anticancer botanical drug, to stimulate immunogenic cell death in a human colorectal cancer cell line (DLD1). Here we show that treatment induces tumor cell cytotoxicity characterized by surface expression of calreticulin, increased HSP70 expression and release of ATP and HMGB1.

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In traditional Indian medicine, the crude drug root-commonly known as Indian sarsaparilla-is used alone or in poly-herbal preparations for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. The present study focuses on the cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic potential of extracts on an acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (CCRF-CEM). With this aim in mind, we subjected roots to two subsequent extractions (hydro-alcoholic extraction and soxhlet extraction).

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