Publications by authors named "Valentina Santoro"

Article Synopsis
  • The research investigates the potential of using fennel by-products from Southern Italy by analyzing their chemical properties and health benefits.
  • The study identifies useful compounds in the extracts, like flavonoids and essential amino acids, and highlights trans-anethole and limonene as key components in essential oils.
  • Results show that while the hydroalcoholic extracts have moderate antioxidant activity, the essential oils exhibit antimicrobial properties against several common bacteria, suggesting that fennel waste can be a valuable resource.
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  • Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) leaves were studied for their chemical makeup and health benefits, focusing on making carob farming more sustainable.
  • Key components identified in the leaves include various types of galloylated glucoses and flavonol-glycosides, with high levels of bioactive compounds linked to antioxidant properties.
  • The leaves showed strong inhibitory effects on enzymes related to diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting they may help manage blood sugar levels with minimal side effects.
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Background: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Parkinson's Disease Caregiver Burden questionnaire (PDBC) into Italian language and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version in terms of test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity.

Methods: The PDBC-I was developed by forward-backward translation to establish correspondence with the original English latest version. Psychometric properties were estimated in a sample of primary caregivers of individuals with Parkinson's disease.

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Purpose: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising tools for nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology. The purification of mammalian-derived EVs involves intensive processes, and their therapeutic application raises multiple safety and regulatory issues. Plants have the potential to serve as nonconventional sources of therapeutically relevant EVs.

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Introduction: The current investigation presents a two-fold approach to rediscovering the potential of as a wild edible plant, both in its raw extract form and as a nanoformulated product. Furthermore, the study aimed to promote the valorization of traditional dishes and contribute to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of , thus enhancing economic profits.

Methods: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses were conducted to characterize the metabolite profile of the raw and cooked leaf extracts, and the extract from discarded leaves.

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In the course of the Horizon 2020 project HighNESS, a second moderator concept has been developed for the European Spallation Source, which complements the currently built moderator and is optimized for high intensity with a large viewable surface area. In this work we introduce conceptual designs for neutron instruments for condensed matter research designed to make optimal use of the capabilities of this moderator. The focus is on two concepts for small-angle neutron scattering and one neutron imaging instrument, which are intended to complement corresponding instruments that are already under construction at the European Spallation Source.

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Purpose: Return to work after maternity leave represents a radical change in women's lives. This paper aims to present a new metaphor categorization system based on two studies, which could assist working mothers in expressing the nuances of their experience when returning to work after maternity leave.

Methods: We carried out the analysis of the metaphors according to the method for thematic analysis, through a multistep, iterative coding process.

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Calabrian is one of the most appreciated licorice varieties worldwide, and its leaves are emerging as a valuable source of bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, this biomass is usually discarded, and its valorization could contribute to boost the economic value of the licorice production chain. In this study, the effects of production area and harvest time on the specialized metabolite content of leaves (GGL) and also the antioxidant and anti-aging properties are evaluated to explore the potential of this untapped resource and to select the most optimal harvesting practices.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Plants from the Asteraceae genus, particularly escarole (L.), are nutritious and have medicinal properties due to specialized metabolites like flavonoids and alkaloids.
  • - Discarded external leaves of escarole, considered waste in horticultural practices, were analyzed for their phytochemical profile and health benefits to explore their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • - The study found that extracts from different escarole cultivars showed similar antioxidant abilities, but varied in their effectiveness in cell-based tests, linking these differences to their polyphenol and sesquiterpene content, suggesting potential uses for vegetable by-products in health products.
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  • Chronic venous disease (CVD) is an inflammatory condition that significantly affects quality of life, with recurring symptoms after treatment cessation.
  • Researchers aimed to create a herbal product targeting various aspects of CVD-related inflammation, focusing on plant components like Ruscus aculeatus and Vitis vinifera, along with magnolol.
  • The selected herbal preparation, DMRV-2, showed promise by reducing inflammatory cytokine secretion and inhibiting the activity of inflammatory factors AP-1 and NF-kB in endothelial cells exposed to inflammation.
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Liver cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in the development of systemic therapies, but there is still the need for new drugs and technologies that can increase the survival and quality of life of patients. The present investigation reports the development of a liposomal formulation of a carbamate molecule, reported as ANP0903, previously tested as an inhibitor of HIV-1 protease and now evaluated for its ability to induce cytotoxicity in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.

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  • Several specialized plant metabolites can inhibit enzymes, and this study focused on the phytochemical composition and biological activity of a specific plant.
  • A new lignan compound, rhanteriol, along with seven known metabolites, was isolated using chromatographic techniques, and their ability to inhibit cholinesterase and carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes was tested in vitro.
  • Rhanteriol showed significant inhibitory effects on key enzymes related to diabetes and neurodegeneration, suggesting its potential for developing treatments for these conditions.
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  • A study analyzed the peel extracts of eight lesser-used cultivars from Southern Italy to evaluate their health benefits as by-products, highlighting their rich content of bioactive compounds.
  • All samples contained various polyphenols, including 45 ellagitannins and several flavonoids and anthocyanins, with differences observed in their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties across cultivars.
  • The 'Granato di Aiello del Sabato' cultivar showed significant bioactivity, suggesting it could be better promoted for cultivation and conservation efforts among local farmers.
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Plant extracellular vesicles (EVs) concentrate and deliver different types of bioactive molecules in human cells and are excellent candidates for a next-generation drug delivery system. However, the lack of standard protocols for plant EV production and the natural variations of their biomolecular cargo pose serious limitation to their use as therapeutics. To overcome these issues, we set up a versatile and standardized procedure to purify plant EVs from hairy root (HR) cultures, a versatile biotechnological system, already successfully employed as source of bioactive molecules with pharmaceutical and nutraceutical relevance.

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The present study investigated the potential antioxidant applications of Humulus lupulus L. as raw extract and nanoformulated in liposomes. H.

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A number of analytical studies, started in the sixties of the last century, concerning the stem bark of Geissospermum vellosii, have documented the presence of a number of indole alkaloids whose molecular identity was defined by NMR technique. The potential bioactivity of these compounds has inspired more recent analogous studies either devoted to structural elucidation of new alkaloid molecules or to the investigation of the role of some of them in cancer therapy. Anyway, a complete fingerprinting of the bark content is still lacking.

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(ToBRFV) is a new damaging plant virus of great interest from both an economical and research point of view. ToBRFV is transmitted by contact, remains infective for months, and to-date, no resistant cultivars have been developed. Due to the relevance of this virus, new effective, sustainable, and operator-safe antiviral agents are needed.

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  • Spirulina is a micro-alga known for its health benefits, largely due to bioactive peptides that form during digestion.
  • Various Spirulina-based products are on the market, but research on the bioavailability of these beneficial compounds is limited.
  • A study using simulated digestion found that while Spirulina pasta produced similar peptides as Spirulina powder, the type of fruit in sorbets affected peptide production, with kiwifruit significantly hindering it due to its protease inhibitors.
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Phenolic compounds of red wine powder (RWP) extracted from the Italian red wine have been investigated for the potential immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory capacity on human macrophages. These compounds reduce the secretion of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF- proinflammatory cytokines and increase the release of IL-10 anti-inflammatory cytokine induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, RWP restores Annexin A1 levels, thus involving activation of proresolutive pathways.

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  • Flavonoids, abundant natural compounds in plants, exhibit various activities, particularly notable for their antimicrobial effects against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.
  • Flavonoids can damage bacterial membranes and target essential proteins, showcasing their ability to interact with multiple molecular targets.
  • The research emphasizes flavonoids' potential in combating antibiotic resistance, indicating a promising avenue for developing new treatment strategies.
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In developing countries, crop deterioration is mainly caused by inappropriate storage conditions that promote insect infestation. Synthetic pesticides are associated with serious adverse effects on humans and the environment. Thus, finding alternative "green" insecticides is a very pressing need.

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Hydroxycitrate (HCA), a main organic acid component of the fruit rind of , is a natural citrate analog that can inhibit the ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) enzyme with a consequent reduction of inflammatory mediators (i.e., nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and prostaglandin E (PGE)) levels.

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A new class of foreign substances present in the unsaponifiable fraction of vegetable oils undergone to chemical interesterification was systematically investigated. Their chemical structure, corresponding to dialkyl ketones (DAK) molecules, was elucidated both by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). An analytical protocol aimed to qualitative and quantitative detection of DAK molecules in vegetable oils of confectionery industry interest was developed.

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Interesterification is an industrial transformation process aiming to change the physico-chemical properties of vegetable oils by redistributing fatty acid position within the original constituent of the triglycerides. In the confectionery industry, controlling formation degree of positional isomers is important in order to obtain fats with the desired properties. Silver ion HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) is the analytical technique usually adopted to separate triglycerides (TAGs) having different unsaturation degrees.

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Rationale: Ionic liquids (ILs) are a subject of active research in the field of alternative solvents. We studied the behaviour of a piperidine IL, 1-butyl-1-methylpiperidinium tetrafluoroborate (BMPA), through the elucidation of its transformation products (TPs) in water.

Methods: The transformation pathways of BMPA were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with a hybrid LTQ-Orbitrap instrument on the basis of mass defect filtering.

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