Ricerc@Sapienza

The essential oil (EO), the methanolic (MeOH), and the 70% ethanolic (70% EtOH) extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Ocimum campechianum 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 effects of nitrogen (N) deposition, tropospheric ozone (O3) and their interaction were investigated in two Mediterranean tree species, Fraxinus ornus L. (deciduous) and Quercus ilex L. (evergreen), having different leaf habits and resource use strategies. An experiment was conducted under controlled condition to analyse how nitrogen deposition affects the ecophysiological and biochemical traits, and to explore how the nitrogen-induced changes influence the response to O3.

Alkaloids have always attracted scientific interest due to either their positive or negative effects on human beings. This review aims to summarize their antioxidant effects by both classical in vitro scavenging assay and at the cellular level. Since most in vitro studies used the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay, the results from those studies are summed up in the first part of the article.

Female strobilus inflorescences (hops or cones) from Humulus lupulus L., commonly named hop cones or hops, are widely used in the brewing industry as preservative and flavouring additives, as well as in traditional medicine as remedies for mild sleeping disorders and as bitter stomachic. Polyphenolic compounds, mainly prenylflavonoids (viz. xanthohumol), catechins and procyanidins represent some of the characteristic phytoconstituents.

Torpedino di Fondi (TF) is a hybrid tomato landrace developed in Sicily and recently introduced in the south Lazio area along with the classical San Marzano (SM) cultivar. The present study aimed at characterizing TF tomatoes at both pink and red ripening stages, and at comparing them with traditional SM tomatoes. A multidisciplinary approach consisting of morphological, chemical (FT‐ICR MS, NMR, HPLC, and spectrophotometric methods), and biological (antioxidant and antifungal in vitro activity) analyses was applied.

The aim of the present work is to develop nanoemulsions (NEs), nanosized emulsions, manufactured for
improving the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In particular, nanoemulsions composed of
Neem seed oil, contain rich bioactive components, and Tween 20 as nonionic surfactant were prepared.
A mean droplet size ranging from 10 to 100nm was obtained by modulating the oil/surfactant ratio.
Physicochemical characterisation was carried out evaluating size, f-potential, microviscosity, polarity and

The production of low alcohol beer (LAB) with a full and well-balanced flavour is still now a complex challenge because of the
different flavour profile they have compared to regular beers. In this study, a brown ale beer was used to obtain a low alcohol beer
by osmotic distillation in a small pilot plant. Beer-diluted carbonated solutions were used as strippers and were taken under flux
of CO2 in order to contrast loss of volatiles from beer during the process. A forced carbonation was applied on LAB to avoid the

Due to renewed interest in the cultivation and production of Italian Cannabis sativa L., we
proposed a multi-methodological approach to explore chemically and biologically both the essential
oil and the aromatic water of this plant. We reported the chemical composition in terms of
cannabinoid content, volatile component, phenolic and flavonoid pattern, and color characteristics.
Then, we demonstrated the ethnopharmacological relevance of this plant cultivated in Italy as a

A series of benzo[b]thiophen-3-ols were synthesised and investigated as potential human monoamine oxidase (hMAO) inhibitors in vitro as well as ex vivo in rat cortex synaptosomes by means of evaluation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid/dopamine (DOPAC/DA) ratio and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Most of these compounds possessed high selectivity for the MAO-B isoform and a discrete antioxidant and chelating potential.

In the present work, the preparation, characterization and therapeutic potential of baicalin-loaded nanohydrogels are reported. The nanohydrogels were prepared by sonicating (S nanohydrogel) or autoclaving (A nanohydrogel) a dispersion of cholesterol-derivatized gellan in phosphate buffer. The nanohydrogel obtained by
autoclave treatment showed the most promising results: smaller particles (∼362 nm vs. ∼530 nm), higher
homogeneity (polydispersity index = ∼0.24 vs. ∼0.47), and lower viscosity than those obtained by sonication.