Ricerc@Sapienza

Mushrooms represent a formidable source of bioactive compounds. Some of these may be considered as biological response modifiers; these include compounds with a specific biological function: antibiotics (e.g. plectasin), immune system stimulator (e,g, lentinan), antitumor agents (e.g. krestin, PSK) and hypolipidemic agents (e.g. lovastatin) inter alia. In this study, we focused on the Chinese medicinal mushroom "yun zhi", Trametes versicolor, traditionally used for (cit.) "replenish essence and qi (vital energy)".

This paper reports on the first phytochemical analysis ever performed on Jasminum tortuosum Willd. This analysis, mainly carried out by means of column chromatography separation, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, led to the isolation and the identification of four compounds, namely the lignans ginkgool (1) and olivil-4'-O-beta-glucopyranoside (2) and the secoiridoids oleoside dimethyl ester (3) and oleoside 11-methyl ester (4).

The hallmarks of systemic sclerosis (SSc) are endothelial dysfunction and fibrosis of the skin and the internal organs, including the heart. Primary cardiac involvement related to SSc is more related to fibrosis and its complications (1). Recurrent episodes of vasospasm with ischaemia and reperfusion cause abnormal myocardial perfusion with subsequent fibrosis (2). In SSc vascular damage and chronic tissue hypoxia promote angiogenesis with production of pro-angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (3).