The Mediterranean Species Calendula officinalis and Foeniculum vulgare as Valuable Source of Bioactive Compounds.

Research studies on plant secondary metabolites have increased over the last decades as a consequence of the growing consumer demand for natural products in pharmaceutics and therapeutics, as well as in perfumery and cosmetics. In this perspective, many Mediterranean plant species could be an appreciated source of bioactive compounds with pharmacological and health-promoting properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor ones. Calendula officinalis and Foeniculum vulgare are commercially important plants of the Mediterranean flora, with great therapeutic use in the treatment of many disorders since ancient times, and are now listed in several world pharmacopoeias and drug agencies. The present review offers an overview of the main phytochemicals, phenols, terpenes, and alkaloids, biosynthesized in C. officinalis and F. vulgare, both species endemic to the Mediterranean region. Further, all current knowledge and scientific data on taxonomic classification, botanical description, traditional uses, pharmacological studies, and potential toxicity of both species were reported. The principal aim of this review is to point out the prospective use of C. officinalis and F. vulgare as valuable reservoirs of beneficial plant-derived products with interesting biological properties, also providing suggestions and future challenges for the full exploitation of these two Mediterranean species for human life improvement.

Frailty, psychological well-being, and social isolation in older adults with cognitive impairment during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: data from the GeroCovid initiative.

BACKGROUND: The containment measures linked to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the phyco-physical well-being of the population, especially older adults with neurocognitive disorders (NCDs). This study aims to evaluate whether the frailty of NCD patients was associated with different changes in multiple health domains, in particular in relation to loneliness and social isolation, pre- and post-lockdown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were recruited from 10 Italian Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia. Data were collected in the pre-pandemic period (T0), during the pandemic lockdown (T1), and 6-9 months post-lockdown (T2). The UCLA Loneliness Scale-3, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL (IADL), Mini-Mental State Examination, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were administered. Caregivers' burden was also tested. Patients were categorized as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail according to the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness, and Loss of Weight scale. RESULTS: The sample included 165 subjects (61.9% women, mean age 79.5 ± 4.9 years). In the whole sample, the ADL, IADL, and NPI scores significantly declined between T0 and T2. There were no significative variations in functional and cognitive domains between the frail groups. During lockdown we recorded higher Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and Perceived Stress Scale scores in frail people. In multivariable logistic regression, frailty was associated with an increase in social isolation, and a loss of IADL. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a global deterioration in functional and neuro-psychiatric domains irrespective of the degree of frailty. Frailty was associated with the worsening of social isolation during lockdown. Frail patients and their caregivers seemed to experience more anxiety and stress disorders during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Chemometric Screening of Fourteen Essential Oils for Their Composition and Biological Properties.

Essential oils (EOs) obtained from aromatic plants are widely used worldwide, especially in cosmetic and food products due to their aroma and biological properties and health benefits. Some EOs have significant antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, and thus could effectively increase the shelf lives of foodstuff and beverages. In this study, fourteen essential oils (clove, eucalyptus, fennel, lavender, oregano, palmarosa, pepper, star anise, tea tree, turmeric, Chinese yin yang, Japanese yin yang, and ylang ylang) from different medicinal plant families were screened by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for their different chemical profiles and bioassays were performed to assess their antifungal and antioxidant activities. The results obtained were assessed by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA distinguished six groups characterized by different terpene chemotypes. Amongst the EOs studied, the clove EO showed the strongest antioxidant activity characterized by an EC50 of 0.36 µL/mL. The oregano EO had the greatest antiyeast activity characterized by a minimal inhibitory concentration of 10 µL/mL. In conclusion, clove and oregano EOs are strong antifungal and antioxidant agents, respectively, with great potential in the food industry to avoid spoilage and to increase shelf life.

Effect of Olive Mill Wastewater Spreading on Soil Properties.

The effect of untreated olive mill wastewater (OMW) spreading on chemical and biological soil properties of two different fields located in Campania (Italy) was investigated. Fields were irrigated since 2003 with quantities of about 30 m(3) ha(-1) year(-1), a volume lower than the maximum limit of 80 m(3) ha(-1) year(-1) established by Italian law. Results showed that the addition of OMW, even if repeated for many years, had little impact on pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, concentrations of main cations and polyphenolic content of both soil plots; moreover, microbial respiration was low during the winter time, but an increase was evident in the second sampling carried out in warm season. This study suggests that OMW, without pre-treatments, can be annually used for crops and tree irrigation. As a consequence, OMW should be a readily and inexpensive source of nutrients that could replace chemical fertilizers which are extensively employed in agricultural practices of Mediterranean countries.

Natural Antioxidant Potential of Melon Peels for Fortified Foods.

Agricultural and food waste recycling reduces natural resource losses, contributing significantly to the development of new green markets through the creation of redesigned products. In order to cycle valuable molecules, the peels from Italian cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars were studied and successfully characterized for high-added biomolecules to verify their possible exploitation as wealthy biomasses. Peels were investigated for their cell wall-modifying and browning enzymes, as well as for total polyphenols, ortho-diphenols, flavonoids, tannins, and antioxidant properties. The results of the analyses displayed great promise in one of the three cultivars investigated. Later on, a preliminary study using the best peel extract as a dietary supplement was carried out by preparing fortified seawater to enhance its antioxidant power. The effects of storage time (60 days) were examined at two temperatures through the determination of the stability of the polyphenol content. The kinetic parameters of degradation were also calculated. The "enriched sea water" retained great antioxidant activity in refrigerated conditions, demonstrating that there is good potential for melon by-products to add their natural compounds for food fortification. These findings may provide valuable data for scale-up, from the lab to the pilot or industrial application.

What do we learn from the clinical and biological evaluation of the oral cavity in centenarians?

The number of centenarians is rapidly increasing worldwide and so are the studies on this segment of the population. A general consensus in the literature is that healthy longevity is an outcome of multiple factors, but the interrelationship between good oral health and healthy aging remains not fully understood. As part of the "CaT: Centenari a Trieste" study, a population-based cohort study set in Trieste, Italy, we report here the results of subjective self-reported oral health parameters and objective clinical and biological oral variables and their association with cognitive impairment in 25 centenarians enrolled in the study from September 2017 to May 2019. Oral health-related variables were recorded by means of a self-evaluation questionnaire and a comprehensive oral examination of teeth, prostheses and mucosae conducted by a trained dentist. In addition, 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) taste perception and salivary oxidative stress markers, specifically the Total Oxidative Status and Ferric Reducing Ability of Saliva, were measured. Finally, the oral data obtained were compared with the presence or absence of dementia in the enrolled subjects. The centenarians included in our study were generally satisfied with their oral health. Among the causes of discomfort, the most prevalent were difficulties in chewing and biting, with few subjects describing a correlation between their oral health and psycho-social issues. We evaluated possible relations of clinical and biological variables to the likelihood of being demented and did not find significant associations. We found a higher though not statistically significant mean salivary flow and antioxidant capacity of saliva in non-demented subjects. When evaluating the PROP taste perception profile, we found a higher proportion of supertasters compared with previous studies and different taste perception profiles according to dementia. Despite the relatively small number of participants, we believe that our study contributes to a better understanding of the clinical and biological profile of the oral cavity in subjects aged over 100 years, encouraging the inclusion of a comprehensive evaluation of the oral cavity in centenarian studies performed worldwide.

UPLC-MS/MS method for analysis of sphingosine 1-phosphate in biological samples.

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (negative ion-electrospray ionization) methodology to determine sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and sphinganine 1-phosphate (DH-S1P) in biological samples is described. The method has been validated over the linearity range of 2-100ng/ml (r>0.999) using synthetic C(17)-sphingosine 1-phosphate (C17-S1P) as an internal standard. In multiple reaction monitoring analysis (378.2>79.2), the lower limit of quantification for S1P was 5.0ng/ml but the detection limit for the bioactive lipid was below 5pg (12fmol). Chromatographic separation was achieved on a UPLC BEH Hilic column with a binary mobile phase consisting of 30mM ammonium acetate (pH 4.0) and acetonitrile/MeOH/30mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4.0). The methodology detected 176.7+/-54.0ng/ml of S1P and 81.2+/-23.3ng/ml of DH-S1P in human plasma, as well as 201.0+/-72.0ng/ml of S1P and 96.5+/-20.1ng/ml of DH-S1P in mice plasma.

Characterization of Polyphenolic Compounds in Cantaloupe Melon By-Products.

The Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), which includes several crops of great economic importance worldwide, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, and it is well recognized for culinary and medicinal purposes. The high fruit consumption produces a large quantity of waste materials, such as peels and seeds that are still rich in molecules like polyphenols, carotenoids, and other biologically active components that possess a positive influence on human health and wellness. A sustainable development in agro-food and agro-industry sectors could come through the reutilization and valorization of these wastes, which in turn, could result in reducing their environmental impact. The current study provides a biochemical characterization of cantaloupe by-products, peels and seeds, through evaluating total polyphenols, ortho-diphenols, flavonoids, and tannins content. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity was assessed in order to understand potential benefits as natural antioxidants. Overall, the peel extract revealed the highest radical's scavenging and reducing activities, moreover, it showed higher polyphenolic content than seed extract as revealed by both cromatographic and spectrophotometric analyses. The results of the present study indicate that the melon residues are a good source of natural phytochemicals useful for many purposes, such as ingredients for nutraceutic, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical industries, development of functional ingredients and new foods, and production of fertilizers and animal feed.

The Effect of Processing Methods on Phytochemical Composition in Bergamot Juice.

Experimental and epidemiological studies show a positive relation between consumption of citrus juices and reduction of risk for some chronic disorders, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In particular, the bergamot juice is characterized by noticeable amounts of phytochemicals such as flavanone glycosides, limonoids, and quaternary ammonium compounds, all health-beneficial biomolecules. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-diabetic activities attributed to these compounds depending on their chemical structure. However, nutritional content of bergamot juice may vary as consequence of different processing techniques, thus needing to address this claim. For this reason, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of different processing systems on the proximate constituents, the composition, and the antioxidant activity of the correspondent juices. Overall, the results indicate that the process employed may influence the chemical composition and the functional properties of the ended juice. Screw press method produced a juice with greater content of flavanone glycosides (ranged from 37 to 402 mg/L) and limonoid aglycones (ranged from 65 to 67 mg/L) than the other processes (p < 0.001). However, the process used for extraction of bergamot juice did not affect significantly the N,N-dimethyl-L-proline content (p < 0.5). Moreover, the screw press juice showed the highest antioxidant activity with EC50 value of 9.35 µg/mL, thus suggesting that this method maintains for health the nutritional quality of a fresh-pressed juice.

Characterization of essential oil recovered from fennel horticultural wastes.

Fennel crop has been traditionally used as spice in cooking and fragrances, and in folk medicine for its spectrum of useful properties. Mediterranean is the elective natural cultivation area for this plant with Italy being a leader producer. A limit of this production is due to the high amount of wastes derived still rich of phytochemicals, which are usually underused. Hence, the extraction and characterization of essential oil from residues of fennel horticultural market was investigated to understand the potential profit of their recycling. Forty-eight compounds resulted for fennel oil waste, analysed by GC-FID-MS, with the most abundant among components was anethole. Other constituents contributing to fennel flavour were the monoterpenes limonene and nerol. The exploitation of this oil as a good source of bioactive compounds was assessed by means of its antioxidant power measured with DPPH test.

Recovery of bioactive molecules from chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) by-products through extraction by different solvents.

The underutilised forest and industrial biomass of Castanea sativa (Mill.) is generally discarded during post-harvest and food processing, with high impact on environmental quality. The searching on alternative sources of natural antioxidants from low-cost supplies, by methods involving environment-friendly techniques, has become a major goal of numerous researches in recent times. The aim of the present study was the set-up of a biomolecules extraction procedure from chestnut leaves, burs and shells and the assessing of their potential antioxidant activity. Boiling water was the best extraction solvent referring to polyphenols from chestnut shells and burs, whereas the most efficient for leaves resulted 60% ethanol at room temperature. Greatest polyphenol contents were 90.35, 60.01 and 17.68 mg gallic acid equivalents g-1 in leaves, burs and shells, respectively. Moreover, flavonoids, tannins and antioxidant activity were assessed on the best extract obtained from each chestnut by-product.

UV-based evaluation of ergosterol for monitoring the fungal exposure in Italian buffalo farms.

This study provided a reliable way to identify and estimate the ergosterol in farm environments, since it is renowned that it is a specific indicator for the occurrence of molds and yeasts. The quick valuation of exposure to airborne microorganisms is essential to assess the risk to which the health of employees is subjected in working places characterized by great humidity. From this view, it is worth estimating the total biomass of molds and yeast, including viable and non-viable forms, which may cause respiratory concerns to human. Air samples were collected with a passive method and the microbial growth was evaluated with a traditional counting method. At the same time, the ergosterol was quantified from yeasts and molds. In this way, the aerosol concentrations of molds and yeasts were compared by using the two methods, the cultivation on plates, as well as through ergosterol measurement by means of UV spectroscopy. Results showed, for the first time, a positive correlation between the amount of ergosterol and the yeast cells. Based on these outcomes, the ergosterol is a statistically significant biomarker to be used to control the air quality of indoor and outdoor farm spaces, by means of a simple and direct UV procedure.

Glycation in Demetalated Superoxide Dismutase 1 Prevents Amyloid Aggregation and Produces Cytotoxic Ages Adducts.

Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) has been implicated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) through accumulation of protein amyloid aggregates in motor neurons of patients. Amyloid aggregates and protein inclusions are a common pathological feature of many neurological disorders in which protein aggregation seems to be directly related to neurotoxicity. Although, extensive studies performed on the aggregation process of several amyloidogenic proteins in vitro allowed the identification of many physiological factors involved, the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of amyloid aggregates in vivo and in pathological conditions are still poorly understood. Post-translational modifications are known to affect protein structure and function and, recently, much attention has been devoted to the role played by non-enzymatic glycation in stimulating amyloid aggregation and cellular toxicity. In particular, glycation seems to have a determining role both in sporadic and familial forms of ALS and SOD1 has been shown to be glycated in vivo The aim of this study was to investigate the role of glycation on the amyloid aggregation process of both wild-type SOD1 and its ALS-related mutant G93A. To this aim, the glycation kinetics of both native and demetalated SOD have been followed using two different glycating agents, i.e., D-ribose and methylglyoxal. The effect of glycation on the structure and the amyloid aggregation propensity of native and ApoSOD has been also investigated using a combination of biophysical and biochemical techniques. In addition, the effect of SOD glycated species on cellular toxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has been evaluated in different cellular models. The results provided by this study contribute to clarify the role of glycation in amyloid aggregation and suggest a direct implication of glycation in the pathology of fALS.

Potential of lipid metabolism in marine diatoms for biofuel production.

BACKGROUND: Diatoms are an ecologically relevant group of microalgae that are not commonly considered for bio-oil production even if they are responsible for massive blooms at sea. Seventeen diatom species were screened for their capacity to produce biomass and lipids, in relation to their growth rate. Triglyceride levels were also assessed as a preferential source of biofuels. RESULTS: Using statistical analysis, two centric diatoms, Thalassiosira weissflogii and Cyclotella cryptica, were selected as good candidates for oil production. Lipid levels significantly increased when the two diatoms were cultivated in a two-stage process under nitrogen limitation. The effect was less pronounced in cultures where silicon was reduced to 20% of the standard supply. Nitrogen limitation did not affect growth rates but led to lipid remodeling and de novo synthesis of triacylglycerols. CONCLUSIONS: Triacylglycerols in T. weissflogii and C. cryptica can account for up to 82% and 88% of total glycerolipids, thereby suggesting that the two species are promising candidates for large-scale experimentation for biofuel production.

Structural elucidation of a novel phosphoglycolipid isolated from six species of Halomonas.

The structure of a new phosphoglycolipid from the halophilic Gram-negative bacteria Halomonas elongata ATCC 33173(T), Halomonas eurihalina ATCC 49336(T), Halomonas almeriensis CECT 7050(T), strain Sharm (AM238662), Halomonas halophila DSM 4770(T), and Halomonas salina ATCC 49509(T) was elucidated by NMR and mass spectroscopy studies. In all of the species examined, the polar lipid composition consisted of 1,2-diacylglycero-3-phosphorylethanolamine, 1,2-diacylglycero-3-phosphoryl-glycerol, bisphosphatidyl glycerol, and the new phosphoglycolipid PGL1. The structure of PGL1 was established to be (2-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-3-hydroxy-propyl)-phosphatidyl diacylglycerol. C16:0;C18:1 and C16:0;C19:cyclopropane are the most abundant acyl chains linked to the phosphatidylglycerol moiety of each isolated PGL1. All of the species presenting the lipid PGL1 belong to Halomonas rRNA group 1, suggesting that the new phosphoglycolipid could be a chemotaxonomic marker of this phylogenetic group.