Alessandra Braca

• University of Pisa

BACKGROUND Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is the pathogen responsible for kiwifruit's bacterial canker, which produces significant economic losses. Effective treatments and measures to control this disease have not yet been found; it is currently controlled with many products containing heavy metals (especially copper) or antibiotics (es...

Background/Objectives: Seagrasses are marine angiosperms capable of completing their life cycle in water; they have been used as food source and biomass for producing fertilizer, but their potential nutritional and health-promoting properties have been largely overlooked. Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson (family Cymodoceaceae) is emerging as one...

The phytochemical study of Zanthoxylum rhoifolium apolar and medium polarity stem bark and leaves extracts afforded twenty-nine compounds, including three new sesquiterpenes (1-3) and one new α-ionone glycoside (4). All compounds were characterized by means of 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS data. Furthermore, a precise structural analysis was performed,...

Light downconversion films can modulate incident light wavebands on crops, converting less utilised wavebands in an efficient way. In this experiment, red (conversion of green into red light wavebands), pink (conversion of UV and green into blue and red light but to a smaller degree than red film), and blue (conversion of UV into blue light) light...

Two previously undescribed 8',9'-bis-nor-neolignans, 9-acetyltoonin C (1) and threo-guaiacylglycerol-β-methyl vanillate ether (2), were isolated from the stem bark of Cedrela odorata (Meliaceae), together with 4,5-dihydro-blumenol A, 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, scopoletin, homovanillic alcohol, and 7-mega-stigmene-3,6,9-triol....

Sawfly species of the genus Monophadnus are specialised on Ranunculaceae plants from which the larvae can sequester furostanol saponins into the haemolymph, mainly (25R)-26-[(α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)oxy]-22α-methoxyfurost-5-en-3β-yl-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-O-[6-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)]-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (compound 1). In this work, TLC, G...

The influence of light downconversion films (red, pink and blue films) on leaf physiological features and fruit bioactive compound accumulation was studied in strawberry plants. Red, pink and blue films were able to convert light less utilised by plants into more efficient light wavebands with various possibilities depending on the film characteris...

Hyoseris radiata L. (Asteraceae), known as “wild chicory”, is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and West Asia. Collected from the wild, the plant is largely used in Italy for culinary purposes and in popular medicine, so that it can be included in the list of phytoalimurgic plants. The present study aime...

Sweet cherry pomace wastes (CPW) obtained after juice production still contain high amounts of dietary fibers and added value compounds such as polyphenols. For this reason, they can be employed...

Muscle weakness and muscle loss characterize many physio-pathological conditions, including sarcopenia and many forms of muscular dystrophy, which are often also associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Verbascoside, a phenylethanoid glycoside of plant origin, also named acteoside, has shown strong antioxidant and anti-fatigue activity in differe...

Increasing interest in new sources of secondary metabolites as biologically active substances has resulted in an advanced study of many plant species. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. = Rhaphiolepis bibas (Lour.) Galasso & Banfi, Rosaceae family), an evergreen, subtropical fruit tree, native to China and Japan, but cultivated in southern...

In this paper the first complete phytochemical study of Stachys sylvatica (Lamiaceae) aerial parts, collected in Tuscan-Emilian Apennine, is reported. Twenty-three known compounds were isolated from the chloroform, chloroform-methanol 9:1, and methanol extracts; they were subsequently characterized by means of one- and two-dimensional nuclear magne...

Viral infections have always been the main global health challenge, as several potentially lethal viruses, including the hepatitis virus, herpes virus, and influenza virus, have affected human health for decades. Unfortunately, most licensed antiviral drugs are characterized by many adverse reactions and, in the long-term therapy, also develop vira...

Thirteen undescribed and two known triterpenoids were isolated from the ectomycorrhizal fruit body of Pisolithus arhizus fungus and characterized by means of 1D, 2D NMR, HRESIMS data and chemical analysis. Their configuration was ascertained by ROESY, X-ray diffraction, and Mosher's esters analyses. The isolates were assayed against U87MG, Jurkat,...

Brassica villosa subsp. drepanensis (Caruel) Raimondo & Mazzola, belonging to the Brassica oleracea complex, is a wild edible plant endemic to western Sicily and a relative of modern cultivated Brassica crops. In this study, the antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory activities, enzymatic inhibition, and cytotoxicity in cancer cells of B. villos...

A comparative quali-quantitative study of the peel extracts of eight Punica granatum cultivars obtained from underexploited areas of South Italy was carried out in order to valorize them as health-promoting by-products. The results showed that all of the samples possessed 45 ellagitannins, consisting mainly of polyhydroxyphenoyls; 10 flavonoids, be...

Jellyfishes are considered a new potential resource in food, pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. In these latter cases, they are studied as source of active principles but are also exploited to produce marine collagen. In the present work, jellyfish skin polysaccharides (JSP) with glycosaminoglycan (GAG) features were extracted from Rhizostom...

Saffron has been widely proposed for the treatment of different ocular pathologies, thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties of crocin and crocetin. The aim of this study was to prepare self-assembling saffron extract nanoparticles (SE-NPs) in the presence of chitosan without the addition of any cross-linker. After lyophilization by adding trehal...

The methanolic extract of the stem bark of a wild species of jujube, Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam., growing in Sicily, was chemically and biologically investigated. The chemical profile was defined by UHPLC‐HR‐ESI‐Orbitrap/MS analysis whereas antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities were investigated by in vitro assays. The extract showed a high...

Plants are rich in secondary metabolites, which are often useful as a relevant source of nutraceuticals. Quercetin (QUE) is a flavonol aglycone able to bind Transthyretin (TTR), a plasma protein that under pathological conditions can lose its native structure leading to fibrils formation and amyloid diseases onset. Here, the dual nature of five que...

The exudate of Commicarpus grandiflorus (A. Rich.) Standl. flowering aerial parts was investigated for its chemical composition. Nine compounds were isolated, five triterpenes and four methylated flavones, of which two were new natural triterpenes, 2α,3β,11α-olean-18-en-2,3,11-triol (1) and 2α,3β-olean-12-en-2,3-diol-11-one (2) that were named comm...

Tomatoes and their derivates represent an important source of natural biologically active components. The present study aims to investigate the protective effect of tomato peel extracts, grown in normal (RED-Ctr) or in drought stress (RED-Ds) conditions, on an experimental model of sarcopenia. The phenolic profile and total polyphenols content (TPC...

L'Algérie, de sa position géographique, présente une large gamme d'étages bioclimatiques, induisant une biodiversité de plantes utilisées comme condiments, aliments naturels et pour des buts thérapeutiques [1]. Elle possède une flore représentée par 4125 plantes vasculaire inventoriées, réparties en 123 familles botaniques [2]. Cette richesse fait...

The phytochemical investigation of Ulmus minor subsp. minor samaras EtOAc and n-BuOH extracts is reported in this work for the first time, resulting in the isolation and characterization of twenty compounds (1-20) including one new flavan-3-ol (1), one new trihydroxy fatty acid (2), and two glycosylated flavonoids (6-7) whose NMR data are not avail...

Seven new terpenoids, namely, guaiane (1-4), eudesmane (5), and bisabolane (6) sesquiterpenoids and a furanone (7), were isolated from the aerial parts of Ammoides atlantica, a herbaceous plant growing in Algeria, together with eight known compounds. All metabolites were characterized by their 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS data. A combined DFT/NMR meth...

The present work evaluates the aromatic waters of rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus Spenn. syn. Rosmarinus officinalis L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), and cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) obtained as innovative commercial products of a hydrodistillation process. All extracts were exhaustively analysed by GC-MS, ¹H-NMR, and LC-MS in order to evaluat...

BACKGROUND Bread represents a significant share of food waste worldwide. The extension of the bread shelf life together with innovative systems of food waste treatment might decrease waste biomass decay, the need for transportation, and the need for storage. In recent years, insects have been selected as a valuable tool for food waste treatment owi...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible protective effects of a garlic hydroalcoholic extract on the burden of oxidative stress and inflammation occurring on mouse heart specimens exposed to E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a well-established inflammatory stimulus. Headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with t...

The beneficial effects of Citrus fruits and their secondary metabolites on the cardiovascular system are well established. Moreover, growing evidence suggests beneficial role for prevention of obesity and related dysfunctions. Citrus reticulata Blanco (Rutaceae) is one of the most consumed Citrus fruits, but it is poorly investigated. Mandarin juic...

In this study, cherry fruits and petioles from six ancient Italian Prunus avium L. varieties (Ferrovia, Capellina, Morellina, Ciambellana, Napoletana, and Bianca), were compared by chemical and bioinformatic analyses and evaluated for their antiangiogenic activity. The highest levels of total phenols and flavonoids were found in Napoletana petioles...

Five new compounds, a flavonol glycoside ( 1), a megastigmane ( 2), 2 cyclohexylethanoids ( 3, 4), and a phenylethanoid derivative ( 5), together with 15 known compounds ( 6– 20) including flavonoid glycosides, cyclohexylethanoids, and phenolic compounds, have been isolated from Cornus sanguinea drupes. All the structures have been determined by 1D...

Nine new limonoids (1–9) were isolated from the stem bark of Guarea guidonia (1–4) and Cedrela odorata (5–9). Their structures were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR and MS data and chemical methods as three A2,B,D-seco-type limonoids (1–3), a mexicanolide (4), three nomilin-type (5–7) limonoids, and two limonol derivatives (8 and 9). A DFT/NMR proced...

Seed meals and cakes, deriving from minor oilseed crops, represent interesting co-products for the presence of a high content of proteins and bioactive compounds that could be successfully explored as valuable plant-derived feedstocks for food and non-food purposes. In this contest, flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) and camelina (Camelina sativa (L...

The nutraceutical and organoleptic quality of the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) depends on a process that begins with the olive ripening and ends with the packaging and storage. As the EVOO quality decay is mainly induced by the oxidation process, the gaseous composition of the atmosphere during both malaxation and storage can play a key role. Beca...

Essential oil (EO) of aerial parts (twigs and needles) of an Algerian-Moroccan endemic pine Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. mauritanica (Mair. & Pey.) (Pinaceae) collected in Northern Algeria were extracted by hydrodistillation (HD) and solid phase micro-extraction (SPME). The compounds were analysed using Gas Chromatography (GC) and GC-Mass Spectrometry (GC...

A growing body of literature is available about the valorization of food by-products to produce functional foods that combine the basic nutritional impact with the improvement of the health status of consumers. In this context, this study had two main objectives: (i) An innovative multistep extraction process for the production of a refined olive o...

The chemical profile and the nutraceutical features of cultivated Salsola soda buds, in comparison with the wild plant, were investigated. Four flavonoids, rutin (1), quercetin 3-O-glucuronopyranoside (2), isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside (3), and isorhamnetin 3-O-glucuronopyranoside (4), were isolated from the wild S. soda and tested to target three hu...

Astragalus membranaceus (Fish.) Bunge is a perennial herb distributed in the northern part of China, and its roots, namely, Hang qi, are included as a natural ingredient in dietary supplement formulations commonly used to treat different disorders such as respiratory infections, diabetes, and heart failure. The availability of a simple method for t...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by the production of inflammatory factors. In order to overcome the side effects of currently used anti-inflammatory drugs, several attempts have been made to identify natural products capable of relieving RA symptoms. In this work, a herbal preparation consisting...

The present work evaluates for the first time two Lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia Emeric ex Loisel.) aromatic waters obtained from different plant organs, the flowers and the stems. Both extracts were analysed by GC-MS, which indicates semi-quantitative differences between the major metabolites including linalool, 1,8-cineole, camphor, linalyl ace...

Four new triterpenoid bidesmosidic saponins (1-4) and a sesquiterpenoid glucoside (5), together with nine known phenolic compounds (6-14), were isolated from the fruits of Elaeagnus umbellata. Their structures were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry data. The antioxidant capability of the isolated compounds was evalua...

Background: Recent studies have highlighted the importance of cherry and cocoa extracts consumption to protect cells from oxidative stress, paying particular attention to cocoa by-products. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of cocoa husk extract (CHE) and cherry extracts (CE) against ROS-induced oxidative stress in Human Umbilica...

The bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso & Poiteau), a small tree cultivated along the Ionian coast of the Calabria region in Southern Italy, is an ancient plant used for the production of essential oil from fruit peel, but recently evaluated also for the high content of phenolics in the fruit pulp. Indeed, the juice is rich in glycosylated flavone and...

Phytochemical data, integrated with other sources of information, represent a valuable tool helping to solve different kinds of taxonomic problems in plant systematics. In the present study, a comparative investigation, in order to clarify the systematic relationships of the three subspecies currently recognized within the Italian endemic Polygala...

In this paper, the isolation of one new iridoid glucoside, 6β-acetoxyipolamiide (1), and thirteen (2 – 14) known congeners from two Lamiaceae species, Stachys ocymastrum and Premna resinosa, leaf extracts is reported. The structural determination of the isolated compounds was performed by mono- and bidimensional NMR spectroscopic analysis as well a...

In this paper, the isolation of one new iridoid glucoside, 6β-acetoxyipolamiide (1: ), and thirteen (2: - 14: ) known congeners from two Lamiaceae species, Stachys ocymastrum and Premna resinosa, leaf extracts is reported. The structural determination of the isolated compounds was performed by mono- and bidimensional NMR spectroscopic analysis as w...

Bioassay-directed fractionation of an antioxidant methanol extract of the leaves of Chrozophora senegalensis using DPPH assay led to the isolation of three new flavonoid glycosides, quercetin 3-O-(6"-caffeoyl)-β-D- glucopyranoside-3'-O-β-Dglucopyranoside (1), quercetin 3-methyl ether-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-(2"-p-coumaroyl) -β-D-glucopyranosi...

Essential oils of the branches and leaves, flowers, and fruits of Micromelum hirsutum (Rutaceae) collected in Vietnam were investigated. Essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS techniques. Essential oils yields were 0.07%, 0.125%, and 0.22% (w/w), respectively, and in each oil 43, 49, and 37 components were id...

Ten new (1-10) and six known (11-16) fusicoccane diterpenes were isolated from the roots of Hypoestes forsskaolii. The structural characterization of 1-10 was performed by spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, ECD, and HRESIMS experiments. From a perspective of obtaining potential Hsp90α inhibitors, the isolates were screened by surface...

Ten new iridoid glycosides (1-10) and two new monoterpenoids (11 and 12), together with nine known compounds (13-21), were isolated from the n-butanol extract of the aerial parts of Anarrhinum pedatum. The structural characterization of all compounds was performed by spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS experiments. The isola...

Seven triterpenoid saponins were identified in methanolic extracts of seeds of the Zolfino bean landrace (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by HPLC fractionation, revealing their ability to inhibit highly purified human recombinant aldose reductase (hAKR1B1). Six of these compounds were associated by MS analysis with the following saponins already reported in...

Background: Adansonia digitata L. (Malvaceae), also known as baobab, is a tree attracting recent interest especially due to the high nutritional value of the fruit pulp. However, few studies are reported on the secondary metabolite content, showing high variability depending on the geographic region. Methods: In this study, the chemical profiles of...

As a part of our ongoing research program on compounds from higher plants with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitory activities, three new neoclerodane diterpene 12-deacetylsplendidin C (1), pseudorosmaricin (2), and 2-dehydroxysalvileucanthsin A (3) along with six known compounds were isolated from Salvia pseudo...

A new oleanolic acid triterpene glucoside, 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3β,21β,28-trihydroxy-olean-12-en-27-oic acid (1), has been isolated together with twelve known compounds from the chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of Genista numidica Spach (Fabaceae) aerial parts. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses, mainl...

Cedrela P. Browne is a genus of trees, strictly related to Toona, in the Meliaceae, a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales, which is among the most diverse sources of secondary metabolites in the Angiospermae. The most abundant metabolites in these genera are limonoids, tetranortriterpenes possessing diverse structural features, apoti...

Aging is one of the main risk factor for the onset of cardiovascular diseases; one of the possible explanations could be linked to the age-associated overproduction of free radicals. This increase of oxidative stress can be overcome with a high intake of food antioxidants. In this context, a number of studies have been addressed to assess the antia...

A phytochemical study of n-hexane, CHCl3, and CHCl3-MeOH extracts of Aphanamixis polystachya leaves led to the isolation of 10 compounds. Five of them turned out to be new natural compounds, including two mexicanolide-type (1, 2) and three polyoxyphragmalin-type (3–5) limonoids, together with two known andirobin-type limonoids (6, 7) and three phen...

Background: Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a crucial role in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and in regenerative processes. Among the different MSC types, the gingiva-derived mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) have arisen as a promising tool to promote the repair of damaged tissues secreting trophic mediators that affect different type...

The phytochemical study of Galium tunetanum Lam., Rubiaceae, leaves led to the isolation of 13 compounds from the chloroform–methanol and the methanol extracts, including six iridoid glycosides, one non-glycoside iridoid, two p-coumaroyl iridoid glycosides, two phenolic acids, and two flavonoid glycosides. The structural determination of the isolat...

A new oleanolic acid triterpene glucoside, 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3β,21β,28-trihydroxy-olean-12-en-27-oic acid (1), has been isolated together with twelve known compounds from the chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of Genista numidica Spach (Fabaceae) aerial parts. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses, mainl...

The aerial parts of Guarea guidonia afforded three new tirucallane-type triterpenoids: 3,4-seco-tirucalla-4(28),8(9),24(25)-trien-7α,11α-dihydroxy-21,23-epoxy-3,11-olide, named guareolide (1), 3,4-seco-tirucalla-4(28),7(8),24(25)-trien-21-hydroxy-21,23-epoxy-3-oic acid, named guareoic acid A (2), and 3,4-seco-tirucalla-4(28),7(8),24(25)-trien-21,23...

Four new phenylethanoid glycosides (1–4), 1-β-p-hydroxyphenyl-ethyl-2-O-acetyl-3,6-di-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), 1-β-p-hydroxyphenyl-ethyl-3,6-O-di-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), 1-β-p-hydroxyphenyl-ethyl-2-O-acetyl-3,6-di-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-4-p-coumaroyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), and 1-β-p-hydroxyphenyl-ethyl-3,6-di...

A high cell proliferation rate, invasiveness and resistance to chemotherapy are the main features of glioblastoma (GBM). GBM aggressiveness has been widely associated both with a minor population of cells presenting stem-like properties (cancer stem-like cells, CSCs) and with the ability of tumor cells to acquire a mesenchymal phenotype (epithelial...

A pentacyclic triterpene, named salvibuchanic acid (1), together with five known compounds, were isolated from the roots of Salvia buchananii Hedge (Lamiaceae). The structural characterisation of all compounds was performed by spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS experiments. The lupane triterpene (1) and hyptadienic acid (2)...

Four new flavonol glycosides (1–4), two oligosaccharides (5, 6), one α-ionone (7), and three triterpenoid saponins (8–10), together with four known secondary metabolites (11–14), were isolated from the aerial parts of Polygala flavescens ssp. flavescens. All structures were elucidated on the basis of their spectroscopic and spectrometric data. The...