Anna Scotto d'Abusco

Anna Scotto d'Abusco
Sapienza University of Rome | la sapienza · Department of Biochemical Sciences "Alessandro Rossi Fanelli

PhD

About

85
Publications
15,715
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1,652
Citations
Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Additional affiliations
October 1999 - October 2001
Istituto Superiore di Sanità
Position
  • Fellow
November 2001 - present
Sapienza University of Rome
Position
  • Senior Researcher

Publications

Publications (85)
Article
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Autologous blood centrifugation produces various forms of platelet concentrates widely used in tissue regenerative therapies due to their high concentrations of growth factors and abundance of autologous cells. Advanced Platelet-Rich Fibrin (A-PRF), introduced as a low-speed centrifugation product, contains an even higher concentration of growth fa...
Article
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Topical formulations that include natural active compounds to treat inflamed and aching skin are favored by patients. Small local producers use commercial creams and gels to which they add compounds, often with criteria based more on trends than scientific evidence, to obtain products to treat inflamed joints or skin. Based on our previous studies...
Article
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Background The long-COVID syndrome is characterised by a plethora of symptoms. Given its social and economic impact, many studies have stressed the urgency of proposing innovative strategies other than hospital settings. In this double-blinded, randomised, case–control trial, we investigate the effects of sulphur thermal water inhalations, rich in...
Article
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The intron retention (IR) is a phenomenon utilized by cells to allow diverse fates at the same mRNA, leading to a different pattern of synthesis of the same protein. In this study, we analyzed the modulation of phosphoinositide‐specific phospholipase C (PI‐PLC) enzymes by Harpagophytum procumbens extract (HPE) in synoviocytes from joins of osteoart...
Article
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Over the last decades, a variety of biomaterials, ranging from synthetic products to autologous and heterologous grafts, have been recommended to conserve and regenerate bone tissue after tooth extraction. We conducted a biochemical study on ground extracted teeth that aimed to evaluate the osteoinductive and osteoconductive potential of dentin by...
Article
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Inteins are proteins involved in the protein splicing mechanism, an autoprocessing event, where sequences (exteins) separated by inteins become ligated each other after recombination. Two kinds of inteins have been described, contiguous inteins and split inteins. The former ones are transcribed and translated as a single peptide along with their ex...
Article
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Citation: Brugnoli, B.; Perna, G.; Alfano, S.; Piozzi, A.; Galantini, L.; Axioti, E.; Taresco, V.; Mariano, A.; Scotto d'Abusco, A.; Vecchio Ciprioti, S.; et al. Nanostructured Poly-l-lactide and Polyglycerol Adipate Carriers for the Encapsulation of Usnic Acid: A Promising Approach for Hepatoprotection. Polymers 2024, 16, 427. https://doi. Abstrac...
Article
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Respiratory viral diseases are among the most important causes of disability, morbidity, and death worldwide. Due to the limited efficacy or side effects of many current therapies and the increase in antiviral-resistant viral strains, the need to find new compounds to counteract these infections is growing. Since the development of new drugs is a t...
Article
The development of materials with antifouling properties is crucial in many areas, including medicine and food packaging. In this study, 2D-matrices made of polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), or polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHB-HV) were surface functionalized through aminolysis with three polyfunctional amines, 1,6-hexamethylened...
Article
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Nanomedicine can represent a new strategy to treat several types of diseases such as those with inflammatory aetiology. Through this strategy, it is possible to obtain nanoparticles with controlled shape, size, and eventually surface charge. Moreover, the use of molecules in nanoform may allow more effective delivery into the diseased cells and tis...
Article
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Viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. A prominent feature of severe respiratory infections, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, is the cytokine release syndrome. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop different approaches both a...
Article
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Obesity is considered an increasingly widespread disease in the world population, regardless of age and gender. Genetic but also lifestyle-dependent causes have been identified. Nutrition and physical exercise play an important role, especially in non-genetic obesity. In a three-compartment model, the body is divided into fat mass, fat-free mass an...
Article
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Antimicrobial fibers based on biodegradable polymers, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT), were prepared by electrospinning. For this purpose, a biodegradable/biobased polyitaconate containing azoles groups (PTTI) was incorporated at 10 wt% into the electrospinning formulations. The resulting fibers functional...
Article
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Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common joint disease, shows an increasing prevalence in the aging population in industrialized countries. OA is characterized by low-grade chronic inflammation, which causes degeneration of all joint tissues, such as articular cartilage, subchondral bone, and synovial membrane, leading to pain and loss of functionality...
Article
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The endocannabinoid system is involved in the nociceptive and anti-inflammatory pathways, and a lowered expression of CB2 receptors has been associated with inflammatory conditions, such as osteoarthritis (OA). This suggests that CB2 modulators could be novel therapeutic tools to treat OA. In the present study, the involvement of Harpagophytum proc...
Article
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Polylactides (PLAs) are a class of polymers that are very appealing in biomedical applications due to their degradability in nontoxic products, tunable structural, and mechanical properties. However, they have some drawbacks related to their high hydrophobicity, lack of functional groups able to graft bioactive molecules, and solubility in unsafe s...
Article
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Pheomelanin is a natural yellow-reddish sulfur-containing pigment derived from tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidation of tyrosine in presence of cysteine. Generally, the formation of melanin pigments is a protective response against the damaging effects of UV radiation in skin. However, pheomelanin, like other photosensitizing substances, can trigger, foll...
Article
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Cannabis sativa L. crops have been traditionally exploited as sources of fibers, nutrients, and bioactive phytochemicals of medical interest. In the present study, two terpene-rich organic extracts, namely FOJ and FOS, obtained from Felina 32 hemp inflorescences collected in June and September, respectively, have been studied for their in vitro ant...
Article
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The metabolite profile of fresh Goji berries from two cultivars, namely Big Lifeberry (BL) and Sweet Lifeberry (SL), grown in the Lazio region (Central Italy) and harvested at two different periods, August and October, corresponding at the beginning and the end of the maturation, was characterized by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and el...
Article
In this study, a new scaffold fabrication method based on the combination of a series of stabilization processes was set up to obtain chitosan scaffolds with improved mechanical properties for regeneration of load-bearing tissues. Specifically, thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) of chitosan solutions was used to obtain an open structure whic...
Article
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The glucosamine derivative 2-(N-Acetyl)-L-phenylalanylamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucose (NAPA), was shown to inhibit the kinase activity of IKKα, one of the two catalytic subunits of IKK complex, decreasing the inflammatory status in osteoarthritis chondrocytes. In the present work we have investigated the inhibition mechanism of IKKα by NAPA by combining...
Article
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Harpagophytum procumbens (Burch.) DC. ex Meisn. is a traditional remedy for osteoarticular diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA), although the bioactive constituents and mechanisms involved are yet to be clarified. In the present study, an aqueous H. procumbens root extract (HPE; containing 1.2% harpagoside) was characterized for its effects on s...
Article
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Scaffolds are three-dimensional porous structures that must have specific requirements to be applied in tissue engineering. Therefore, the study of factors affecting scaffold performance is of great importance. In this work, the optimal conditions for cross-linking preformed chitosan (CS) scaffolds by the tripolyphosphate polyanion (TPP) were inves...
Article
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Improving the biocompatibility of implants is an extremely important step towards improving their quality. In this review, we recount the technological and biological process for coating implants with thin films enriched in titanium carbide (TiC), which provide improved cell growth and osseointegration. At first, we discuss the use of a Pulsed Lase...
Article
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Liquid fibrinogen is an injectable platelet concentrate rich in platelets, leukocytes, and fibrinogen obtained by blood centrifugation. The aim of this study was to analyze the release of different growth factors in the liquid fibrinogen at different times and to assess possible correlations between growth factors and cell counts. The concentration...
Article
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Cell culture is usually performed in 2D polymer surfaces; however, several studies are conducted with the aim to screen functional coating molecules to find substrates more suitable for cell adhesion and proliferation. The aim of this manuscript is to compare the cell adhesion and cytoskeleton organization of different cell types on different surfa...
Article
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Wound healing is a dynamic process that can be seriously delayed by many factors including infectious complications. The development of dressings with intrinsic wound healing activity and/or releasing bioactive compounds may help with addressing such an issue. In this study, hyaluronic acid (HA) at different percentages (1–35%) was used to modify c...
Chapter
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disorder characterized by a progressive degradation of joint cartilage. Cartilage is a connective tissue consisting of an extracellular matrix (ECM) of collagen fibers and elastic fibers embedded in a rubberlike substance. The ECM is produced by chondrocytes, which remain embedded in the same matrix they produced. The...
Article
The Ultraviolet (UV) component of solar radiation is the driving force of life on earth but it can cause photoaging and skin cancer. In this study we investigated the effects of the glucosamine‐derivative 2‐(N‐Acetyl)‐L‐phenylalanylamido‐2‐deoxy‐β‐D‐glucose (NAPA) on human primary fibroblasts (FBs) stimulated in vitro with environmental levels of U...
Article
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Osteoarthritis (OA), the most prevalent degenerative joint disease, still lacks a true disease-modifying therapy. The involvement of the NF-κB pathway and its upstream activating kinases in OA pathogenesis has been recognized for many years. The ability of the N-acetyl phenylalanine glucosamine derivative (NAPA) to increase anabolism and reduce cat...
Poster
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Prostate cancer (CaP) is the most common male malignancy and is the third leading cause of cancer death, with an incidence of 1.28 million cases worldwide. Androgen ablation could be an effective therapy for CaP treatment, but the regression of metastatic lesions lasts only 18-24 months, thus new therapeutic strategies are needed. Maspin (MAmmary S...
Article
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Tissue engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field of medicine aiming at regenerating damaged tissues by combining cells with porous scaffolds materials. Scaffolds are templates for tissue regeneration and should ensure suitable cell adhesion and mechanical stability throughout the application period. Chitosan (CS) is a biocompatible polymer hi...
Article
Mammary serine protease inhibitor or Maspin has been characterized as a class II tumor suppressor gene in several cancer types, among them prostate cancer (CaP). Androgen ablation is an effective therapy for CaP, but with short-term effectiveness, thus new therapeutic strategies are actively sought. The present study is aimed to explore the effects...
Article
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During the last decade the interest for the mesenchymal cells is growing due to their possible uses in therapies to treat certain degenerative pathologies. Mesenchymal stem cells have been found in the bone marrow and they have been shown to be responsible for bone repair and fat cells production. Mesenchymal stromal cells can be obtained from a wi...
Article
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Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate how different extravirgin olive oils (EVOOs), obtained by blending Olea europea cultivars, could influence the cell growth, the response to inflammatory stimuli, and oxidative stress in a culture of the osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2. Methods: Three different extravirgin olive oils were phys...
Poster
Full-text available
Prostate Cancer (CaP) is the most common form of male tumor and is the second leading cause of cancer death. Androgen ablation has proved to be an effective therapy for metastatic prostate cancer, but the regression of metastatic lesions lasts only 18 to 24 months. Mammary serine protease inhibitor or Maspin is a 42 kDa, a non-inhibitory member of...
Article
Biocompatible and degradable poly(α-hydroxy acids) are one of the most widely used materials in scaffolds for tissue engineering. Nevertheless, they often need surface modification to improve interaction with cells. Aminolysis is a common method to increase the polymer hydrophilicity and to introduce surface functional groups, able to covalently li...
Article
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Background: Bone hardness and strength depends on mineralization, which involves a complex process in which calcium phosphate, produced by bone-forming cells, was shed around the fibrous matrix. This process is strictly regulated, and a number of signal transduction systems were interested in calcium metabolism, such as the phosphoinositide (PI) pa...
Article
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Objective: Herbal extract compositions are largely used to manage vein diseases. We prepared a new composition of herbs, named FLEBO OK™, that, when administered as a nutraceutical to patients affected by peripheral vascular diseases, was able to improve their health conditions. We analyzed the effects of this nutraceutical composition on in vitro...
Article
Titanium implants coated with a 500 nm nanostructured layer, deposited by the Ion Plating Plasma Assisted (IPPA) technology, composed of 60% graphitic carbon, 25% titanium oxides and 15% titanium carbide were implanted into rabbit femurs whilst into the controlateral femurs uncoated titanium implants were inserted as control. At four time points th...
Article
Chronic inflammation has been associated to cancer development by the alteration of several inflammatory pathways, such as Nuclear Factor-κB pathway. In particular, IκB kinase α (IKKα), one of two catalytic subunit of IKK complex, has been described to be associated to cancer progression and metastasis in a number of cancers. The molecular mechanis...
Article
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Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common chronic degenerative joint disease, is characterized by joint structure changes and inflammation, both mediated by the IκB kinase (IKK) signalosome complex. The ability of N-acetyl phenylalanine derivative (NAPA) to increase cartilage matrix components and to reduce inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting...
Article
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With the aim to obtain a scaffold with improved mechanical properties with respect to collagen for tendon augmentation and regeneration, a novel collagen-based material was prepared via heterogeneous phase derivatization of type I collagen sponges using polylactic acid. Compared to the untreated collagen, the functionalized sponge (Coll-PLA) was ch...
Article
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Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a nutraceutical composition on the expression of some genes involved in muscle cells and functioning in osteoblast cells. The effects of nutraceutical composition have been compared to the effects of atorvastatin, which induces muscle pain and elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) serum le...
Article
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Introduction: Recently, we introduced a new deposition method, based on Ion Plating Plasma Assisted technology, to coat titanium implants with a thin but hard nanostructured layer composed of titanium carbide and titanium oxides, clustered around graphitic carbon. The nanostructured layer has a double effect: protects the bulk titanium against the...
Data
Contains Substrate preparation, Measurement of the contact angle and determination of the surface free energy. Fig A, XPS comparison between disks and glass substrates. The XPS spectra were collected from: (A) Ti-coated glass slide; (B) Native passivating TiO2 layer on a Ti disk; (C) TiC-coated glass slide, and (D) TiC-coated titanium disk. The clo...
Article
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The pollutant Cadmium (Cd) is widespread in the environment and causes alterations of human health by acting as an endocrine disruptor. Bone tissue seems to be a crucial target of Cd contamination. Indeed, we have previously demonstrated that this endocrine disruptor induces osteoblast apoptosis and necrosis. Thus, aim of this study was to further...
Article
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The aim of this study was the preparation of a very simple and, at the same time, innovative three-component in-situ gelling hydrogel, composed of hyaluronic acid, gellan gum and calcium chloride, for osteochondral defects reparation. The above mentioned biocompatible polymers were used in a smart combination for bone defects filling and capping, c...
Article
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Objective: Aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Glucosamine (GlcN) and its peptidyl-derivative, 2-(N-Acetyl)-L-phenylalanylamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucose (NAPA), on extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis in human primary chondrocytes (HPCs). Methods: Dose-dependent effect of GlcN and NAPA on Glycosaminoglycan (GAG), Collagen type II (Col2...
Article
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial degenerative pathology, whose progression is exacerbated by pro-inflammatory cytokines signaling. Among the changes triggered in chondrocytes during inflammation, modified expression of tiny epigenetic regulators as microRNAs was shown having deleterious implications for articular cartilage. Aim of the presen...
Article
Context: LH gene mutations are rare; only four mutations have been described. The affected individuals are hypogonadal. Patient: We describe the clinical features of a 31-yr-old man who presented with delayed puberty and azoospermia and was found to have hypogonadism associated with an absence of circulating LH. Main Outcome Measures and Results: T...
Article
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Context: LH gene mutations are rare; only four mutations have been described. The affected individuals are hypogonadal. Patient: We describe the clinical features of a 31-yr-old man who presented with delayed puberty and azoospermia and was found to have hypogonadism associated with an absence of circulating LH. Main outcome measures and result...
Article
Full-text available
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common degenerative joint disease for which there is no cure. It is treated mainly with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to control the symptoms and some supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate in order to obtain structure-modifying effects. Aim of this study is to investigate the effect...
Article
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Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcription factor regulates several cell signaling pathways, such as differentiation and inflammation, which are both altered in osteoarthritis. Inhibitor kappaB kinase (IKK)alpha and IKKbeta are kinases involved in the activation of the NF-kappaB transcription factor. The aim of the present study was to determi...
Article
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Recombinant amidase from Sulfolobus solfataricus occurred as a dimer of 110 kDa comprising identical subunits. Only dimers were present at pHs above 7.0, but with decreasing pH, dimers associated into octamers, with complete oligomerization occurring at pH 3.0. Oligomerization showed reversible temperature-dependence, with octamer formation increas...
Article
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The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the effects of glucosamine (GlcN) and its N-acetyl-phenylalanine derivative (NAPA) in Vitamin A model of osteoarthritis (OA) in rabbits. GlcN or NAPA or saline solution was intra-articularly administered in rabbit OA knees. Histological analysis revealed that treatment with GlcN or NAPA was associated with...
Article
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Glucosamine (GlcN) is used in the treatment of osteoarthritis as symptomatic slow-acting drug, but its mode of action is not completely known. We analyzed the influence of GlcN and its N-acetyl-phenylalanine derivative (NAPA) on mRNA transcription level of TNF-alpha-stimulated genes in cell culture. Human immortalized chondrocyte cell line lbpva55...
Article
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The aim of this study was to determine the effects of glucosamine on matrix metalloprotease (MMP) production, on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation, and on activator protein (AP)-1 transcription factor activation in human chondrocytes. The human immortalized cell line lbpva55 and healthy human chondrocytes (obtained from health...
Article
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Breast cancer (BC) is linked to estrogen exposure. Estradiol (E 2) stimulates BC cells proliferation by binding the estrogen receptor (ER). Hormone-related cancers have been linked to estrogenic environmental contaminants. Cadmium (Cd) a toxic pollutant, acts as estrogens in BC cells. Purpose of our study was to evaluate whether Cd regulates MCF-7...