Luca Forti

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia | UNIMO · Department of Life Sciences

In Italy, watermelon cultivation spans 9510 hectares, with production levels largely influenced by seasonal market demand. As a result, surplus watermelon left unsold by September often remain in the fields, where they decompose naturally and go to waste. A chemical analysis of the watermelon liquid fraction waste (WW) indicates a high carbohydrate...

Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus sp. are commonly used in wastewater treatment due to their fast growth rates and ability to tolerate a range of environmental conditions. This study explored the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus sp. using wastewater from the food industry, particularly from Italian basil pesto production tanks. Th...

Microalgae, renowned for their high photosynthetic efficiency and minimal competition with land-based crops, hold great promise in the biofixation of CO2 from waste sources, making them valuable for diverse applications, including biofuels, food production, and biomaterials. An innovative technology, the integrated carbonate-based carbon capture an...

In a socio-environmental landscape that looks towards eco-sustainability and renewable energy, the use of photosynthetically active organisms such as microalgae has gained considerable attention in recent years. Microalgae can be cultivated in combination with wastewater bioremediation and carbon dioxide capture systems. The microalgal biomass prod...

The antimicrobial properties of two lichen extracts (LC1 and LC2 solutions extracted in acetone and cyclohexane, respectively) were investigated against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms through the agar well diffusion assay. Results displayed that both samples were similarly effective against all the indicator strains. The antimi...

With regards to oil-based diesel fuel, the adoption of bio-derived diesel fuel was estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 75%, considering the whole life cycle. In this paper, we present a novel continuous-flow process able to transfer an equimolar amount of CO2 (through urea) to glycerol, producing glycerol carbonate. This represents a...

Increasing evidence in the field of bioprospection fosters the necessity of studying poorly investigated poisonous marine invertebrates to expand knowledge on animal venom biology. Among marine annelids, amphinomid fireworms are notorious for their bearded trunk equipped with a powerful stinging capacity. Here, a methodological workflow based on an...

Plants have long been considered passive, static, and unchanging organisms, but this view is finally changing. More and more knowledge is showing that plants are aware of their surroundings, and they respond to a surprising variety of stimuli by modifying their growth and development. Plants extensively communicate with the world around them, above...

In a perspective projected to reduce the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, in which carbon dioxide is the master, the use of microalgae is an effective and decisive response. The review describes the bio circularity of the process of abatement of carbon dioxide through biofixation in algal biomass, highlighting the potential of its reu...

In a very recent book called Sensory Biology of Plants, published by renowned publisher Springer Nature, the authors stated that the scientific literature gathered so far regarding knowledge around the field of Plant Acoustics allows us to divert the focus from the question “whether plants perceive sound” toward the questions “how and why they are...

The Mediterranean-style diet is rich in fruit and vegetables and has a great impact on the prevention of major chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In this work we investigated the ability of spinach extracts obtained by different extraction methods and of the single main components of the phytocomplex, alone or mixed, to m...

Developing simple and effective chemistry able to convert industrial waste streams into valuable chemicals is a primary contributor to sustainable development. Working in the context of biodiesel production, we found that plain bisulfate on silica (SSANa, 3.0 mmol/g) proved to be an optimal catalyst to convert glycerol into solketal. With the assis...

Life evolved in an acoustic world. Sound is perceived in different ways by the species that inhabit the Planet. Among organisms, also some algal species seem to respond to sound stimuli with increased cell growth and productivity. The purpose of this Short Communication is to provide an overview of the current literature about various organisms and...

Marine fireworms (Annelida, Amphinomidae) are notorious for their stinging dorsal bristles (notochaetae). In the large-size species Hermodice carunculata, characterized by invasive potential and great predatory ability, noto-chaetae deter consumers and damage prey. The origin of fireworm defensive and offensive capacities, the mechanism of action o...

Thirteen Non-Conventional Yeasts (NCYs) have been investigated for their ability to reduce activated C=C bonds of chalcones to obtain the corresponding dihydrochalcones. A possible correlation between bioreducing capacity of the NCYs and the substrate structure was estimated. Generally, whole-cells of the NCYs were able to hydrogenate the C=C doubl...

Triterpenoids are natural compounds synthesized by plants through cyclization of squalene, known for their weak anti-inflammatory activity. 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO), and its C28 modified derivative, methyl-ester (CDDO-Me, also known as bardoxolone methyl), are two synthetic derivatives of oleanolic acid, synthesized...

The antibacterial activity of Pimpinella anisum L., Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Syzygium aromaticum, and Cuminum cyminum L. essential oils (EOs) against some common pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 14990, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 1915, Escherichia coli ATCC 8...

Fruits and vegetables are a good source of potentially biologically active compounds. Their regular consumption in the human diet can help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Plants produce additional chemical substances when subject to abiotic stress or infected by microorganisms. The phytoche...

The antibacterial activity of Pimpinella anisum L., Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Syzygium aromaticum, and Cuminum cyminum L. essential oils (EOs) against some common pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 14990, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC 1915, Escherichia coli ATCC 8...

In this study a photobioreactor prototype is presented for the culture growth of microalgae model organism Neochloris oleoabundans by using chicken manure waste as feedstock along with the optimum combination of led light wavelengths and light intensity. Particularly interesting results are observed on the strains fed by chicken manure medium under...

Background The ability of some microorganisms to accumulate lipids is well known; however, only recently the number of studies on microbial lipid biosynthesis for obtaining oleochemical products, namely biofuels and some building blocks for chemistry, is rapidly and spectacularly increased. Since 1990s, some oleaginous yeasts were studied for their...

This work focuses on treatment of lead polluted waste glass from urban collection (Pb≈5% wt) for its valorization as support in the immobilization of lipase, because soda-lime glasses are used in enzymatic catalysis. First of all, an extraction process of surface Pb was performed. The process is based on nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) chelating agent....

Βeta-thalassemia, is a hemoglobinopathy characterized by reduced beta-globin chain synthesis, leading to imbalanced globin chain production, ineffective erythropoiesis and anemia. Increasing gamma-globin gene expression is a promising therapeutic approach as it reduces this imbalance by combining with the excess alpha globin chains and producing fe...

The rising consumer requests for natural flavors and fragrances have generated great interest in the aroma industry to seek new methods to obtain fragrance and flavor compounds naturally. An alternative and attractive route for these compounds is based on bio-transformations. In this review, the application of biocatalysis by Non Conventional Yeast...

The chemo-enzymatic synthesis and the evaluation of radical scavenger performance of resveratrol-related dimers with antioxidative power have been investigated. The dimeric compounds, containing the benzo[b]furan framework, were prepared via an oxidative dimerization catalyzed by a laccase from Trametes versicolor, followed by a treatment with the...

BACKGROUND In the human diet, the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is important in maintaining good health and in preventing chronic diseases. It is known that plant-derived food is a powerful source of chemopreventive molecules, i.e. antioxidants, and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L., Chenopodiaceae) possesses a wide range of metabolites wi...

Mucus secretions play a number of functions related to polychaete physiology and ecology. Under stress condi-tions, the polychaete Halla parthenopeia (Oenonidae) produces a purple mucus after mechanical stimulation, whose function is still unknown. Here, we assessed the toxicity of this purple mucus by means of both acute toxicity bioassays on the...

As part of a program aiming at the selection of yeast strains which might be of interest as sources of natural flavours and fragrances, the bioreduction of (4R)-(-)-carvone and (1R)-(-)-myrtenal by whole-cells of non-conventional yeasts (NCYs) belonging to the genera Candida, Cryptococcus, Debaryomyces, Hanseniaspora, Kazachstania, Kluyveromyces, L...

Laccase and enoate reductase are promising tools in bioconversion of several substrates of biotechnological interest. In this study, one fungus producing laccase and two fungi producing enoate reductase were used in the bioconversion of caffeic acid and a set of unsaturated compounds (alpha-methylcinnamaldehyde, alpha- methylnitrostyrene and cycloh...

4,4'-dihydroxy-trans-stilbene (DHS) is a synthetic analog of resveratrol, a phytoalexin known for its biological activities. We previously demonstrated that DHS exerts an antiproliferative effect on normal human fibroblasts that is higher than that of the natural parent molecule. No evidence regarding its role in human cancer cell lines has been fo...

Response surface methodology was applied in optimizing the asymmetric bioreduction of (4S)-(+)-carvone to dihydrocarvone (with low incidence of unsought side reactions) by using whole-cells of Cryptococcus gastricus. A factorial design (2(5)) including five independent variables was performed: X(1)=incubation time; X(2)=pH; X(3)=amount of whole-cel...

Resveratrol inhibits endothelin-1, a vascular tension regulator. We synthesized the resveratrol analogue 4,4'-dihydroxy-trans-stilbene with 2 hydroxyl groups in the 4 and 4' position to obtain a molecule more active than resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene). The results demonstrate that 4,4'-dihydroxy-trans-stilbene led to a significant d...

The bioreduction of α,β-unsaturated ketones (ketoisophorone, 2-methyl- and 3-methyl-cyclopentenone) and aldehydes [(S)-(-)-perillaldehyde and α-methyl-cinnamaldehyde] by 23 "non-conventional" yeasts (NCYs) belonging to 21 species of the genera Candida, Cryptococcus, Debaryomyces, Hanseniaspora, Kazachstania, Kluyveromyces, Lindnera, Nakaseomyces, V...

• We previously identified the lpa1 (low phytic acid) 280-10 line that carries a mutation conferring a 90% reduction in phytic acid (InsP(6) ) content. In contrast to other lpa mutants, lpa1(280-10) does not display negative pleiotropic effects. In the present paper, we have identified the mutated gene and analysed its impact on the phytic acid pat...

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

α-Hydroxyaldehyde dimethyl acetals are prepared efficiently by conversion of α-haloaldehyde dimethyl acetals into α-haloaldehyde hemiacetal acetates and subsequent methanolysis promoted by lithium methoxide.

Old Yellow Enzymes (OYEs, EC 1.6.99.1) are flavin-dependent oxidoreductases that catalyze the asymmetric reduction of electron-poor alkenes (enoate reductase activity). Since OYEs are involved in detoxification of acrolein, a high-throughput method for selecting yeasts expressing high enoate reductase activity, based on their acrolein resistance, w...

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

Within the framework of a large-scale screening carried out on 146 yeasts of environmental origin, 16 strains (11% of the total) exhibited the ability to biotransform (4S)-(+)-carvone. Such positive yeasts, belonging to 14 species of 6 genera (Candida, Cryptococcus, Hanseniaspora, Kluyveromyces, Pichia and Saccharomyces), were thus used under diffe...

Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a natural phytoalexin found in grapes and wine, which shows antiproliferative activity. We previously found that 4-hydroxy group in the trans conformation was absolutely required for the inhibition of cell proliferation. In the present work we have synthesized the resveratrol analogue 4,4'-dihydroxy...

Resveratrol (RSV) is classified as a phytoestrogen due to its ability to interact with estrogen receptors (ERs). We assessed structure-activity relationships of RSV and the analogs 4,4'-dihydroxystilbene (4,4'-DHS), 3,5-dihydroxystilbene (3,5-DHS), 3,4'-dihydroxystilbene (3,4'-DHS), 4-hydroxystilbene (4-HS) using as model systems the ERalpha-positi...

Angiogenesis is target for antineoplastic and chemopreventive therapies. The natural phytoalexin resveratrol is found in grapes and red wine as cis and trans stereoisomers. trans-Resveratrol shows antiangiogenic activity, but its mechanism of action is not fully elucidated. Recently, trans-resveratrol has been shown to interact with the beta3 integ...

Sixty yeast strains, which belong to 32 species of the genera Debaryomyces, Kluyveromyces, and Pichia, and which were isolated from plant-, soil- or insect-associated habitats, were screened for their ability to biotransform the acyclic monoterpenes geraniol and nerol. The aptitude to convert both compounds (from 2.6 to 30.6, and from 2.7 to 29.1%/...

A series of hydroxystilbenes, analogues of the bioactive phytoalexin resveratrol, were synthesized and submitted to the catalytic action of a laccase from Trametes pubescens in a biphasic system made of ethyl acetate and acetate buffer. Oxidation took place at the 4′-hydroxy (4-hydroxy) position of the hydroxystilbenic moieties, followed by radical...

Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied in optimizing the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by shake-flask cultures of a selected Trichosporon moniliiforme strain (DBVPG 4665). A factorial experiment (23) was designed by setting three parameters at two levels: X1 = incubation time (IT = 72–168 h); X2 = pH (4–7); X3 = l-methioni...

Epidemiological and intervention studies correlate anthocyanin-rich beverages and a low incidence of coronary heart diseases. Since endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) are vascular tension regulators secreted by endothelial cells, we studied the influence of two anthocyanidins, namely cyanidin (CY) a...

Twenty-nine yeast strains were isolated from the ascocarps of black and white truffles (Tuber melanosporum Vitt. and Tuber magnatum Pico, respectively), and identified using a polyphasic approach. According to the conventional taxonomic methods, MSP-PCR fingerprinting and sequencing of the D1/D2 domain of 26S rDNA, the strains were identified as Ca...

Resveratrol, a natural compound found in many dietary plants and in red wine, plays an important role in the prevention of many human pathological processes, including inflammation, atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis. We have shown that the antiproliferative activity of resveratrol correlated with its ability to inhibit the replicative pols (DNA po...

The unexpected esterase activity of an industrial glutaryl acylase was investigated. Glutaryl esters of a series of primary and secondary alcohols as well as of phenols were all efficiently hydrolyzed, the only exception being the sterically hindered glutarate of thymol. The enantioselectivities of the acylase, which were evaluated with three of th...

Neovascularization plays an important role in neoplasia and angioproliferative diseases. Two major modalities have been developed so far to affect neovascularization: its prevention by antiangiogenic compounds, and immature vessel disruption by vascular-targeting agents. trans-Resveratrol, found in grapes and wine, exerts antioxidant, antineoplasti...

The biotransformation of the two enantiomers of carvone, (–)-(1a) and (+)-(1b), by two bacteria (Pseudomonas putida and Acinetobacter lwoffi) isolated from different environments is reported. The metabolites from the biotransformations carried out in liquid cultures using the sterile TS-2 mineral medium were screened by headspace solid phase microe...

Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a phytoalexin found in grapes that has anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular protective, and cancer chemopreventive properties. It has been shown to target prostaglandin H(2) synthase (COX)-1 and COX-2, which catalyze the first committed step in the synthesis of prostaglandins via sequential cyclooxygen...

Laccases from different sources have been used, for the first time, for the selective oxidation of the stilbenic phytoalexin trans-resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene, 1a) on a preparative scale. Specifically, the enzymes from Myceliophtora thermophyla and from Trametes pubescens gave the dehydrodimer 2a in 31 and 18% isolated yields, respective...

An industrial glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GAR) possesses a significant broad substrate specificity that crosses over the usual cephalosporanic skeleton. Enantioselective amidase and even esterase activities have been observed with all the glutarates of racemic substrates investigated, with a stereopreference for the (S)-enantiomer...

Resveratrol (3,4′,5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a natural phytoalexin found in grapes and wine, which shows antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. In this study we have investigated whether these properties are dependent on similar or different structural determinants of the molecule. To this purpose, resveratrol derivatives, in which all...

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

The cyclization of citronellal to a mixture of menthone and isomenthone (2:1) is catalyzed by Al/Fe-Pillared Clay (Al/Fe-PILC) at 80 °C in 1,2-dichloroethane in good yield. At room temperature the products are isopulegol and neo-isopulegol, the isomer ratio depending on the reaction conditions.

3-Benzylimino-2-pyrrolidinones can be prepared in good yield by heating 3-chloro-4-chloromethyl-2-pyrrolidinones, benzylamine and NaI in THF at 80°C. An endo-dehydrohalogenation followed by a SN2′ substitution on the intermediate allyl chloride, and finally a shift of the exo-double bond to Δ3 with attendant tautomerization, appears to be the most...

The rearrangement of γ-chlm, β-hydroxy or β-vmyl N-allyl-N-benzyl-α,α-dichlorocarboxyamides to γ-aminobutynic acid analogues is efficiently promoted by CuCI\N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylendiamine. With the β-vinyl functionalization a tandem radical-radical reaction, yieldmg 3-aza-2-oxo-bicyclo[3,3,0]actatre adducts, is also observed.

A number of N-benzylic protecting groups and allylic substituents have been investigated for the rearrangement, promoted by CuCl-TMEDA, of N-allyl-2,2-dihaloamides to 3,4-disubstituted γ-lactams. An appreciable chiral induction was observed at the C-4 site when α-phenylethylamine was used as a chiral protecting group, while an unexpected Diels-Alde...

3-Aza-2-oxo-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes, which are opened to 2,3-methano-γ-aminobutyric acids, are obtained in very high yields by a two step procedure from N-protected-N-allyl-α-Br-amides.