maria cristina Salvatici

Italian National Research Council | CNR · Centro di Microscopie Elettroniche - ICCOM

Background: Gliadins have aroused significant interest in the last decade as suitable biomaterials for food and pharmaceutical applications. In particular, the oral route is the preferred method of administration for gliadin-based formulations, due to the affinity of this biomaterial for the gut mucosa. However, up to now, this has been demonstrate...

The combined approaches between ex situ and in situ conservation are of great importance for threatened species in urgent need of protection. This study aims to develop concrete actions to preserve the relic of 30 adult trees of the Sicilian fir (Abies nebrodensis) from extinction using long-term germplasm conservation in liquid nitrogen (LN, −196...

Nanostructured In2O3 was grown on TiO2 NPs by thermal treatment of the solids mixture of TiO2 with the parent In(OH)3. The effect of calcination temperature in the range between 400 °C and 700 °C was investigated and peculiar changes both in the structure and in the catalytic activity of the TiO2/In2O3 heterostructure were revealed. It was found ou...

The severe use of conventional pesticides has led to rethinking agriculture protocols for crop protection. In this context, attention has been given to nanopesticides, i.e., formulations containing nanosized particles to deliver poorly soluble bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to design and prepare nanoparticles from biopolymers such as...

Hybrid nanoparticles made up of zein and various stabilizers were developed and characterized. In detail, a zein concentration of 2 mg/ml was blended with various amounts of different phospholipids or PEG-derivatives in order to obtain formulations with suitable physico-chemical properties for drug delivery purposes. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX)...

Layered black phosphorus (BP) is endowed with peculiar chemico‐physical properties that make it a highly promising candidate in the field of electronics. Nevertheless, as other 2D materials with atomic scale thickness, it suffers from easy degradation under ambient conditions. Herein, it is shown that the functionalization of BP with preformed and...

Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is a well-known antitumor drug used as first line treatment for many types of malignancies. Despite its clinical relevance, the administration of the compound is negatively affected by dose-dependent off-target toxicity phenomena. Nanotechnology has helped to overcome these important limitations by improving the ther...

Oleanolic acid (OA) is the main triterpenic acid of olive leaves known for numerous pharmacological properties, including antioxidant activity. However, it is poorly soluble in water and consequently with low bioavailability, which limits its pharmacological application. Microemulsions (MEs) are dispersed systems consisting of two immiscible phases...

In this study, for the first time, 5-Fluorouracil was entrapped in blend nanosystems made up of sericin and zein by means of an easy and economic approach. The nanoblends showed mean sizes of 100-150 nm, a monodispersed population, high stability in serum, 6 months storage stability and the possibility to be freeze-dried. In addition, the colloidal...

The microscopic visualization of nanoparticles in plants is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms of their uptake through the cell wall and plasma membrane and to localize the possible sites of their extracellular or intracellular accumulation. Lignin nanocarriers are polymeric hollow nanocapsules able to contain and transport several bioactive subst...

Ink disease is a devastating disease of chestnut (Castanea sativa) worldwide, caused by Phytophthora species. The only management measures of this disease are chemical and agronomic interventions. This work focuses on the evaluation of the in vitro antagonistic capacity of 20 isolates of Trichoderma spp. selected in a diseased chestnut orchard in T...

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid widely found in the Oleaceae family, and it represents 3.5% of the dry weight of olive leaves. OA has many pharmacological activities, such as hepatoprotection, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-tumor, and anti-microbic activities. Its therapeutic application is limited by its poo...

The evaluation of the physico-chemical features of nanocarriers is fundamental because the modulation of these parameters can influence their biological and in vivo fate. This work investigated the feasibility of saline, 5% w/v glucose and phosphate-buffered saline solution, as polar media for the development of nanoparticles made up of two vegetal...

Thymoquinone (TQ) is a natural compound present in the essential oil and in the fixed oil of Nigella sativa L. Like many natural substances, it is characterized by poor aqueous solubility and low stability which limit its bioavailability. Soluplus®-Solutol® HS15 polymeric micelles (TQ-MP) were developed to increase the permeability of TQ with parti...

A totally biodegradable mixed system made up of phospholipids and zein was developed in order to effectively improve the photostability of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) preserving its pharmacological properties. Photon correlation spectroscopy showed that the formulation obtained using phospholipon 85G and zein at a ratio of 7:3 w/w was characteri...

Natural polymers have been widely investigated as materials for the delivery of active compounds as a consequence of their biocompatibility, low-cost and the opportunity they furnish to obtain micro- and nanostructures. In this investigation, commercial wheat gliadin was used as raw material with the aim of obtaining a vegetal protein-based nanofor...

The olive is a long-lived evergreen tree, capable of regenerating itself from any part of the plant (pollard tree). This characteristic has allowed the olive trees to survive across the centuries until they become real natural monuments. The aim of this work has been to study the monumental “Olivo della Strega” (“Witch’s Olive tree”) olive tree, lo...

The current study was designed to provide a preliminary physico-chemical characterization of zein nanosystems prepared with various Brij surfactants (for the first time to the best of our knowledge) as a function of various external stimuli such as temperature, pH, serum incubation and the freeze-drying process. The results demonstrate that when Br...

The aim of this work was the green synthesis of copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) using aqueous extracts of (i) bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) waste residues from the production of fruit juices and (ii) non-edible “false bilberry” fruits (Vaccinium uliginosum L. subsp. gaultherioides). Different cupric salts (CuCl2, Cu(CH3COO)2 and Cu(NO3)2) were us...

Purpose: To analyze the effects on corneal morphology of manual, preloaded, and automated preloaded IOL injectors in eye bank human corneas by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and in patients after phacoemulsification using anterior segment optical coherence Tomography (AS-OCT) SETTINGS: Eye Clinic, Careggi University Hospital, Fl...

Essential oils have been widely used for their antimicrobial and antifungal properties, but their instability to light and high volatility limit their clinical use. Useful strategies to improve their biopharmaceutical properties are vesicular drug delivery systems, particularly liposomes. The aim of the present study was to extract, characterize, a...

The profile of volatile organic compounds (VOC), the composition of the essential oils (EOs) and the micromorphology of the leaf trichomes were investigated in two rosemary hybrids, Salvia×mendizabalii (Sagredo ex Rosúa) Roma-Marzio & Galasso (S × m) and Salvia x lavandulacea (de Noé) Roma-Marzio & Galasso (S × l). The phytochemical analysis highli...

Escin is a natural saponin, clinically used for the anti-edematous and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of the study was to explore the possibility of converting escin into vesicle bilayer-forming component. The hyaluronidase inhibition activity of escin was evaluated after its formulation in escinosomes. Berberine chloride, a natural quaternary...

Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is a marine plant endemic of Mediterranean Sea endowed with interesting bioactivities. The hydroalcholic extract of P. oceanica leaves (POE), rich in polyphenols and carbohydrates, has been shown to inhibit human cancer cell migration. Neuroblastoma is a common childhood extracranial solid tumor with high rate of inva...

First developed for biomedical and industrial applications, nanovectors have recently been extended to agriculture. Therefore, innovative plant growing procedures making use of nanoparticles should be adapted to sustainable processes and materials. This work aims at proposing newly synthetized polymeric nanocapsules (NCs) to be used as biocompatibl...

Biopolymer-based gels have a significant impact on controlling rheological properties in a number of industrial processes. Many natural polymers such as animal and plant proteins are used as gelling agents. In particular, zein is a biocompatible protein that embraces almost 80% of the whole protein content of corn. The current study was designed to...

Sperm morphology and lipid profile have a relevant role in male fertility. We explore the status of the sperm centriole, essential structure for human fertilization and the role of fatty acid oxidation in globozoospermia, a rare sperm pathology causing infertility. A case of globozoospermia was characterized by light and electron microscopy, sperm...

A major environmental pollution problem is the release into the atmosphere of particulate matter, including nanoparticles (NPs), which causes serious hazards to human and ecosystem health, particularly in urban areas. However, knowledge about the uptake, translocation and accumulation of NPs in plant tissues is almost completely lacking. The uptake...

Sclareol (labd‑14‑ene‑8,13‑diol), a phytochemical compound belonging to labdane-type diterpenes, has recently attracted noteworthy attention because of its peculiar pharmacological properties. The foremost obstacle to an efficacious application and use of this molecule is its unfavorable bioavailability due to its poor aqueous solubility. In this i...

Purpose: To evaluate by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) the corneal incision architecture after intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in pig eyes, using manual, automated injectors or preloaded delivery systems. Methods: Twenty-four pig eyes underwent IOL implantation in the anterior chamber using three different injectors: manua...

This study characterized three cases of systematic sperm tail defects using electron microscopy and immunolocalisation of centrin 1 and tubulin and explored their impact on ICSI outcome. Structural sperm tail defects of possible genetic origin were suspected as the eosin test revealed a sperm viability of >70% despite severe asthenozoospermia or th...

Background: The present study evaluates a biocompatible material for plant protection to reduce the amount of active substance applied. We used a synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) that has been studied extensively due its bioactivity and biocompatibility. Aggregation between HA nanoparticles and four copper(II) compounds applied in Vitis vinifera L. l...

Environment-friendly and cost effective methods to obtain metal nanoparticles represent a major issue in modern material science. In particular, synthetic routes relying on green chemistry appear to be promising for large scale production. In this work, we prepared and characterized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from extracts of Cucurbita pepo L. leav...

The use of nanoparticles for many advanced applications (drug-delivery, biosensors, catalysts etc.) involves their large scale production. This engenders the need of synthetic methods and reactants which are sustainable as well as safe. Natural products allow to prepare nanoparticles via eco-friendly processes, which is especially true for reducing...

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is considered as one of the oldest and the most important fruit crops of the Mediterranean basin, which is characterized by the existence of a considerable number of different olive cultivars. Therefore, the olive cultivar identification is crucial to safeguard the genetic patrimony of this species. Different morph...

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have received increasing interest as contrast media in biomedical imaging and innovative therapeutic tools, in particular for loco-regional ablative treatments and drug delivery. The future of therapeutic applications would strongly benefit from improving the capability of the nanostructured const...

The present experimental activity is part of a research project concerning the application in grapevine protection of inorganic crystals based on a phase of calcium phosphate. The reseach is aimed to clarify the drug delivery and/or carrier properties of the micro-aggregated inorganic crystals. In the meantime, their role in strengthening the effi...

An environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) equipped with a hot stage was used to investigate how the anatomical features of spruce wood respond to heating in vacuum conditions. The ESEM allowed for continuously observing the swelling, shrinkage, and other deformations of certain anatomical elements during heating. Observations showed that...

A strategy to circumvent the poor polyphenols bioavailability is to load these compounds into liposomes. We evaluated the in vitro effects of quercetin (Q) and Q-loaded liposomes (QLL, 30, 50, 100 μM) on motility, viability and chromatin integrity of swim-up selected human sperm. Antioxidant power was assayed against tert-butylhydroperoxide induced...

Engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs) are considered emerging contaminants since they are perceived as a potential threat to the environment and the human health. The reactions of living organisms when exposed to metal nanoparticles (NPs) or NPs of different size are not well known. Very few studies on NPs–plant interactions have been published, so...

In conclusion, TEM imaging is essential to verify the parameters that are essential for cellular studies with gold nanoparticles. Here we characterized the internalization of two different type of GNRs in macrophage cells and our results were confirmed by cell viability and hyperthermia experiments. Our study validates both approaches, i.e. the use...

Cucurbita pepo L. presents a nonedible biomass potentially valuable for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Searching environmental conditions which can affect AuNPs' yield and structure, extracts were obtained from plants treated with excess metal ions in the culture medium. AuNPs one-pot synthesis was conducted at 40°C for 30 min with di...

The use of metal‐nanoparticles (MeNPs) has been increasing over the last few years. Their presence in soil may be detrimental to the entire ecosystem; it has been shown that they may have negative effects on organisms’ reproduction, mobility and survival. The magnitude of such impact depends also on the MeNPs mobility, other than the MeNPs bioavail...

For thousands of years, olive trees (Olea europaea L.) have been a significant presence and a symbol in the Garden of Gethsemane, a place located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, remembered for the agony of Jesus Christ before his arrest. This investigation comprises the first morphological and genetic characterization of eight olive...