Paolo Zucca

Paolo Zucca
Università degli studi di Cagliari | UNICA · Department of Biomedical Science

PhD Biochemistry

About

57
Publications
32,956
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
2,031
Citations
Citations since 2017
21 Research Items
1472 Citations
2017201820192020202120222023050100150200250300
2017201820192020202120222023050100150200250300
2017201820192020202120222023050100150200250300
2017201820192020202120222023050100150200250300
Additional affiliations
March 2013 - present
Università degli studi di Cagliari
Position
  • Laboratorio di Biochimica / Laboratory of Biochemistry
March 2011 - July 2011
Università degli studi di Cagliari
Position
  • Biochimica Metabolica /Metabolic Biochemistry
Description
  • Corso LM Biologia Cellulare e Molecolare / Course of the Master Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology
December 2010 - September 2012
Università degli studi di Cagliari
Position
  • Biohimica / Biochemistry
Description
  • Corso della LT in Infermieristica / Course of the Bachelor Degree of Arts in Nursing
Education
January 2008 - March 2011
Università degli studi di Cagliari
Field of study
  • Biochemistry
October 2004 - July 2006
Università degli studi di Cagliari
Field of study
  • Biochemistry
October 2001 - July 2004
Università degli studi di Cagliari
Field of study
  • Biotechnology

Publications

Publications (57)
Article
Full-text available
Bromelain is a key enzyme found in pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.); a proteolytic substance with multiple beneficial effects for human health such as anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidant and anticarcinogenic, traditionally used in many countries for its potential therapeutic value. The aim of this updated and comprehensive review...
Article
Full-text available
The process of melanogenesis that takes place in the melanocytes of the epidermis, leads to hyperpigmentation. The biosynthetic pathway for the production of melanin involves the enzyme tyrosinase that has been an attractive target for cosmaceutical research. Numerous synthetic, semisynthetic and natural, especially plant-based, inhibitors of tyros...
Article
Full-text available
Resveratrol is a polyphenolic stilbene derivative widely present in grapes and red wine. Broadly known for its antioxidant effects, numerous studies have also indicated that it exerts anti-inflammatory and antiaging abilities and a great potential in cancer therapy. Regrettably, the oral administration of resveratrol has pharmacokinetic and physico...
Article
Oxidative stress is the imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and accumulation and the ability of a biological system to clear these reactive products. This imbalance leads to cell and tissue damage causing several disorders in human body, such as neurodegeneration, metabolic problems, cardiovascular diseases , and cancer. Cuc...
Article
Full-text available
Cholinium-based ionic liquids (Cho-ILs) are very attractive compounds for medicinal and pharmaceutical applications as bioavailability enhancers in drug formulations and active components in pharmaceutical ingredients. In this study, we synthesized six Cho-ILs from hydroxycinnamic acids (HCA) ([Cho][HCA] ILs), a group of bioactive compounds with po...
Article
Full-text available
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO, E.C. 1.14.18.1) is a nearly ubiquitous enzyme that is widely distributed among organisms. Despite its widespread distribution, the role of PPO in plants has not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we report for the absence of PPO in Cynomorium coccineum, a holoparasitic plant adapted to withstand unfavorable climatic...
Article
Full-text available
Weeds thrive in agricultural environments. However, in certain areas of the world, they are consumed by humans as food, and they can represent a source of valuable active ingredients of ethnomedical interest. In this study, three North African parasitic plants of the Orobanchaceae family, Cistanche violacea, Orobanche crenata and Orobanche lavandul...
Article
Sisymbrium officinale (hedge mustard and formerly called Erysimum officinale) is a common plant in wild lands of Europe and Africa. It is also cultivated for its seeds and leaves to be used in salad or mustard. Sisymbrium officinale is useful not only in culinary preparations, but it also seems to possess interesting therapeutic properties, especia...
Article
Full-text available
Plants and their corresponding botanical preparations have been used for centuries due to their remarkable potential in both the treatment and prevention of oxidative stress-related disorders. Aging and aging-related diseases, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders, which have increased exponentially, are int...
Article
Cynomorium coccineum is a non-photosynthetic plant that grows in Mediterranean countries and that is amply used in the traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to extend previous studies on the chemical and biological properties of C. coccineum, evaluating the potential antiviral and antiproliferative activity of the methanolic extract. The...
Article
Full-text available
Ethnopharmacological relevance: The botanical identity of the ancient vernacular cynomorium does not correspond to the modern scientific genus while it is not clear how many species of hipocistis (Cytinus sp.) were differentiated by the ancient physicians and whether Cynomorium coccineum was subsumed. The early history of therapeutic uses related...
Article
Full-text available
In the continuous scientific search for new safe and effective drugs, there has recently been a rediscovery of natural substances as a potential reservoir of innovative therapeutic solutions for human health, with the prospect of integrating with and sometimes replacing conventional drugs. Cynomorium coccineum subsp. coccineum is a holoparasitic pl...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Cytinus is small genus of endophytic parasitic plants distributed in South Africa, Madagascar, and in the Mediterranean region. In the latter area, two species occur, Cytinus hypocistis and C. ruber, distinguished by both morphological characters and ecological traits. We characterized the ethanolic and aqueous extracts obtained from th...
Article
Background: Allicin is an organosulfur and defensive compound found in garlic (Allium sativum L.) and other Allium species. Its unique odor is easily detectable, and its effects on human health have been studied since ancient times. Scope and approach: In this compressive review we report the presence of allicin in different Allium species, their b...
Article
Full-text available
Cynomorium coccineum is a parasitic plant that has been known for centuries in ethnopharmacology. However, its biological activities have been scarcely studied, particularly in the case of plant grown in North Africa. Thus, we compared the chemical composition and antioxidant potential of C. coccineum taken from two regions characterized by very di...
Article
Full-text available
Agriculture and intensive farming methods are the greatest cause of nitrogen pollution. In particular, nitrification (the conversion of ammonia to nitrate) plays a role in global climate changes, affecting the bio-availability of nitrogen in soil and contributing to eutrophication. In this paper, the Rhodotorula diobovata DSBCA06 was investigated f...
Article
Full-text available
Thionines are recalcitrant and polluting textile dyes presenting various degrees of N-methylation. In this paper, a complete series of homologous thionines was used as the substrates for oxidation in the presence of a bioinspired commercial iron-porphyrin immobilized on to imidazoleand pyridine-functionalized fumed silica, to emulate the active sit...
Article
Full-text available
Cynomorium coccineum L., the desert thumb, is a rather exotic, parasitic plant unable to engage in photosynthesis, yet rich in a variety of unique compounds with a wide spectrum of biological applications. Whilst extraction, separation and isolation of such compounds is time consuming, the particular properties of the plant, such as dryness, hardne...
Article
Full-text available
Agarose is a polysaccharide obtained from some seaweeds, with a quite particular structure that allows spontaneous gelation. Agarose-based beads are highly porous, mechanically resistant, chemically and physically inert, and sharply hydrophilic. These features—that could be further improved by means of covalent cross-linking—render them particularl...
Article
Full-text available
Laccases (LCs) are multicopper oxidases that find application as versatile biocatalysts for the green bioremediation of environmental pollutants and xenobiotics. In this study we elucidate the degrading activity of Lac2 pure enzyme form Pleurotus pulmonarius towards aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and M1 (AFM1). LC enzyme was purified using three chromatograph...
Article
Full-text available
Synthetic and bioinspired metalloporphyrins are a class of redox-active catalysts able to emulate several enzymes such as cytochromes P450, ligninolytic peroxidases, and peroxygenases. Their ability to perform oxidation and degradation of recalcitrant compounds, including aliphatic hydrocarbons, phenolic and non-phenolic aromatic compounds, sulfide...
Article
This study is the first molecular and biochemical analysis conducted on Pompia, a plant of unknown origin that is endemic to Sardinia; this plant is thought to belong to the Citrus genus. Here, genes coding for the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6), peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7), and polyphenol oxidase (PP...
Article
Full-text available
Maltese Mushroom (Cynomorium coccineum L.) is a non-photosynthetic plant that has been used in traditional medicine for many centuries. In this paper, water extracts from the whole plant, external layer and peeled plant were studied to determine the main components responsible for its biological activities, i.e., its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and...
Article
Full-text available
Laccases are blue copper oxidases, found in some plants and secreted by a wide range of ligninolytic fungi. These enzymes are well known for their ability in oxidizing several organic compounds, mainly phenolics and aromatic amines, at the expenses of molecular oxygen. Therefore, they could find application in the field of enzymatic bioremediation...
Article
Full-text available
Cytinus hypocistis (Cytinaceae) and Cynomorium coccineum (Cynomoriaceae) are two Mediterranean parasitic plants, wildly diffused in Sardinia and well-known for several ethnopharmacological activities [1-2]. Nevertheless, only partially confirmation have been reported so far. To explore their potential, we undertook a thorough biological study. Cyno...
Article
Full-text available
Cytinus is an endophytic parasitic plant occurring in South Africa, Madagascar, and in the Mediterranean region. We have extracted the inflorescences (the only visible part of the plant, emerging from the host roots at the time of blossom) of Cytinus hypocistis collected in Sardinia, Italy, and explored the antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-tyrosina...
Article
The structure-activity relationships of four hydroxycoumarins, two with the hydroxyl group on the aromatic ring of the molecule and two with the hydroxyl group replacing hydrogen of the pyrone ring, and their interactions with mushroom tyrosinase were studied. These compounds displayed different behaviors upon action of the enzyme. The two compound...
Article
This paper describes the immobilization of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphine-manganese(III) through coordinative bond onto imidazolyl- and pyridyl-grafted silica, emulating the active site of ligninolytic peroxidases. To this purpose, plain silica gel was functionalized with two organosilanes: the first bearing an imidazolyl functiona...
Article
Full-text available
Several inorganic materials are potentially suitable for enzymatic covalent immobilization, by means of several different techniques. Such materials must meet stringent criteria to be suitable as solid matrices: complete insolubility in water, reasonable mechanical strength and chemical resistance under the operational conditions, the capability to...
Article
Lignin is a recalcitrant polymer arising from addition polymerization of phenylpropanoid units via an oxidative, enzyme-catalyzed radical mechanism. Lignin removal is a serious technological challenge in wood-related industries such as pulping for paper production. In this review, some outstanding aspects in lignin biosynthesis and structure are de...
Article
Ferula communis (L.), a plant belonging to Apiaceae, is widely present in Sardinia, Italy. Currently, interest in F. communis focuses on the presence of two chemotypes in the wild. One chemotype is poisonous to animals, whereas the other chemotype is non-poisonous. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) has been extracted and partially purified from the two chem...
Article
Full-text available
Cynomorium coccineum is an edible, non-photosynthetic plant widespread along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The medicinal properties of Maltese mushroom - one of the oldest vernacular names used to identify this species - have been kept in high regard since ancient times to the present day. We evaluated the antioxidant potential of fresh spec...
Article
Full-text available
This paper describes the oxidation of inorganic sulfide to sulfate, minimizing the formation of elemental sulfur. The described catalytic reaction uses dilute hydrogen peroxide at nearly neutral pH values in the presence of a bioinspired, heterogenized, and commercial ferriporphin. A substantial increase of the percentage of sulfide converted to su...
Article
Full-text available
Background Synthetic dyes represent a broad and heterogeneous class of durable pollutants, that are released in large amounts by the textile industry. The ability of two immobilized metalloporphines (structurally emulating the ligninolytic peroxidases) to bleach six chosen dyes (alizarin red S, phenosafranine, xylenol orange, methylene blue, methyl...
Article
The problem of nitrate removal from agricultural and industrial wastewaters is increasingly drawing attention since contamination more and more jeopardizes drinking water resources. The yeast Sporobolomyces salmonicolor produces a constitutive nitrate reductase and can use nitrate as the sole nitrogen source. The obtained nitrite is in turn reduced...
Article
A synthetic metalloporphine was immobilized onto a PVA-based and mercapto-grafted solid support, emulating the active site of cytochrome P450. Its ligninolytic peroxidase-like catalytic activity was studied. The coordinated mercapto ligand significantly affected the catalytic features of the catalyst because the oxidation of lignin-model compounds...
Article
Full-text available
Fatty acids are essential components of membranes and are an important source of metabolic energy. In bacteria, the β-oxidation pathway is well known in Escherichia coli. Bacillus subtilis possesses a considerable number of genes, organized in five operons, that are most likely involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids. Among these genes, only one...
Article
A number of vanilloids have been tested as tyrosinase inhibitors using Ligand-Based Virtual Screening (LBVS) driven by QSAR (Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship) models as the multi-agent classification system. A total of 81 models were used to screen this family. Then, a preliminary cluster analysis of the selected chemicals was carried o...
Article
Ferulic acid causes a strain of Pleurotus sajor-caju to excrete large amounts of one laccase isozyme, that was purified to homogeneity. Ferulic acid was the best inductor for laccase in this fungal strain. Laccase molecular weight, copper, and sugar content were characterized. Its catalytic activity was studied using a wide range of phenolics and a...
Article
Mononucleotides, when entrapped within a mono-olein-based cubic Ia3d liquid crystalline phase, have been found to undergo hydrolysis at the sugar-phosphate ester bond in spite of their natural inertness toward hydrolysis. Here, kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction and interactions between the lipid matrix and the mononucleotide adenosine 5'-monophos...
Article
Phenosafranine is a toxic, polluting dye, belonging to the N-phenylphenazinium class, whose inexpensive and environmentally friendly elimination from industrial effluents could be of interest. In this study we report phenosafranine degradation and concomitant decolorization of the corresponding wastewaters by H(2)O(2) oxidation in the presence of 5...
Article
Full-text available
Clinical literature suggests a negative correlation between fruit juice consumption and the occurrence of various diseases. Consequently, many commercially available beverages are based on fruit juices or green tea extracts with specific additives that increase their antioxidant power. In order to fully estimate their potential antioxidant capacity...
Article
This paper describes the immobilization of the commercial synthetic tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl) porphine-iron(III) chloride on pyridyl-functionalized crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) and the catalytic activity of the adduct towards oxidation of selected organic substrates by hydrogen peroxide. The obtained adduct was characterized by UV/vis and IR s...
Article
Full-text available
The enzymatic, selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to cinnamyl alcohol is reported here. Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase was used in a substrate-coupled process with cofactor recycling. Both 100% selectivity and aldehyde conversion were achieved within 3 h. The reaction took place under very mild conditions, in the absence of toxic organic solven...
Article
Full-text available
Recently, an interesting debate arose about the nature (substrate versus inhibitor) of esculetin, a coumarin derivative, for mushroom polyphenol oxidase (PPO). The present study examined the behavior of PPOs preparations from fungal and plant origin towards esculetin as a substrate. Both enzymes were able to oxidize esculetin though at a slow rate....
Article
Alizarin Red S, an industrially important anthraquinone dye coming from alizarin sulfonation, is a widespread polluting dye, whose inexpensive and environmental friendly elimination from effluents is a serious challenge. In this study we report its decoloration and partial mineralization by H2O2 in the presence of the heterogeneous catalyst obtaine...
Article
Full-text available
Several Mediterranean shrubs, both autochthonous and naturalized, have been traditionally used as food, flavouring and/or spicing agents, and as phytopharmaceuticals. The interest around 'natural' and 'biological' products is steadily increasing in developed countries. Therefore, it seems reasonable to screen some shrubs with regard to the actual i...
Article
In this study a new biomimetic lignin-peroxidase-like catalyst was investigated. Such a heterogeneous catalyst could be of potential interest for oxidative degradation of plant effluents, containing soluble lignin derivatives. 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(4-sulfonato-phenyl)porphine-Mn(III) was coordinated to imidazole-bearing silica to give a stable adduct...
Article
The volatile oil of the bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum was extracted by means of supercritical CO2 fluid extraction in different conditions of pressure and temperature. Its chemical composition was characterized by GC-MS analysis. Nineteen compounds, which in the supercritical extract represented >95% of the oil, were identified. (E)-Cinnamaldehyde...
Article
Tyrosinase is a copper-enzyme involved in important biological processes. Many studies investigating these topics have relied on commercial preparations of mushroom tyrosinase as a tool or use as a model system. In this study, several commercial preparations of tyrosinase have been examined with regard to their composition and purity. Enzyme activi...
Article
Cited By (since 1996): 29, Export Date: 25 July 2012, Source: Scopus

Network

Cited By

Projects

Projects (3)
Project
Chemical and biological study
Project
Exchange of students and staffs between Yerevan State University and University of Saarland, Saarbrueken (Germany), to develop Plant Biotechnology and Pharmacy Education and Research