Powerful Properties of Ozonated Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil has been mainly produced and consumed in Mediterranean countries since ancient times; olive oil is one of the principal ingredients in the Mediterranean diet, and it constitutes the main source of nutritional fat. Aside from the high nutritional content of olive oil, it is also known for its cosmetic and therapeutic properties. In 1956, Thiers obtained satisfactory results in the treatment of scleroderma, stating that olive oil and its derivatives could be considered “a new group of therapeutic agents.” Hincky reported the beneficial properties of olive oil in the treatment of dry, senescent and sensitive skins. This has opened a new perspective for the use of the olive fruit, thus contributing to the increase in research about new applications. One such application is ozonized olive oil, which combines the properties of ozone with those of olive oil, to obtain a peerless compound. The composition of olive oil makes it a suitable vehicle for cutaneous absorption, as it is able to stabilize ozone, which is a highly reactive molecule. The oxidant power of ozone has interesting effects on microorganism and on wound healing

Morphological and Biochemical Profiles of the Gonadal Cycle in the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus: Wild Type vs. Bred

Paracentrotus lividus gonads represent a valued gourmet delicacy, particularly appreciated in Europe and in Japan. Their commercial value is generally associated to their size, freshness, colour and texture. Diet, gametogenesis and environmental conditions have a marked influence, promoting the indispensable mechanisms of synthesis, selective storage and mobilization of the bioactive compounds, as lipids, proteins and carbohydrates of gonads in order to obtain nutrients. The objective of this work is to compare the morphological and biochemical profiles of reproductive life cycle of the gonads of adult P. lividus in its marine natural environment and adult captured sea urchins breeding into a fish aquaculture system. The reproductive cycle of male and female wild and breeding P. lividus was characterized during 1 year by analysing variations of the gonadal content of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates of animals captured at four different locations of the south-western coast of Salento, Italy, with the animals grown in a fish farm and fed with four different types of diet. The gonadal and repletion indexes were determined before the specimen dissection for evaluation of sex, development stages and physiological aspects. Gonads were processed for histological and biochemical analysis. The gonadal content of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates was performed by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and by spectrometry, respectively

Looking to the Future of the Role of Macrophages and Extracellular Vesicles in Neuroinflammation in ALS

Neuroinflammation is a common pathological feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although scientific evidence to date does not allow defining neuroinflammation as an ALS trigger, its role in exacerbating motor neuron (MNs) degeneration and disease progression is attracting research interest. Activated CNS (Central Nervous System) glial cells, proinflammatory peripheral and infiltrated T lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages, as well as the immunoreactive molecules they release, represent the active players for the role of immune dysregulation enhancing neuroinflammation. The crosstalk between the peripheral and CNS immune cells significantly correlates with the survival of ALS patients since the modification of peripheral macrophages can downregulate inflammation at the periphery along the nerves and in the CNS. As putative vehicles for misfolded protein and inflammatory mediators between cells, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have also drawn particular attention in the field of ALS. Both CNS and peripheral immune cells release EVs, which are able to modulate the behavior of neighboring recipient cells; unfortunately, the mechanisms involved in EVs-mediated communication in neuroinflammation remain unclear. This review aims to synthesize the current literature regarding EV-mediated cell-to-cell communication in the brain under ALS, with a particular point of view on the role of peripheral macrophages in responding to inflammation to understand the biological process and exploit it for ALS management

Autophagy in development and regeneration: role in tissue remodelling and cell survival

Morphogenetic events that occur during development and regeneration are energy demanding processes requiring profound rearrangements in cell architecture, which need to be coordinated in timely fashion with other cellular activities, such as proliferation, migration and differentiation. In the last 15 years, it has become evident that autophagy, an evolutionarily-conserved catabolic process that mediates the lysosomal turnover of organelles and macromolecules, is an essential "tool" to ensure remodelling events that occur at cellular and tissue levels. Indeed, studies in several model organisms have shown that the inactivation of autophagy genes has a significant impact on embryogenesis and tissue regeneration, leading to extensive cell death and persistence of unnecessary cell components. Interestingly, the increased understanding of the mechanisms that confers selectivity to the autophagic process has also contributed to identifying development-specific targets of autophagy across species. Moreover, alternative ways to deliver materials to the lysosome, such as microautophagy, are also emerging as key actors in these contexts, providing a more complete view of how the cell component repertoire is renovated. In this review, we discuss the role of different types of autophagy in development and regeneration of invertebrates and vertebrates, focusing in particular on its contribution in cnidarians, platyhelminthes, nematodes, insects, zebrafish and mammals

Molecular Characterization of Temozolomide-Treated and Non Temozolomide-Treated Glioblastoma Cells Released Extracellular Vesicles and Their Role in the Macrophage Response

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are widely investigated in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) for their involvement in regulating GBM pathobiology as well as for their use as potential biomarkers. EVs, through cell-to-cell communication, can deliver proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids that are able to reprogram tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). This research is aimed to concentrate, characterize, and identify molecular markers of EVs subtypes released by temozolomide (TMZ)-treated and non TMZ-treated four diverse GBM cells. Morphology, size distribution, and quantity of small (sEVs) and large (lEVs) vesicles were analyzed by cryo-TEM. Quality and quantity of EVs surface markers were evaluated, having been obtained by Western blotting. GBM cells shed a large amount of EVs, showing a cell line dependent molecular profile A comparative analysis distinguished sEVs and lEVs released by temozolomide (TMZ)-treated and non TMZ-treated GBM cells on the basis of quantity, size and markers expression. Finally, the GBM-derived sEVs and lEVs, irrespective of TMZ treatment, when challenged with macrophages, modulated cell activation toward a tendentially M2b-like phenotype

Novel therapeutic delivery of Nanocurcumin in central nervous system related disorders

Nutraceuticals represent complementary or alternative beneficial products to the expensive and high-tech therapeutic tools in modern medicine. Nowadays, their medical or health benefits in preventing or treating different types of diseases is widely accepted, due to fewer side effects than synthetic drugs, improved bioavailability and long half-life. Among herbal and natural compounds, curcumin is a very attractive herbal supplement considering its multipurpose properties. The potential effects of curcumin on glia cells and its therapeutic and protective properties in central nervous system (CNS)-related disorders is relevant. However, curcumin is unstable and easily degraded or metabolized into other forms posing limits to its clinical development. This is particularly important in brain pathologies determined blood brain barrier (BBB) obstacle. To enhance the stability and bioavailability of curcumin, many studies focused on the design and development of curcumin nanodelivery systems (nanoparticles, micelles, dendrimers, and diverse nanocarriers). These nanoconstructs can increase curcumin stability, solubility, in vivo uptake, bioactivity and safety. Recently, several studies have reported on a curcumin exosome-based delivery system, showing great therapeutical potential. The present work aims to review the current available data in improving bioactivity of curcumin in treatment or prevention of neurological disorders

High ordered biomineralization induced by carbon nanoparticles in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

A surprising and unexpected biomineralization process was observed during toxicological assessment of carbon nanoparticles on Paracentrotus lividus (sea urchin) pluteus larvae. The larvae activate a process of defense against external material, by incorporating the nanoparticles into microstructures of aragonite similarly to pearl oysters. Aiming at a better understanding of this phenomenon, the larvae were exposed to increasing concentrations of carbon nanoparticles and the biomineralization products were analyzed by electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. In order to evaluate the possible influence of Sp-CyP-1 expression on this biomineralization process by larvae, analyses of gene expression (Sp-CyP-1) and calcein labeling were performed. Overall, we report experimental evidence about the capability of carbon nanoparticles to induce an increment of Sp-CyP-1 expression with the consequent activation of a biomineralization process leading to the production of a new pearl-like biomaterial never previously observed in sea urchins

Plant Extracellular Vesicles: Investigating Their Utilization as Beneficial Nutrients in Diet

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from seeds, leaves, and fruits have shown a significant therapeutic potential for their anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. The ability to transport bioactive molecules and the low toxicity give EVs remarkable versatility in the field of nanomedicine for the development of drug delivery systems. Moreover, the physicochemical stability in gastric and intestinal fluids makes them the ideal candidate as nutritional carriers in oral formulations. It is well known that the consumption of antioxidant molecules from dietary plant sources, such as fruits and vegetables, can prevent pathologies caused by oxidative damage, including inflammatory and cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, aging, and cancer. EVs present in plant juices are receiving a lot of interest concerning their biological relevance in terms of their health benefits. EVs from food might be new components participating in body homeostasis, as they are in contact with the intestinal tract. This review aims to report and discuss the main biological properties and nutraceutical use of plant-derived EVs as promising therapeutic tools, with a focus on anti-oxidant effect and as a basis in developing new food-derived technology

Phenotypes and gene expression profiles of <it>Saccharopolyspora erythraea </it>rifampicin-resistant (<it>rif</it>) mutants affected in erythromycin production

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is evidence from previous works that bacterial secondary metabolism may be stimulated by genetic manipulation of RNA polymerase (RNAP). In this study we have used rifampicin selection as a strategy to genetically improve the erythromycin producer <it>Saccharopolyspora erythraea</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Spontaneous rifampicin-resistant (<it>rif</it>) mutants were isolated from the parental strain NRRL2338 and two <it>rif </it>mutations mapping within <it>rpoB</it>, S444F and Q426R, were characterized. With respect to the parental strain, S444F mutants exhibited higher respiratory performance and up to four-fold higher final erythromycin yields; in contrast, Q426R mutants were slow-growing, developmental-defective and severely impaired in erythromycin production. DNA microarray analysis demonstrated that these <it>rif </it>mutations deeply changed the transcriptional profile of <it>S. erythraea</it>. The expression of genes coding for key enzymes of carbon (and energy) and nitrogen central metabolism was dramatically altered in turn affecting the flux of metabolites through erythromycin feeder pathways. In particular, the valine catabolic pathway that supplies propionyl-CoA for biosynthesis of the erythromycin precursor 6-deoxyerythronolide B was strongly up-regulated in the S444F mutants, while the expression of the biosynthetic gene cluster of erythromycin (<it>ery</it>) was not significantly affected. In contrast, the <it>ery </it>cluster was down-regulated (<2-fold) in the Q426R mutants. These strains also exhibited an impressive stimulation of the nitrogen regulon, which may contribute to lower erythromycin yields as erythromycin production was strongly inhibited by ammonium.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Rifampicin selection is a simple and reliable tool to investigate novel links between primary and secondary metabolism and morphological differentiation in <it>S. erythraea </it>and to improve erythromycin production. At the same time genome-wide analysis of expression profiles using DNA microarrays allowed information to be gained about the mechanisms underlying the stimulatory/inhibitory effects of the <it>rif </it>mutations on erythromycin production.</p