Antioxidant Activity of Supercritical CO2 Extracts of Helichrysum italicum

The antioxidant activity of supercritical CO 2 extracts of H. italicum dried flower heads derived from the commercial drug and from plants grown in different areas of north-east Italy with different culturing conditions was determined. In particular, the characterization of the antioxidant activity was made by the DPPH and s-carotene bleaching test methods. The four kind of H. italicum extracts were also tested for their ability to scavenger superoxide radicals. All extracts showed, although with different importance, an antioxidant activity with all the methods performed. The supercritical extracts obtained from commercial dried H. italicum flower heads and from dried flower heads belonging to wild plants exhibited the highest activity. These results established H. italicum supercritical extracts as important antioxidant solvent-free matrices in alimentary (i.e., dietary, nutraceutical, flavouring) and cosmetic fields, as well as the value of coastal Mediterranean areas to serve as an exploitable source ..

Produzione di radicali dell'ossigeno nel liquido di lavaggio broncoalveolare di pazienti affetti da broncopneumopatia cronica ostruttiva ed altre patologie polmonari

Dottorato di ricerca in patologia dell'apparato respiratorio. 7. ciclo. A.a. 1993-94. Coordinatore A. Fasoli. Tutore A. CiacciaConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome; Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale - P.za Cavalleggeri, 1, Florence / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Correlation between age and DNA damage detected by FADU in human peripheral blood lymphocytes

Fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding (FADU) is a fast and reliable method for detecting single strand DNA breaks as an index of DNA damage induced by clastogenic agents. A study of damage detected by FADU was conducted on DNA extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes of 128 healthy nonsmoking regular donors (ranging in age from 19 to 67 years) and from 5 umbilical cord blood samples. DNA damage was measured as percentage of unwound DNA after alkalinization. Statistical analyses, both parametric (Pearson r correlation coefficient, b regression coefficient, ANOVA) and nonparametric (Kruskal-Wallis H test, Spearman rs rank correlation coefficient), support a significant correlation between age of donors and amount of DNA damage. The same results are found when adult donors are divided in four age classes and the ANOVA test performed among the mean percentages of unwound DNA of each class. Furthermore, donors of the same age belonging to different blood groups (A, B, AB and O) do not show any difference in DNA damage detected by FADU

Activation of xanthine oxidase system in cultered human lung endothelial cells

The COPD-BAL should act in a similar way to proteolytic enzymes and iduced trasformation of XDH in OX. Thiolic scavengers such as GSH, natural sulphureous water and SCMC-lis may interfere with proteolitic cleavage and block the subsequent radical production by stabilizing endothelial XDH

Oxygen radical scavengers inhibit clastogenic activity induced by sonication of human serum

Clastogenic factors (CF) are diffusible molecules that damage DNA. They are generated within biological media by a variety of physical and chemical stimuli. Their nature and mechanism of action remain largely unknown. Clastogenic activity can be experimentally generated by pulsed ultrasound treatment of human serum. To investigate whether oxygen radicals are involved in the clastogenic activity induced by sonication of human serum, we examined the effects on such clastogenic activity of different oxygen radical scavengers added to human serum before and after sonication. Human serum was sonicated for 50 min at 24 microW/cm2 by pulsed ultrasound. The clastogenic activity of sonicated human serum was examined in the presence or absence of oxygen radical scavengers by measuring the amount of DNA damage induced in autologous human lymphocytes, assessed with the fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding (FADU). Sonication of human serum generated significant DNA damage in autologous lymphocytes (DNA unwinding averaged 31.79% +/- 2.1 after sonication vs. 12.82% +/- 2.6 in the controls, p < 0.005). Superoxide dismutase (SOD; 500 I.U./ml), catalase (500 I.U./ml), mannitol (50 mM), and glutathione (50 mM) completely prevented DNA damage when added before serum sonication, whereas only mannitol (86%) and glutathione (90%) almost completely inhibited DNA damage when added after sonication. SOD and catalase had only a partial inhibitory effect when added after sonication (49% and 63%, respectively). The prevention of DNA damage was also obtained by an association of subliminal amounts of glutathione (20 mM) and vitamin E (1 I.U./ml). These results suggest that the clastogenic activity generated by sonication of human serum is mediated by oxygen radicals

Comparative evaluation of 11 essential oils of different origin as functional antioxidants, antiradicals and antimicrobials in foods

Eleven essential oils, namely, Cananga odorata (Annonaceae), Cupressus sempervirens (Cupressaceae), Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae), Cymbopogon citratus (Poaceae), Eucalyptus globulus (Myrtaceae), Pinus radiata (Pinaceae), Piper crassinervium (Piperaceae), Psidium guayava (Myrtaceae), Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae), Thymus x citriodorus (Lamiaceae) and Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae), were characterized by means of GC and GC-MS and evaluated for their food functional ingredient related properties. These properties were compared to those of Thymus vulgaris essential oil, used as a reference ingredient. Antioxidant and radical-scavenging properties were tested by means of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, beta-carotene bleaching test and luminol-photochemiluminescence (PCL) assay. In the DPPH assay, C. odorata, C. citratus, R. officinalis and C. longa showed major effectiveness, with a radical inhibition ranging from 59.6 ± 0.42-64.3 ± 0.45%. In the beta-carotene bleaching test, C. odorata (75.5 ± 0.53%), R. officinalis (81.1 ± 0.57%) and C. longa (72.4 ± 0.51%) gave the best inhibition results. Similar results were obtained for the same essential oils in the PCL assay. Antimicrobial properties were obtained on five food-spoilage yeasts: Candida albicans ATCC 48274, Rhodotorula glutinis ATCC 16740, Schizosaccharomyces pombe ATCC 60232, Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 2365, Yarrowia lypolitica ATCC 16617 . C. citratus and T. x citriodorus were the most effective against the tested strains. Suggestions on relationships between chemical composition and biological activities are outlined

Indagine fitochimica (GC-FID, GC-MS, HS-GC, NMR) di oli essenziali del genere Lavandula (Lamiaceae) e bioattività verso fitopatogeni fungini

Gli oli essenziali ottenuti dal genere Lavandula e i suoi ibridi sono ampiamente utilizzati in ambito applicativo principalmente per le loro qualità e applicazioni cosmetiche e salutistiche. Recenti studi hanno aperto nuove ed interessanti prospettive applicative degli oli essenziali di lavanda anche in ambito agronomico come agenti di controllo delle infestazioni da fitofagi, fitopatogeni ed erbe infestanti [1-2]. In tale contesto si inserisce il nostro lavoro di ricerca, caratterizzato sia dall’espressione della caratterizzazione fitochimica di diversi oli di lavanda sia dalla valutazione della loro attività biologica, ricercando eventuali evidenze di correlazione tra questi due aspetti. La ricerca è stata condotta in particolare su un olio di Lavandula vera e 5 oli da cultivar di ibridi interspecifici, ottenuti per distillazione in corrente di vapore delle sommità fiorite fresche, raccolte nello stesso tempo balsamico da piante coltivate nello stesso luogo (Casola Valsenio - RA), con rese tra 1.2 e 1.6%. Il profilo fitochimico, determinato via GC-FID e GC-MS, confermando i componenti principali via NMR, ha evidenziato un’interessante variabilità composizionale dei vari oli essenziali: rispetto alla Lavandula vera, che presenta come componenti principali il linalolo (36.15%), il linalil acetato (17.08%) ed il 4-terpineolo (16.13%); le specie ibride presentano una chemovariabilità che si estrinseca principalmente nel contenuto di linalolo (0.49 – 56.57%), 1,8 cineolo (6.49 – 59.52%), 4-terpineolo (0.63 – 8.92%), linalil acetato (nd – 24.36%), borneolo (0.72 – 13.00%). Sempre via GC-FID e GC-MS è stata altresì studiata la composizione chimica dello spazio di testa in condizioni statiche (HS-GC). Dal confronto della caratterizzazione chimica classica degli oli essenziali e dello spazio di testa è emerso che tutti gli ibridi presentano una frazione volatile particolarmente arricchita in 1,8 cineolo (25.47 – 55.17%) che risulta essere molto più abbondante che nella Lavandula vera (2.9%), oltre che in -pinene (7.25 – 17.02%), in linalolo (nd – 17.63%) e in trans-ocimene (nd – 22.18%). In relazione all’emergente interesse suscitato in ambito agronomico dagli oli di lavanda come potenziali fitofarmaci è stata fatta una valutazione dell’attività antifungina su tre ceppi certificati di fitopatogeni (Magnaporthe grisea, Botrytis cinerea, Pythium ultimum). La bioattività è stata sviluppata con due diverse metodiche, impostate per mettere in evidenza sia l’efficacia per contatto sia quella imputabile alle componenti più volatili (frazione monoterpenica) dei fitocomplessi. Questo duplice approccio ha permesso di differenziare le capacità antifungine degli oli essenziali e della frazione componente lo spazio di testa: è infatti emerso come quest’ultima componente si riveli determinante nell’espressione della bioattività, soprattutto nei confronti di Botrytis cinerea con un’inibizione totale della crescita già alla quantità di 5.0 µl

Tocopherols, fatty acids and sterols in seeds of four Sardinian wild Euphorbia species

Sardinian wild Euphorbia pithyusa, E. semiperfoliata, E. dendroides and E. characias seed oils were analyzed for their fatty acids, unsaponifiable and tocopherol content. Total tocopherol content showed a wide variability, ranging from 939 mgykg in E. semiperfoliata seeds to its absence in E. characias. The results on tocopherol content were statistically correlated with both 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging test and the beta-carotene bleaching antioxidant test. All seeds were rich in linolenic acid, while no uncommon fatty acids were detected

Endemic species of sardo-corso-balearic area: molecular composition and biological assay of Teucrium

Teucrium marum and T. subspinosum have been extracted with different polarity solvent, each crude extract was analysed with H-NMR to compare the overall metabolic component. The polar extracts showed antioxidant activity in vitro. Verbascoside and arabinosyl-verbascoside were isolated and identified. Their concentrations were in connection to the antioxidant activit

Intra-specific biodiversity of Italian myrtle (Myrtus communis) through chemical markers profile and biological activities of leaf methanolic exstracts

Methanolic extracts of Myrtus communis leaves from two Italian regions (Calabria and Sardinia) were processed to determine the content of myrtenol, linalool and eucalyptol. Among the Calabrian and Sardinian myrtle samples, linalool and eucalyptol chemotypes were prevalent. The extracts were also tested for antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities. Myrtle leaves samples were dried and extracted through maceration. Partition chromatography was adopted to separate myrtenol, linalool and eucalyptol fractions. Analyses were performed through GC and GC-MS. Some of the samples showed a good scavenger activity evidenced by DPPH radical scavenging assay and beta carotene bleaching test. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were generally weak. The phytochemical and biological characterization of all the extracts were determined with the aim to characterize the intra-specific biodiversity of myrtle populations