Water Extract from Inflorescences of Industrial Hemp Futura 75 Variety as a Source of Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Proliferative and Antimycotic Agents: Results from In Silico, In Vitro and Ex Vivo Studies

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) is traditionally cultivated as a valuable source of fibers and nutrients. Multiple studies also demonstrated antimicrobial, anti-proliferative, phytotoxic and insecticide effects of the essential oil from hemp female inflorescences. On the other side, only a few studies explored the potential pharmacological application of polar extracts from inflorescences. In the present study, we investigated the water extract from inflorescences of industrial hemp Futura 75 variety, from phytochemical and pharmacological point of view. The water extract was assayed for phenolic compound content, radical scavenger/reducing, chelating and anti-tyrosinase effects. Through an ex vivo model of toxicity induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on isolated rat colon and liver, we explored the extract effects on serotonin, dopamine and kynurenine pathways and the production of prostaglandin (PG)E2. Anti-proliferative effects were also evaluated against human colon cancer HCT116 cell line. Additionally, antimycotic effects were investigated against Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton interdigitale, Microsporum gypseum. Finally, in silico studies, including bioinformatics, network pharmacology and docking approaches were conducted in order to predict the putative targets underlying the observed pharmacological and microbiological effects. Futura 75 water extract was able to blunt LPS-induced reduction of serotonin and increase of dopamine and kynurenine turnover, in rat colon. Additionally, the reduction of PGE2 levels was observed in both colon and liver specimens, as well. The extract inhibited the HCT116 cell viability, the growth of T. rubrum and T. interdigitale and the activity of tyrosinase, in vitro, whereas in silico studies highlighting the inhibitions of cyclooxygenase-1 (induced by carvacrol), carbonic anhydrase IX (induced by chlorogenic acid and gallic acid) and lanosterol 14-α-demethylase (induced by rutin) further support the observed pharmacological and antimycotic effects. The present findings suggest female inflorescences from industrial hemp as high quality by-products, thus representing promising sources of nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals against inflammatory and infectious diseases.Fil: Orlando, Giustino. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Recinella, Lucia. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Chiavaroli, Annalisa. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Brunetti, Luigi. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Leone, Sheila. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Carradori, Simone. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Di Simone, Simonetta. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Ciferri, Maria Chiara. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Zengin, Gokhan. Universidad de Selcuk; TurquíaFil: Ak, Gunes. Universidad de Selcuk; TurquíaFil: Abdullah, Hassan H.. Salahaddin University-Erbil; Iraq. Universiti Sains Malaysia; MalasiaFil: Cordisco, Estefanía. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica. Área Farmacognosia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Sortino, Maximiliano Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica. Área Farmacognosia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Svetaz, Laura Andrea. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica. Área Farmacognosia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Politi, Matteo. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Angelini, Paola. Università di Perugia; ItaliaFil: Covino, Stefano. Università di Perugia; ItaliaFil: Venanzoni, Roberto. Università di Perugia; ItaliaFil: Cesa, Stefania. Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"; ItaliaFil: Menghini, Luigi. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; ItaliaFil: Ferrante, Claudio. University “G. d’Annunzio”. Department of Pharmacy; Itali

Shedding light on typical species : implications for habitat monitoring

Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to assess habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue, an online workshop was organized by the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV) to shed light on the diversity of perspectives regarding the different concepts of typical species, and to discuss the possible implications for habitat monitoring. To this aim, we inquired 73 people with a very different degree of expertise in the field of vegetation science by means of a tailored survey composed of six questions. We analysed the data using Pearson's Chi-squared test to verify that the answers diverged from a random distribution and checked the effect of the degree of experience of the surveyees on the results. We found that most of the surveyees agreed on the use of the phytosociological method for habitat monitoring and of the diagnostic and characteristic species to evaluate the structural and functional conservation status of habitats. With this contribution, we shed light on the meaning of “typical” species in the context of habitat monitoring

Il diritto di rappresentazione scenica. Il contributo legislativo e ministeriale dell'avv. Stefano Castagnola.

Il contributo esamina il processo legislativo che, a partire dalla seconda metà del XIX secolo, ha esteso l'oggetto della tutela del diritto d'autore, attraverso la previsione di un'esclusiva sulla pubblica esecuzione di opere drammatiche, in una prospettiva comparatistica

Feasibility Investigation of SIW Cavity-Backed Patch Antenna Array for Ku Band Applications

A cavity-backed microstrip patch antenna array was optimized in the Ku band. The backing cavity was designed under each patch antenna of the array in order to increase the bandwidth and minimize the intercoupling among the radiating elements. Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology was employed to fabricate the above-mentioned cavity below the radiating patch. More precisely, four microstrip array antennas, made by 2 × 2, 4 × 4, 8 × 8, and 16 × 16 elements were designed, fabricated, and characterized. The measured maximum gain was G = 13 dBi, G = 18.7 dBi, G = 23.8 dBi, and G = 29.2 dBi, respectively. The performance of the proposed antenna arrays was evaluated in terms of radiation pattern and bandwidth. An extensive feasibility investigation was performed even from the point of different materials/costs in order to state the potential of the engineered antennas in actual applications. The obtained results indicate that a cavity-backed microstrip patch antenna is a feasible solution for broadband digital radio and other satellite communication overall for niche applications

Feasibility investigation of low cost substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) directional couplers

In this paper, the feasibility of Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) couplers, fabricated using single-layer TACONIC RF-35 dielectric substrate is investigated. The couplers have been produced employing a standard PCB process. The choice of the TACONIC RF-35 substrate as alternative to other conventional materials is motivated by its lower cost and high dielectric constant, allowing the reduction of the device size. The coupler requirements are 90-degree phase shift between the output and the coupled ports and frequency bandwidth from about 10.5 GHz to 12.5 GHz. The design and optimization of the couplers have been performed by using the software CST Microwave Studio©. Eight different coupler configurations have been designed and compared. The better three couplers have been fabricated and characterized. The proposed SIW directional couplers could be integrated within more complex planar circuits or utilized as stand-alone devices, because of their compact size. They exhibit good performance and could be employed in communication applications as broadcast signal distribution and as key elements for the construction of other microwave devices and system

Evaluation of Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activities of Extracts from Tricholosporum goniospermum, an Edible Wild Mushroom

Tricholosporum goniospermum (Bres.) Guzmán ex T.J. Baroni is an excellent edible mushroom whose compounds and biological properties are still unknown. In this study, n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts from fruiting bodies and liquid-cultured mycelia were compared for the analysis of phenolic compounds, the evaluation of scavenger (DPPH, ABTS) and reducing (CUPRAC, FRAP) activities, and the enzyme inhibition of α-amylase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and tyrosinase. Additionally, T. goniospermum extracts were evaluated for antibacterial and antimycotic activities against Gram+ and Gram- bacteria, and clinical yeast and fungal dermatophytes. Finally, based on the extract content in phenolic compounds, in silico studies, including the docking approach, were conducted to predict the putative targets (namely tyrosinase, lanosterol-14-α-demethylase, the multidrug efflux system transporters of E. coli (mdtK) and P. aeruginosa (pmpM), and S. aureus β-lactamase (ORF259)) underlying the observed bio-pharmacological and microbiological effects. The methanolic extract from mycelia was the richest in gallic acid, whereas the ethyl acetate extract from fruiting bodies was the sole extract to show levels of catechin. Specifically, docking runs demonstrated an affinity of catechin towards all docked proteins, in the micromolar range. These in silico data are consistent, at least in part, with the highest activity of ethyl acetate extract as an antimicrobial and anti-tyrosinase (554.30 mg KAE/g for fruiting bodies and 412.81 mg KAE/g for mycelia) agent. The ethyl acetate extracts were also noted as being the most active (2.97 mmol ACAE/g for fruiting bodies and 2.25 mmol ACAE/g for mycelia) on α-amylase. BChE inhibitory activities varied from 2.61 to 26.78 mg GALAE/g, while the tested extracts were not active on AChE. In conclusion, all mushroom extracts tested in this study had potent antimicrobial activities. Particularly, among the tested extracts, the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest efficacy as both an antimicrobial and anti-tyrosinase agent. This could be related, albeit partially, to its content of catechin. In this regard, the bioinformatics analyses showed interactions of catechin with tyrosinase and specific microbial proteins involved in the resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, thus suggesting innovative pharmacological applications of T. goniospermum extracts

Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Antiproliferative Effects of Coronilla minima: An Unexplored Botanical Species

none15sìCoronilla species, belonging to the Coronilla genus (Fabaceae), have long been used in traditional medicine for treating cold, diabetes, pain, and as cardiotonics. The goal of the present study was to explore the phytochemical composition and pharmaco-toxicological properties of C. minima. In this regard, phenolic content, scavenging/reducing properties and antimicrobial activity toward pathogen bacterial (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus) and fungal strains (Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, Aspergillus tubigensis and A. minutus) were investigated. Extract effects on human colon cancer HCT116 cell viability were also assayed. Finally, a bioinformatics approach was conducted with the aim to identify putative microbial and human protein targets underlying antibacterial, antimycotic, and antiproliferative effects. Phytochemical investigation suggested that water extract is richer in terms of total flavonoid and phenol content, whereas the hydroalcoholic extract was revealed to be more potent as antioxidant agent. According to bioinformatics analysis, the antibacterial activity of the hydroalcoholic extract could be related to its content in resveratrol. The presence of resveratrol could also explain the hydroalcoholic extract efficacy in reducing HCT116 cell viability. In conclusion, the present study represents the first phytochemical and bio-pharmacological investigation about C. minima. Like other plants belonging to the Fabaceae family, C. minima revealed a good source of resveratrol, which could explain, albeit partially, the efficacy of the hydroalcoholic extract as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiproliferative agent.noneFerrante, Claudio; Angelini, Paola; Venanzoni, Roberto; Angeles Flores, Giancarlo; Tirillini, Bruno; Recinella, Lucia; Chiavaroli, Annalisa; Brunetti, Luigi; Leone, Sheila; Di Simone, Simonetta Cristina; Ciferri, Maria Chiara; Zengin, Gokhan; Ak, Gunes; Menghini, Luigi; Orlando, GiustinoFerrante, Claudio; Angelini, Paola; Venanzoni, Roberto; Angeles Flores, Giancarlo; Tirillini, Bruno; Recinella, Lucia; Chiavaroli, Annalisa; Brunetti, Luigi; Leone, Sheila; Di Simone, Simonetta Cristina; Ciferri, Maria Chiara; Zengin, Gokhan; Ak, Gunes; Menghini, Luigi; Orlando, Giustin