A5044419838- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Echinoderm biology and ecology
- Protein Hydrolysis and Bioactive Peptides
- Bone health and treatments
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Fibroblast Growth Factor Research
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Bone Metabolism and Diseases
- Cholinesterase and Neurodegenerative Diseases
University of Palermo
2022-2025
In recent years, the invasive Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) has increased its spread throughout Mediterranean Sea, threatening native biodiversity and local economies. This study aimed to valorize C. sapidus sampled in Sicily by utilizing exoskeleton as a source of chitosan, astaxanthin, bio-phenolic compounds. These biomolecules were evaluated for their reducing, radical scavenging, antitumor activity. The ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) free scavenging activity...
The demand for new molecules to counter bacterial resistance antibiotics and tumor cell is increasingly pressing. Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica considered a promising source of bioactive molecules. Polypeptide-enriched fractions rhizomes green leaves the were tested against Gram-positive (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli), as well towards yeast Candida albicans. aforementioned extracts showed...
Parathyroid-hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is encoded by PTHLH gene which, alternative promoter usage and splicing mechanisms, can give rise to at least three isoforms of 139, 141 173 amino acids with distinct C-terminals. PTHrP subjected different post-translational processing that generates smaller bioactive forms, comprising terminus, midregion (containing a nuclear/nucleolar targeting signal) carboxy terminus peptides. Both the full-length discrete peptides are key controllers...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive cancer histotype and one of the most common types worldwide. The identification compounds that might intervene to restrain neoplastic cell growth appears imperative due its elevated overall mortality. marine environment represents a reservoir rich in bioactive terms primary secondary metabolites produced by aquatic animals, mainly invertebrates. In present study, we determined whether water-soluble cell-free extract coelomic fluid (CFE) edible...
Aqueous extracts from Posidonia oceanica's green and brown (beached) leaves rhizomes were prepared, submitted to phenolic compound proteomic analysis, examined for their potential cytotoxic effect on HepG2 liver cancer cells in culture. The chosen endpoints related survival death cell viability locomotory behavior, cell-cycle apoptosis autophagy, mitochondrial membrane polarization, redox state. Here, we show that 24 h exposure both green-leaf- rhizome-derived decreased tumor number a...
Anticancer peptides are short and structurally heterogeneous aminoacidic chains, which display selective cytotoxicity mostly against tumor cells, but not healthy based on their different cell surface properties. Their anti-tumoral activity is carried out through interference with intracellular homeostasis, such as plasmalemma integrity, cycle control, enzymatic activities mitochondrial functions, ultimately acting angiogenesis-, drug resistance- metastasis-inhibiting agents, immune...
This study evaluates, for the first time, reducing capacity, radical scavenger activity, and in vitro antitumor anti-inflammatory effects of chitosan, astaxanthin, bio-phenols extracted from exoskeleton Sicilian Procambarus clarkii, most widespread species invasive crayfish Mediterranean region. Among compounds, astaxanthin exhibited highest antioxidant activity all assays. Chitosan polyphenols demonstrated scavenging activity; chitosan showed significant ferric ion capacity FRAP test, while...
Echinoderms are an acknowledged source of bioactive compounds exerting various beneficial effects on human health. Here, we examined the potential in vitro anti-hepatocarcinoma aqueous extracts cell-free coelomic fluid obtained from sea urchin Arbacia lixula using HepG2 cell line as a model system. This was accomplished by employing combination colorimetric, microscopic and flow cytometric assays to determine viability, cycle distribution, possible onset apoptosis, accumulation rate acidic...
The cell-free aqueous extract from the coelomic fluid of Holothuria tubulosa was prepared and examined for its glucose-lowering effect on HepG2 cells in vitro. In particular, employing a combination cytochemical, flow cytometric, PCR, protein blot techniques, we evaluated role glucose internalization storage upregulation surface translocation two transporters GLUT-2 -4. changes expression, synthesis, and/or activation GLUT2-related transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 alpha...