MARTINOTTI , Simona

Honey has been used since ancient times for wound repair, but the subjacent mechanisms are almost unknown. We have tried to elucidate the modulatory role of honey in an in vitro model of HaCaT keratinocyte re-epithelialization by using acacia, buckwheat, and manuka honeys. Scratch wound and migration assays showed similar increases of...

Malignant mesothelioma (MMe) is a lethal tumor arising from the mesothelium of serous cavities as a result of exposure to asbestos. Current clinical standards consist of combined treatments, but an effective therapy has not been established yet and there is an urgent need for new curative approaches. Ascorbate is a nutrient that is also known...

Honey is widely used for treating burns, ulcers and wounds, but the mechanisms of action are poorly known and the product is mainly used as an antimicrobial. We have examined here the wound healing properties of honey on human fibroblasts, using an in vitro scratch wound healing model. Three kinds of widely used monofloral honeys were used,...

Aim of the study: The wound healing properties of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) liquid wax (JLW) were studied in vitro on HaCaT keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts, which are involved in wounded skin repair. Materials and methods: JLW cytotoxicity was evaluated by the crystal violet staining and the neutral red uptake endpoint. Induction...

GRP78 is a molecular chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that aids proper folding of nascent polypeptides. When unfolded proteins accumulate, GRP78 triggers unfolded protein response (UPR), involving activation of transcription factors like XBP1 and CHOP that may restore cell homeostasis. Increased expression of GRP78 and mild UPR can...

Malignant mesothelioma (MMe) is a poor-prognosis tumor in need of innovative therapies. In a previous in vivo study, we showed synergistic anti-MMe properties of the ascorbate/epigallocatechin-3-gallate/gemcitabine combination. We have now focused on the mechanism of action, showing the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest through...

Background Boswellia serrata gum resin has attracted pharmacological interest as an alternative antinflammatory. Purpose We studied the application of an ethanolic extract of the resin and its main active 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) against inflammatory degeneration of skin extracellular matrix. Study design We compared the...

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is widely used to promote tissue repair and accelerate osteogenesis, but there is no agreement about its mechanism of action. We characterized the modulatory effect of PRP on the in vitro osteoblast model SaOS-2, by using cell motility/chemoattraction and osteogenesis/mineralization assays, and a series of osteogenic/...

Malignant mesothelioma (MMe) is a highly aggressive, lethal tumour requiring the development of more effective therapies. The green tea polyphenol epigallocathechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibits the growth of many types of cancer cells. We found that EGCG is selectively cytotoxic to MMe cells with respect to normal mesothelial cells. MMe cell...

High mobility group box protein-1 (HMGB1) is released from cells under various pathological conditions and it plays a pivotal role as an alarmin signaling tissue damage. Little is known about the impact of HMGB1 in bone repair and remodeling. To this aim, we focused on HMGB1-induced effects on the in vitro osteoblast model SaOS-2. Cell...

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a poor prognosis disease lacking adequate therapy. We have previously shown that ascorbic acid administration is toxic to MPM cells. Here we evaluated a new combined therapy consisting of ascorbate/epigallocatechin-3-gallate/gemcitabine mixture (called AND, for Active Nutrients/Drug). In vitro effects of...

We used MCF-7 human breast cancer cells that endogenously express Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 T-type Ca2+ channels toward a mechanistic study on the effect of EGCG on [Ca2+]i. Confocal Ca2+ imaging showed that EGCG induces a [Ca2+]i spike which is due to extracellular Ca2+ entry and is sensitive to catalase and to low-specificity (mibefradil) and...

Wound healing is a significant concern in many pathologies (post-surgeries, burns, scars) and the search for new chemical entities is advisable. The lichen compound (+)-usnic acid (1) has found application in dermatological and cosmetic preparations, due to its bacteriostatic and antioxidant activities. The compound has also been shown to...

Oxidative polymerization of tyrosol by horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-H2O2afforded an insoluble product (oligotyrosol, OligoTyr) consisting of mixture of linear oligomers (up to 11-mer) with limited benzylic branching points, as evidenced by ESI-MS and solid state13C NMR analysis. OligoTyr proved to be significantly more active than tyrosol in...