Search

Roberta Gaziano,1,* Elena Campione,2,* Federico Iacovelli,3 Daniele Marino,1 Francesca Pica,1 Paolo Di Francesco,1 Stefano Aquaro,4 Francesco Menichini,4 Mattia Falconi,3 Luca Bianchi2 1Microbiology Section, Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy; 2Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy; 3Department of Biology, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy; 4Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy *These authors contributed equally to this work Introduction: Dermatophytosis is a superficial fungal infection limited to the stratum corneum of the epidermis, or to the hair and nails, and constitutes an important public health problem because of its high prevalence and associated morbidity. Dermatophyte fungi, especially 2 species, Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, are the predominant pathogens. Topical antifungal drugs, mainly azoles or allyamines, are currently used for the treatment of dermatophytoses, although in some cases, such as in nail and hair involvement, systemic treatment is required. However, therapeutic efficacy of current antifungal agents can be limited by their side effects, costs, and the emergence of drug resistance among fungi. Plant extracts represent a potential source of active antimicrobial agents, due to the presence of a variety of chemical bioactive compounds. In the present work, we evaluated in silico and in vitro the antifungal activity of an extract of the medicinal plant Cardiospermum halicacabum against T. rubrum suggesting a potential interaction with Hsp90 as playing an important role in both pathogenicity and drug susceptibility of T. rubrum. Methods: We investigated in vitro the effect of different concentrations of C. halicacabum (from 500 to 31.25 µg) against a clinical isolate of T. rubrum. Furthermore, using a computational assessment, the interaction between different C. halicacabum active compounds and the fungal Hsp90 was also investigated. Results: Our results indicate a clear-cut antifungal activity of the total plant extract at the highest concentrations (500 and 250 µg). Among all tested C. halicacabum compounds, the luteolin and rutin molecules have been identified in silico as the most important potential inhibitors of Hsp90. Based on these data, luteolin and rutin were also individually assessed for their antifungal activity. Results demonstrate that both substances display an antifungal effect, even if lower than that of the total plant extract. Conclusion: Our data indicate a strong fungistatic effect of C. halicacabum against T. rubrum, suggesting its potential therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of dermatophytoses. Additionally, C. halicacabum compounds, and particularly luteolin and rutin, are all possible Hsp90 interactors, explaining their fungistatic activity. Keywords: Trichophyton rubrum, dermatophytoses, Cardiospermum halicacabum, antifungal activity, Hsp90, molecular modeling, molecular docking, rutin, luteolin

A stabilization technique targeting the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations is proposed to account for the multiscale nature of turbulence and high solution gradients. The objective is effective stabilization in computations with the advection-diffusion reaction equations, which are typical of the class of turbulence scale-determining equations where reaction-dominated effects strongly influence the boundary layer prediction in the presence of nonequilibrium phenomena. The stabilization technique, which is based on a variational multiscale method, includes a discontinuity-capturing term designed to be operative when the solution gradients are high and the reactionlike terms are dominant. As test problems, we use a 2D model problem and 3D flow computation for a linear compressor cascade. [DOI: 10.1115/1.3062967]

The aim of this study was to investigate the essential oil profile ofSalvia thomasii(Southern Italy) and to assess the relationship of this taxonomic unit toS. fruticosa. The essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main components are β-pinene, viridiflorol, 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-pinene andtrans-caryophyllene. The oil was tested for its potential antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Ability Power (FRAP) and β-carotene bleaching test. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity assays were used to screen the neuroprotective effect of the essential oil. A clear distinction of the two taxonomic units emerge by the comparison ofS. thomasiiandS. fruticosas.l. essential oil composition. Considering the weak morphological differences and the clear-cut geographic separation we propose to treat the Italian unit at subspecies level asSalvia fruticosaMill subsp.thomasii(Lacaita) Brullo, Guglielmo, Pavone & Terrasi. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

During the last decades, different natural compounds have been demonstrated to modulate inflammatory pathways. In this study, methanolic extract ofEchinophora tenuifoliaL. inflorescences was investigated for its chemical composition andin vitroantioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Phytochemical profile was investigated by means of high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses. Myristic acid and palmitic acid were found to be the major constituents. Six terpenes were identified: α-phellandrene, o-cymene, dihydroactinidiolide, neophytadiene, phytol and β-amyrin, and two phenolic compounds: carvacrol and ferulic acid. HPTLC analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction highlighted the presence of the flavonoid glycosides rutin and quercitrin. This sample showed the best diphenylpicrylhydrazyl scavenging capacity, with an IC50value equal to 40.39 μg/ml, and the strongest capacity to protect linoleic acid from peroxidation, as assessed by the β-carotene bleaching test (IC50 = 16.31 μg/ml). All samples inhibited nitric oxide production in cell supernatants in a dose-dependent manner, being the two apolar fractions (n-hexane and dichloromethane) even more active than the positive control indomethacin. A relevant biological activity was observed for dichloromethane fraction (IC50value equal to 39.97 μg/ml). Obtained results indicate that this sample could be an excellent candidate for further investigations aimed at the development of new antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]