Wound-healing is a dynamic skin reparative process that results in a sequence of events, including inflammation, proliferation, and migration of different cell types as fibroblasts. Fibroblasts play a crucial role in repairing processes, from the late inflammatory phase until the fully final epithelization of the injured tissue. Within this context, identifying tools able to implement cell proliferation and migration could improve tissue regeneration. Recently, plants species from all over the world are coming out as novel tools for therapeutic applications thanks to their phytochemicals, which have antioxidant properties and can promote wound healing. In this paper, we aimed at investigating antioxidant activity of waste extracts from different medicinal plants, endemic of the Mediterranean area, on fibroblast proliferation and wound healing. We determined the amount of total phenols and anti-oxidant activity by ABTS assay. We then evaluated the cytotoxicity of the compounds and the proliferative capabilities of fibroblasts by scratch assay. Our results showed that waste extracts retain antioxidant and regenerative properties, inducing tissue re-establishment after environmental stress exposure. Taken together, our findings suggest that waste material could be used in the future also in combinations to stimulate wound healing processes and antioxidant responses in damaged skin.

HPLC-DAD-MS/MS chromatograms of thistle (Galactites tomentosa Moench) unifloral honeys, previously selected by sensory evaluation and melissopalynological analysis, showed high levels of two compounds. One was characterized as phenyllactic acid, a common acid found in honeys, but the other compound was very unusual for honeys. This compound was extracted from honey with ethyl acetate and purified by SPE using C(18), SiOH, and NH(2) phases. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments as well as HPLC-MS/MS and Q-TOF analysis, and it was identified as lumichrome (7,8-dimethylalloxazine). Lumichrome is known to be the main product of degradation obtained in acid medium from riboflavin (vitamin B(2)), and this is the first report of the presence of lumichrome in honeys. Analysis of the G. tomentosa raw honey and flowers extracts confirmed the floral origin of this compound. The average amount of lumichrome in thistle honey was 29.4 ± 14.9 mg/kg, while phenyllactic acid was 418.6 ± 168.9 mg/kg. Lumichrome, along with the unusual high level of phenyllactic acid, could be used as a marker for the botanical classification of unifloral thistle (G. tomentosa) honey.

The nematicidal activity of selected aromatic aldehydes was tested against the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. The most active aldehyde was phthalaldehyde (1) with an EC(50) value of 11 ± 6 mg/L followed by salicylaldehyde (2) and cinnamic aldehyde (3) with EC(50) values of 11 ± 1 and 12 ± 5 mg/L, respectively. On the other hand, structurally related aldehydes such as 2-methoxybenzaldehyde (21), 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, and vanillin (23) were not active at the concentration of 1000 mg/L. By liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry the reactivity of tested aldehydes against a synthetic peptide resembling the nematode cuticle was characterized. At the test concentration of 1 mM, the main adduct formation was observed for 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (22), 2-methoxybenzaldehyde (21), and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde. Considering that 2-methoxybenzaldehyde (21) and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde were not active against M. incognita in in vitro experiments led us to hypothesize a different mechanism of action rather than an effect on the external cuticle modification of nematodes. When the toxicity of the V-ATPase inhibitor pyocyanin (10) was tested against M. incognita J2 nematodes, an EC(50) at 24 h of 72 ± 25 mg/L was found. The redox-active compounds such as phthalaldehyde (1) and salicylaldehyde (2) may share a common mode of action inhibiting nematode V-ATPase enzyme. The results of this investigation reveal that aromatic redox-active aldehydes can be considered as potent nematicides, and further investigation is needed to completely clarify their mode of action.

Azadirachtoids were determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) in five methanolic seed extracts of the neem tree and in a commercial formulation. On average, seed extracts contain azadirachtin A (10.9%), azadirachtin B (3.5%), nimbin (10.4%), and large quantities of salannin (19.0%). The composition of the commercial formulations may present different azadirachtoids contents depending on the natural extracts used in the preparation. Because these compounds may also show insecticide activity, the efficacy on field of these formulations may be very different. Photodegradation of pure azadirachtoids was also studied. Azadirachtins and related compounds are very sensitive to sunlight, degrading rapidly, with half-lives of the order of 11.3 h for azadirachtin A and 5.5 h for azadirachtin B and few minutes for the other limonoids compounds studied. The residues of azadirachtins and the main constituents, e.g., salannin, nimbin, deacetylnimbin, and deacetylsalannin, of the neem seed extract were determined on strawberries after field treatment using two different formulations. This residue study on strawberry was carried out to assess not only the azadirachtin content but also the main azadirachtoids contents. Three days after field application at five times the dose recommended by the manufacturer, residues of azadirachtin A and B were 0.03 and 0.01 mg/kg, respectively, while residues of salannin (LOQ 0.01 mg/kg) and nimbin (LOQ 0.5 mg/kg) were not detectable.

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The anthranilic and phthalic diamides, chlorantraniliprole (CAP) and flubendiamide (FLU), respectively, represent a new class of very effective insecticides that activate the ryanodine-sensitive intracellular calcium release channel (ryanodine receptor). This paper reports an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of the two insecticides on fruits and vegetables by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry operated in the positive and negative ionization switching mode. The two diamides were extracted with acetonitrile and separated on a Zorbax Column Eclipse XDB C8 (4.6 mm x 150 mm i.d., 3 microm) by isocratic elution with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water with 0.1% formic acid pumped at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The diamides were selectively detected by multiple reaction monitoring for transitions of proton adduct precursor ions simultaneously: positive m/z 484.3-->285 for CAP, m/z 445.5-->169 for internal standard, and negative m/z 681.4-->253 for FLU. For CAP calibration in the positive mode was linear over a working range of 2 to 1000 microg/L with r > 0.992. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for CAP were 0.8 and 1.6 microg/kg, respectively. For FLU in the negative mode the corresponding values were 1-1000 microg/L for linear working range, with r > 0.996 and 0.4 and 0.8 microg/L for LOD and LOQ, respectively. Moreover, the presence of interfering compounds in the fruit and vegetable extracts was found to be minimal. Due to the linear behavior of the MS detector response for the two analytes, it was concluded that the multiple reaction transitions of molecular ions in the ion-switching mode can be used for analytical purposes, that is, for identification and quantification of diamides in fruit and vegetable extracts at trace levels.

A small library of 1,3-diarylpropenones was designed and synthesized as dual inhibitors of both HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) DNA polymerase (DP) and ribonuclease H (RNase H) associated functions. Compounds were assayed on these enzyme activities, which highlighted dual inhibition properties in the low-micromolar range. Interestingly, mutations in the non-nucleoside RT inhibitor binding pocket strongly affected RNase H inhibition by the propenone derivatives without decreasing their capacity to inhibit DP activity, which suggests long-range RT structural effects. Biochemical and computational studies indicated that the propenone derivatives bind two different interdependent allosteric pockets.

Carbon Nitride and its polymorphs have recently gained large interests for their huge properties and applications in different fields, from lighting to photocatalysis. Further, several attempts were recently devoted to tune and control its optical and electrical properties. In this report we analyze phenyl modified Carbon Nitride structures obtained by simple thermal polymerization at different temperatures (250-400°C) of the starting precursor: 2,4diamino-6-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine. A multi-technique experimental data (XRD patterns, Raman, TGA and DTG, steady-time and time resolved Luminescence, Photoluminescence Excitation spectra, Reflectivity spectra) was applied to analyze the relationship between structural and optical properties and to give more insight on the effect of synthesis procedure on the final polymer. The optical properties evidenced an interesting shift towards the visible region of the absorption spectrum of the phenyl modified g-C 3 N 4 polymer that, associated with the high optical quantum yield (about 60%) and to a broad emission in the green-red spectral region, makes the samples very suitable for lighting applications. Indeed, we report a first prototype of white LED emission by assembly of a commercial blue LED and the Phenyl modified g-C 3 N 4 powders as phosphor, verifying the structural and optical stability over about 10,000 working hours.