0000000000020987

AUTHOR

Francesca Martini

showing 4 related works from this author

Screening of some rare endemic Italian plants for inhibitory activity on 5-lipoxygenase

2003

Abstract The extracts of four rare plants found on the islands of Sicily, Vulcano and Marettimo, Southern Italy, were screened for their inhibitory effect on the production of leukotriene B 4 by 5-lipoxygenase in intact cells. The methanol extracts of pods of Cytisus aeolicus and aerial parts of Thymus richardii were the most active extracts, inhibiting almost completely the leukotriene B 4 production at 200 and 50 μg/ml, respectively.

NeutrophilsLeukotriene B4PharmacognosyInhibitory postsynaptic potentialLeukotriene B4MicrobiologyThymus PlantLipoxygenasechemistry.chemical_compoundPlumbaginaceaeDrug DiscoveryBotanyAnimalsLipoxygenase InhibitorsGenistaRats WistarCytotoxicitySicilyCytisusPharmacologychemistry.chemical_classificationbiologyPlant ExtractsCytisusGeneral MedicinePlant Components Aerialbiology.organism_classificationRatsEnzymechemistryArachidonate 5-lipoxygenasebiology.proteinFitoterapia
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Effects of mud-pack treatment on plasma cytokine and soluble adhesion molecule levels in healthy volunteers

2001

Abstract Background : The suggested hypothesis of a direct anti-inflammatory property of mud-pack treatment has led us to speculate that its action on the cytokine network might counteract the heat-stress-related effects on platelet and endothelial cell function often reported following hot-spring baths. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of a cycle of 12 daily mud-pack treatments on bio-humoral markers of inflammation, as well as on markers of in vivo platelet and/or endothelial cell activation, in plasma samples obtained from healthy volunteers. Methods : Blood samples were obtained before ( T 0 ), at the end of the first treatment ( T 1 ) and after a cyc…

AdultMalemedicine.medical_specialtymedicine.medical_treatmentClinical BiochemistryHematocritBiochemistrymud-pack treatmentBlood cellLeukocyte CountIn vivoReference ValuesInternal medicinemedicineHumansPlateletadhesion moleculesmedicine.diagnostic_testCell adhesion moleculeChemistryInterleukin-6Platelet CountTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaMud TherapyBiochemistry (medical)General MedicineHyperthermia InducedMiddle AgedPlatelet ActivationcytokinesEndothelial stem cellP-Selectinmedicine.anatomical_structureEndocrinologyCytokineHematocritHemostasisImmunologyadhesion molecules; cytokines; mud-pack treatmentFemaleEndothelium VascularE-SelectinCell Adhesion MoleculesBiomarkersInterleukin-1
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Modulation of COX, LOX and NFκB activities by Xanthium spinosum L. root extract and ziniolide.

2012

Xanthium spinosum L. (Asteraceae) is a medicinal weed distributed worldwide. Many of its diverse ethnopharmacological uses - namely diarrhoea, inflammation, liver disorders, snake bite and fever - are linked - at least in part - to an uncontrolled release of arachidonic acid metabolites. The crude extract of X. spinosum roots from Jordanian origin dose-dependently inhibited the 5-LOX (IC50 is approximately equal to 10 μg/mL), COX-1(IC50 is approximately equal to 50 μg/mL), and 12-LOX (IC50 is approximately equal to 170 μg/mL) enzymatic pathways in intact pro-inflammatory cells. A direct activity at the level of PLA2 is not probable, but the extract induced the synthesis of the anti-inflamma…

Anti-Inflammatory AgentsPharmacologySesquiterpene lactoneXanthiumPlant Rootslaw.inventionchemistry.chemical_compoundInhibitory Concentration 50Sesquiterpenes GuaianelawDrug DiscoveryHydroxyeicosatetraenoic AcidsHumansCyclooxygenase InhibitorsLipoxygenase InhibitorsPharmacologychemistry.chemical_classificationInflammationbiologyDose-Response Relationship DrugPlant ExtractsNF-kappa BGeneral MedicineLipoxygenasesbiology.organism_classificationXanthiumPhorbolsEnzymeEicosanoidchemistryBiochemistryXanthium spinosumArachidonate 5-lipoxygenasebiology.proteinCyclooxygenase 1Arachidonic acidPhytotherapyHeLa CellsPhytotherapyFitoterapia
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Modulation of Cox-1, 5-, 12- and 15-Lox by Popular Herbal Remedies Used in Southern Italy Against Psoriasis and Other Skin Diseases

2014

Acanthus mollis (Acanthaceae), Achillea ligustica, Artemisia arborescens and Inula viscosa (Asteraceae) are used in Southern Italy against psoriasis and other skin diseases that occur with an imbalanced production of eicosanoids. We here assessed their in vitro effects upon 5-, 12-, 15-LOX and COX-1 enzymes as well as NFκB activation in intact cells as their possible therapeutic targets. All methanol crude extracts inhibited both 5-LOX and COX-1 activities under 200 µg/mL, without significant effects on the 12-LOX pathway or any relevant in vitro free radical scavenging activity. NFκB activation was prevented by all extracts but A. mollis. Interestingly, A. ligustica, A. arborescens and A. …

Pharmacologyfood.ingredientInulabiologyTraditional medicineAchilleabusiness.industryAchillea ligusticaPharmacologybiology.organism_classificationArtemisia arborescenslaw.inventionSilybum marianumfoodlawMedicineArtemisialipids (amino acids peptides and proteins)businessPhytotherapyAcanthus mollisPhytotherapy Research
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