0000000000181194
AUTHOR
Aurora Modica
The ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and biological properties of Nigella damascena – A review
This review is a systematic scientific work on medicinal and traditional use, on the chemical composition of specialized metabolites, volatile and non-volatile, on aspects related to toxicology and phytotherapy of Nigella damascena L. The genus Nigella (Ranunculaceae) is distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin, extending to northern India, and has been divided into three sections. Nigella damanscena L. is traditionally used as an ingredient in food, for example, as flavouring agents in bread and cheese, but is also known in folk medicine, used to regulate menstruation; for catarrhal affections and amenorrhea; as a diuretic and sternutatory; as an analgesic, anti-oedematous, and antip…
Solid state 13C-NMR methodology for the cellulose composition studies of the shells of Prunus dulcis and their derived cellulosic materials.
Lignocellulosic fibers and microcellulose have been obtained by simple alkaline treatment from softwood al- mond shells. In particular, the Prunus dulcis Miller (D.A.) Webb. was considered as a agro industrial waste largely available in southern Italy. The materials before and after purification have been characterized by 13C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy methodology. A proper data analysis provided the relative composition of lignin and holo- cellulose at each purification step and the results were compared with thermogravimetric analysis and FT-IR. To value the possibility of using this material in a circular economy framework, the fibrous cellulosic material was used to manufacture a handmade c…
Chemical composition of the essential oils of Centaurea tomentella Hand.-Mazz. and C. haussknechtii Boiss. (Asteraceae) collected wild in Turkey and their activity on microorganisms affecting historical art craft.
In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of Centaurea tomentella Hand.-Mazz. and C. haussknechtii Boiss. collected in Turkey was evaluated by GC and GC-MS. The main components of C. tomentella L. were hexadecanoic acid (19.7%), caryophyllene oxide (6.6%) and spathulenol (4.8%) whereas C. haussknechtii was rich in hexadecanoic acid (26.2%), (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (19.3%), heptacosane (5.3%) and nonacosane (5.1%). Antibacterial and antifungal activities against some microorganisms infesting historical art craft, were also determined.
The chemical composition of the essential oil of Ptilostemon gnaphaloides subsp. pseudofruticosus (Asteraceae) growing in Kythira Island, Greece
Ptilostemon is a small genus of the subtribe Carduinae (Asteraceae) that includes 15 species as annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs, spread in the Mediterranean arch, from Crimea and Turkey to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. Several species of this genus have been studied for the content of non-volatile metabolites whereas few investigations have been carried out on their essential oils. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Ptilostemon gnaphaloides subsp. pseudofruticosus, belonging to Section Ptilostemon, endemic of South Greece and Turkey, and collected in the island of Kythira, was analyzed by GC-MS. The result showed the presen…
Chemical Constituents and Biological Properties of Genus Doronicum (Asteraceae)
The genus Doronicum, belonging to tribe Senecioneae (Fam. Asteraceae), is found mainly in the Asia, Europe and North Africa. This genus of plant has always been used in traditional medicinal treatments due to the many biological properties shown such as killing parasitic worms and for relieving constipation, as well as to improve heart health, to alleviate pain and inflammation, to treat insect bites, etc. According to the World Flora the genus Doronicum contains 39 subordinate taxa.[1-3] The purpose of this article, which covers data published from 1970 to 2021 with more than 110 articles, aims to carry out a complete and critical review of the Doronicum genus, examining traditional uses a…
Hand-made paper obtained by green procedure of cladode waste of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. from Sicily
Cellulosic fibres have been obtained by green procedures from the cladodes of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill., constituting a large agro industrial waste in our territory. The materials have been analysed for its relative composition, applying, IR and TG methodologies and it was characterised by the absence of lignin. The fibrous material allowed the manufacture of a handmade paper obtaining an ecological material suitable for packaging purposes. The authors evidenced that the simple protocol based on hot water treatment was able to decrease the amount of hemicellulose in the final material.
The chemical composition of the aerial parts essential oil of S. spreitzenhoferi Heldr. (Lamiaceae) growing in Kythira island (Greece)
Stachys is a large genus of economically important plants belonging to Lamiaceae family that includes about 300 species as annual or perennial herbs. Several species of this genus are extensively used in various traditional medicines. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Stachys spreitzenhoferi Heldr., a very rare plant, belonging to Section Candidae, endemic of South Greece and collected in the island of Kythira, was analysed by GC-MS. No one reports have been previously published on this species. The result showed the presence of large quantity of diterpenoids with manoyl oxide (22.1%), as the most abundant component. Other metabolites pr…
PBAT Based Composites Reinforced with Microcrystalline Cellulose Obtained from Softwood Almond Shells
This study explores the processability, mechanical, and thermal properties of biocompostable composites based on poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) as polymer matrix and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) derived from softwood almond (Prunus dulcis) shells (as-MCC) as filler at two different weight concentration, i.e., 10 wt% and 20 wt%. The materials were processed by melt mixing and a commercial MCC (c-MCC) was used as filler comparison. The fibrillar shape of as-MCC particles was found to change the rheological behavior of PBAT, particularly at the highest concentration. The melt mixing processing allowed obtaining a uniform dispersion of both kinds of fillers, slightly reduci…
Daucus carota subsp. maximus (Desf.) Ball from Pantelleria, Sicily (Italy): isolation of essential oils and evaluation of their bioactivity
Daucus is a genus of economically important plants belonging to Apiaceae family spread in temperate regions. Species of this genus are used as food and several biological properties have reported. The chemical composition of the essential oils from different organs (roots, stems and flowers) of Daucus carota subsp. maximus, a species not previously investigated, was analyzed by GC-MS. Our results showed the presence of β-phellandrene as the most abundant component of stems and flowers and of γ-terpinene as a major compound of the oil from the roots. Flower essential oil caused a greater increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) i…
The chemical composition of the aerial parts essential oil of Acinos alpinus subsp. nebrodensis (Lamiaceae) growing in Sicily (Italy)
Acinos is a small genus of economically important plants belonging to Lamiaceae family whose botanical collocation is quite problematic due to the disagreement among the botanists and the presence in literature of several names and synonyms from different sources. In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Acinos alpinus subsp. nebrodensis (Strobl) Brullo & Brullo collected in Central Sicily was analyzed by GC-MS. The result showed the presence of large quantity of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons with germacrene D (37.9%) as the most abundant component followed by (E)-β-caryophyllene (5.1%). Among the oxygenated monoterpenes thymol (8.3%) was the …
Characterization of foxing stains in early twentieth century photographic and paper materials
The subject of this present work is a group of nine historical pictures shot in Palermo by the Sicilian photographer E. Interguglielmi in 1912. They are nine matte-collodion prints mounted on the original cardboard supports and all of them show foxing stains affecting the paper surface. In order to characterise the chemical composition of the supports and investigate foxing spots, non-destructive and micro-destructive analysis were carried out. X-rays fluorescence (XRF) analysis was used to characterise the elemental composition of all the mounting boards, allowing a comparison between the foxing spots and non-affected areas. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was used to investigate the …
XRF analysis to identify historical photographic processes: The case of some Interguglielmi Jr.’s images from the Palermo Municipal Archive
Abstract In the early period, even though professional photographers worked with similar techniques and products, their artistic and commercial aims determined different choices and led them to follow different, often personal, recipes. For this reason, identification of the techniques through date and name of the photographer or through some visual features like colour, tonality and surface of the image layer, often needs further investigation to be proved. Chemical characterization, carried out in a non or micro destructive way, can be crucial to provide useful information about the original composition, degradation process, realization technique, in obtaining an indirect dating of the ph…