Search results for "argan"
showing 10 items of 61 documents
Evidence of an Early Triassic age (Olenekian) in Argana Basin (High Atlas, Morocco) based on new chirotherioid traces.
2010
8 pages; International audience; New chirotherioid traces (Synaptichnium, Chirotherium, Brachychirotherium, Isochirotherium), are described in the Argana Basin (High Atlas of Morocco). Seeing that these ichnotaxa are frequent in the Triassic, their occurrence in outcrops formerly mapped as Permian (T2 Member) has required detailed sedimentological and paleontological studies of the fossiliferous site. These studies clearly show that the ichnite-bearing strata belong actually to the T3 Member of the “regional Triassic”, i.e. lower member of the Timezgadiwine Formation, the age of which was, in fact, unknown up to now. The description of these ichnospecies and their statistical comparison wit…
First record for the flora of Italy and lectotypification of the name Linum elegans (Linaceae)
2017
Linum elegans has been detected in calcareous rocky garrigues on the Gargano promontory (Apulia, SE-Italy), representing the first record for the Italian flora and the first one outside the Balkan Peninsula. The geographical disjunction may provide evidence for past amphi-Adriatic/amphi-Ionic terrestrial connections. The population found was ascribed to L. campanulatum in the past. As a consequence, a comparison between these two species is undertaken. Furthermore, the name L. elegans is here lectotypified on a specimen preserved at G, and the IUCN assessment of the species in Italy is briefly discussed.
Non-canonical regulation of glutathione and trehalose biosynthesis characterizes non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts with poor performance in active dry ye…
2018
Several yeast species, belonging to Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces genera, play fundamental roles during spontaneous must grape fermentation, and recent studies have shown that mixed fermentations, co-inoculated with S. cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces strains, can improve wine organoleptic properties. During active dry yeast (ADY) production, antioxidant systems play an essential role in yeast survival and vitality as both biomass propagation and dehydration cause cellular oxidative stress and negatively affect technological performance. Mechanisms for adaptation and resistance to desiccation have been described for S. cerevisiae, but no data are available on the physiology and oxidat…
Using GFP-Tagged Escherichia coli to Investigate the Persistence of Fecal Bacteria in Vegetated Wetlands: An Experimental Approach
2020
The contamination of surface water by pathogenic bacteria of human origin is an important public health issue. Wetlands can be contaminated with fecal bacteria by water originating from different sources, such as wastewater treatment plants and agriculture. Escherichia coli is a commensal of the human gut flora and the major indication of fecal contamination in surface water. Little is known about the association between fecal bacteria and submerged macrophytes and how this may influence the water quality. We questioned whether macrophytes enhance or inhibit the bacterial growth in wetlands. For this purpose, we grew four different species of macrophytes (Mentha aquatica, Baldellia ranuncul…
2017
Sepsis causes severe dysregulation of organ functions, via the development of oxidative stress and inflammation. These pathophysiological mechanisms are mimicked in mice injected with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Here, protective properties of argan oil against LPS-induced oxidative stress and inflammation are explored in the murine model. Mice received standard chow, supplemented with argan oil (AO) or olive oil (OO) for 25 days, before septic shock was provoked with a single intraperitoneal injection of LPS, 16 hours prior to animal sacrifice. In addition to a rise in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, injected LPS also caused hepatotoxicity, accompanied by hyperglycemia, h…
COMBINATION OF ARGAN OIL AND PHOSPHOLIPIDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFECTIVE LIPOSOME-LIKE FORMULATION ABLE TO IMPROVE SKIN HYDRATION AND ALLANTOIN…
2016
Allantoin is traditionally employed in the treatment of skin ulcers and hypertrophic scars. In the present work, to improve its local deposition in the skin and deeper tissues, allantoin was incorporated in conventional liposomes and in new argan oil enriched liposomes. In both cases, obtained vesicles were unilamellar, as confirmed by cryo-TEM observation, but the addition of argan oil allowed a slight increase of the mean diameter (∼130nm versus ∼85nm). The formulations, especially those containing argan oil, favoured the allantoin accumulation in the skin, in particular in the dermis (∼8.7μg/cm(2)), and its permeation through the skin (∼33μg/cm(2)). The performances of vesicles as skin d…
Molecular basis of the effects of argan oil on mitochondrial and peroxisomal metabolism of the fatty acids and inflammation
2012
The objective of this thesis work was to explore the molecular basis of Argan Oil (AO) effects on the mitochondrial and peroxisomal lipid metabolism and to elucidate its anti-inflammatory potential. We thus showed, initially, that the artisanal method preparation preserved the antioxidant properties of AO preventing the oxidation of the ferulic acid, by contrast to AO of commercial origin. Then, the treatment by the AO or lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of human fibroblasts, the cellular model of pseudo-neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy (P-NALD), revealed for the AO that peroxisomes proliferation is independent from the activation of the nuclear receptor PPARα and the co-activator PGC-1α. On the othe…
Food-grade argan oil supplementation in molasses enhances fermentative performance and antioxidant defenses of active dry wine yeast
2015
The tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to desiccation is important for the use of this microorganism in the wine industry, since active dry yeast (ADY) is routinely used as starter for must fermentations. Both biomass propagation and dehydration cause cellular oxidative stress, therefore negatively affecting yeast performance. Protective treatments against oxidative damage, such as natural antioxidants, may have important biotechnological implications. In this study we analysed the antioxidant capacity of pure chemical compounds (quercetin, ascorbic acid, caffeic acid, oleic acid, and glutathione) added to molasses during biomass propagation, and we determine several oxidative …
Metabolites from Mediterranean plants: characterization and transformation. Chemotaxonomic assessment and biological activity.
Questo progetto di ricerca ha lo scopo di ampliare le conoscenze di alcune piante appartenenti alla flora Mediterranea. Le piante da studiare sono state scelte in seguito ad un’attenta analisi bibliografica tra specie poco sudiate. La scelta è quindi ricaduta su nove specie appartenenti al genere Anthemis, due specie appartenenti al genere Pulicaria e sulle specie di Tetraclinis articulata, Salvia argentea, Ajuga tenorei, Ballota hispanica, Moluccella Spinosa e Thapsia garganica. Di esse sono stati preparati ed identificati i componenti degli oli essenziali e successivamente effettuati su di essi i saggi antibatterici. Dagli estratti delle specie di Tetraclinis articulata e Ajuga tenorei so…
Chemical composition of the essential oil from Thapsia garganica L. (Apiaceae) grown wild in Sicily and its antimicrobial activity.
2015
In this study, the chemical composition of the essential oil from flowers and leaves of Thapsia garganica L. collected in Sicily was evaluated by GC and GC-MS. The main components of T. garganica flower oil (T.f.) were chamazulene (58.3%), humulene oxide II (9.0%), tricosane (8.2%) and pentacosane (8.2%). Also the oil from leaves (T.l.) was characterised by high content of chamazulene (49.2%). Other abundant metabolites were 1,4-dimethylazulene (18.5%), (E)-phytol (6.3%) and neophytadiene (5.1%). The comparison with other studied oils of genus Thapsia is discussed. Antimicrobial activity against several micro-organisms, including some ones infesting historical art craft, was also determined.