Foto del docente

Patrizia Romualdi

Full Professor

Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology

Academic discipline: BIO/14 Pharmacology

Research

Keywords: gene expression neuropeptides opioid peptides neurodegeneration addictive drugs

Research fields

I –OPIOID AND NON-OPIOID PEPTIDES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS AT CNS LEVEL.

Main research field is Neuropharmacology, namely, Dr Romualdi works on the biological role of neuropeptides, their involvement in CNS functions, such as the mechanisms of reward to addictive drugs, nociceptive transmission, sleep regulation, thermoregulation and behavioral studies; she studies the gene expression regulation for opioid neuropeptides.

The opioid neuropeptide dynorphin, its pharmacodynamic profile and the gene regulation represents the main topic.

II –Distribution, identification and regulation of opioid and non opioid peptides, after pharmacological manipulations.

As regards non opioid neuropeptides, she personally contributed to the identification of a new peptide, related to Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, the VIP 22-28, at rat CNS level, reporting the molecular characterization and the tissue distribution into the brain and spinal cord; she also suggested a possible biological role for this new peptide at CNS level, in sleep regulation and seizures.

III –gene expression regulation of opioid peptides after chronic exposure to addictive drugs.

As regards opioids, Dr. Romualdi suggested the involvement of the dynorphinergic system in the neurochemical alterations underlying the development of the phenomena of tolerance and dependence after chronic exposure to opiates. Recently, she is studying the mechanisms regulating the gene expression for opioid neuropeptides and the possibility that they could be affected not only by opiates, but also by other drugs of abuse, such as amphetamines and cocaine.

The aim of these studies is the elucidation of the neuronal pathways underlying the development of the phenomena of tolerance activated by chronic exposure to addictive drugs and the biological role of the opioids involved into them. A possible relationship with dopamine in the meso-cortico-limbic system is also ascertained.

Another research field is represented by the study of the opioidergic system during the development of epileptic conditions, experimentally induced by amygdaloid kindling into the rat. A role for the opioid dynorphin has been ascertained in the mechanisms of kindling at rat hippocampus, striatum, and cortex level and, furthermore, it has recently been observed that prodynorphin gene expression is not always related to AP-1 activation on the gene promoter, and consequently to the oncogene c-fos expression.

Recently, a role for another peptide in epilepsy has been ascertained in rats and mice: orphaninFQ or nociceptin peptide and its receptor NOP have been shown to be involved in kainate seizures.



Research Projects:

Dr. Romualdi participates to several National Research Projects on Pharmacology, Biotechnology and Neurosciences, granted by MIUR (FIRB), Regione Emilia-Romagna and by CNR  and also to International Research Projects , granted by the NIH (National Institute of Health) and NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse), USA .

Research fields

I –OPIOID AND NON-OPIOID PEPTIDES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS AT CNS LEVEL.

Main research field is Neuropharmacology, namely, Dr Romualdi works on the biological role of neuropeptides, their involvement in CNS functions, such as the mechanisms of reward to addictive drugs, nociceptive transmission, sleep regulation, thermoregulation and behavioral studies; she studies the gene expression regulation for opioid neuropeptides.

The opioid neuropeptide dynorphin, its pharmacodynamic profile and the gene regulation represents the main topic.

II –Distribution, identification and regulation of opioid and non opioid peptides, after pharmacological manipulations.

As regards non opioid neuropeptides, she personally contributed to the identification of a new peptide, related to Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide, the VIP 22-28, at rat CNS level, reporting the molecular characterization and the tissue distribution into the brain and spinal cord; she also suggested a possible biological role for this new peptide at CNS level, in sleep regulation and seizures.

 

III –gene expression regulation of opioid peptides after chronic exposure to addictive drugs.

As regards opioids, Dr. Romualdi suggested the involvement of the dynorphinergic system in the neurochemical alterations underlying the development of the phenomena of tolerance and dependence after chronic exposure to opiates. Recently, she is studying the mechanisms regulating the gene expression for opioid neuropeptides and the possibility that they could be affected not only by opiates, but also by other drugs of abuse, such as amphetamines and cocaine.

The aim of these studies is the elucidation of the neuronal pathways underlying the development of the phenomena of tolerance activated by chronic exposure to addictive drugs and the biological role of the opioids involved into them. A possible relationship with dopamine in the meso-cortico-limbic system is also ascertained.

 

Another research field is represented by the study of the opioidergic system during the development of epileptic conditions, experimentally induced by amygdaloid kindling into the rat. A role for the opioid dynorphin has been ascertained in the mechanisms of kindling at rat hippocampus, striatum, and cortex level and, furthermore, it has recently been observed that prodynorphin gene expression is not always related to AP-1 activation on the gene promoter, and consequently to the oncogene c-fos expression.

Recently, a role for another peptide in epilepsy has been ascertained in rats and mice: orphaninFQ or nociceptin peptide and its receptor NOP have been shown to be involved in kainate seizures.

Contact Info:

:  Patrizia Romualdi, Ph.D.

Department of Pharmacology

University of Bologna

Irnerio 48, 40126 Bologna, Italy

email: patrizia.romualdi@unibo.it

tel.+390512091803               

fax +39051248862

Collaborations:

She has currently collaborations with:

Dept. of Pharmacology of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA ;

Dept. of Pharmacology of the George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA ;

The  Biological Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA;

The Department of Neurology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL

Dip. di Farmacologia  dell'Università di Ferrara;

Dip. di Farmacologia  dell'Università di Modena

 And in the past with:

Dip. di Farmacologia dell'Università di Milano;

Clinica Dermatologica dell'Università di Modena;

Dip. di Scienze Farmaceutiche dell'Università di Bologna, Ferrara e Torino.