Provided broad scientific perspective for collaboration with
numerous academic and company laboratories. The main research
fields are cellular biochemistry and nutritional biochemistry and
in particular:
- New cellular and molecular approaches are employed to detect
new and effective food-based strategies for reducing the risk of
diet-related diseases like cardiovascular diseases.
- Identification of Functional foods and Nutraceuticals in the
prevention/ counteraction of cell injury following oxidative stress
in cardiomyocytes by studying their citoprotective mechanisms.
- Identification of Functional foods and Nutraceuticals as
biomodulators of cellular functions, including the ability to
modulate signal transduction pathways independently of their
antioxidant activity
- New bioactive molecules from natural sources in
neuroprotection: opportunities in neurodegenerative diseases.
- New bioactive moleculee from natural sources in the prevention
of muscle damage following exhaustive physical activity
- Plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress.
Cellular and molecular approaches are employed to detect new and
effective food-based strategies for reducing the risk of
diet-related diseases, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative
diseases by:
· Identification of Functional foods and Nutraceuticals as specific
components in the diet in the prevention/counteraction of cardiac
cell injury following oxidative stress;
· Study of the cardioprotective mechanisms, including free radical
scavenging activity, induction of antioxidant enzymes, antioxidant
activity, inhibition of apoptosis in cardiac cells exposed to
oxidative stress;
· Identification of Functional foods and Nutraceuticals as
biomodulators of cellular functions, including the ability to
modulate signal transduction pathways independently of their
antioxidant activity.
· Understanding whether cardioprotective activity is related to the
ability of nutraceuticals to modulate the gene molecular status in
heart cells by nutrigenomic studies and in neuronal cells by proteomic analysis.
· Understanding the role of chemical inducers of natural origin
in the modulation of detoxifying enzymes in cardiac cells
· Identification of bioactive compounds with
neuroprotective activity in models of neuronal and glial cells in
culture following treatment with different stressors.
. Identification of biactive compounds with
cytoprotective effect in muscle cells following exhaustive
physical activity.
Biomarkers of oxidative stress in healthy subjects and patients
suffering oxidative stress induced diseases and modulation by
nutraceutical compounds.
· Adequate nutritional qualification of Italian traditional
plant foods, demonstrating that they are functional foods able to
modulate biochemical and physiological functions and to have
positive effects on cardiovascular health.
· Identification and delineation of nutritional strategies and
dietary interventions directed to the increase of the daily intake
of functional foods and nutraceuticals as fundamental step to
achieve beneficial results in chronic/degenerative pathologies as
neurodegenerative diseases.
