Nanovesicles from Organic Agriculture-Derived Fruits and Vegetables: Characterization and Functional Antioxidant Content

Dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables is related to a risk reduction in a series of leading human diseases, probably due to the plants’ antioxidant content. Plant-derived nanovesicles (PDNVs) have been recently receiving great attention regarding their natural ability to deliver several active biomolecules and antioxidants. To investigate the presence of active antioxidants in fruits, we preliminarily analyzed the differences between nanovesicles from either organic or conventional agriculture-derived fruits, at equal volumes, showing a higher yield of nanovesicles with a smaller size from organic agriculture-derived fruits as compared to conventional ones. PDNVs from organic agriculture also showed a higher antioxidant level compared to nanovesicles from conventional agriculture. Using the PDNVs from fruit mixes, we found comparable levels of Total Antioxidant Capacity, Ascorbic Acid, Catalase, Glutathione and Superoxide Dismutase 1. Finally, we exposed the nanovesicle mixes to either chemical or physical lytic treatments, with no evidence of effects on the number, size and antioxidant capacity of the treated nanovesicles, thus showing a marked resistance of PDNVs to external stimuli and a high capability to preserve their content. Our study provides for the first time a series of data supporting the use of plant-derived nanovesicles in human beings’ daily supplementation, for both prevention and treatment of human diseases.     

Impaired expression of genes coding for reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes in testes of Mtfr1/Chppr-deficient mice

Mtfr1/Chppr is a nuclear gene coding for a mitochondrial protein capable of inducing fission of this organelle in a sequence-specific manner. Here we show that in mice, Mtfr1/Chppr is ubiquitously expressed and displays the highest level of expression in pubertal and adult testes and in particular in spermatids and Leydig cells. To investigate Mtfr1 function in vivo, we analyzed homozygous mice null for this gene obtained through a gene trap approach. We show that these mice fail to express Mtfr1 and that in their testes several genes coding for enzymes involved in the defense against oxidative stress are downregulated. Among these, we studied in particular glutathione peroxidase 3 and show its expression in selected testis cell types. Furthermore, we demonstrate oxidative DNA damage specifically in testes of Mtfr1-deficient mice likely resulting from a reduced antioxidant activity. As a whole, these data suggest that Mtfr1 protects the male gonads against oxidative stress.     

SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Tracing in Italy Highlights Lineages with Mutational Burden in Growing Subsets

Tracing the appearance and evolution of virus variants is essential in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we focus on SARS-CoV-2 spread in Italian patients by using viral sequences deposited in public databases and a tracing procedure which is used to monitor the evolution of the pandemic and detect the spreading, within the infected population of emergent sub-clades with a potential positive selection. Analyses of a collection of monthly samples focused on Italy highlighted the appearance and evolution of all the main viral sub-trees emerging at the end of the first year of the pandemic. It also identified additional expanding subpopulations which spread during the second year (i.e., 2021). Three-dimensional (3D) modelling of the main amino acid changes in mutated viral proteins, including ORF1ab (nsp3, nsp4, 2’-o-ribose methyltransferase, nsp6, helicase, nsp12 [RdRp]), N, ORF3a, ORF8, and spike proteins, shows the potential of the analysed structural variations to result in epistatic modulation and positive/negative selection pressure. These analyzes will be of importance to the early identification of emerging clades, which can develop into new “variants of concern” (i.e., VOC). These analyses and settings will also help SARS-CoV-2 coronet genomic centers in other countries to trace emerging worldwide variants.     

Correction to J Sci Food Agric 79, 476-480 (1999) in the paper ‘Ferulic and caffeic acids as potential protective agents against photooxidative skin damage’ by A. Saija et al.

Grants from EU project - OLITEXT FAIR 97-3053 and CNR FERS-PO-94/99 OEVOCAL are gratefully acknowledged.     

Endothelial Progenitor Cells: An Appraisal of Relevant Data from Bench to Bedside

The mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) into circulation from bone marrow is well known to be present in several clinical settings, including acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. The aim of this review was to explore the current literature focusing on the great opportunity that EPCs can have in terms of regenerative medicine.     

Adipose Tissue Inflammation and Pulmonary Dysfunction in Obesity

Obesity is a chronic disease caused by an excess of adipose tissue that may impair health by altering the functionality of various organs, including the lungs. Excessive deposition of fat in the abdominal area can lead to abnormal positioning of the diaphragm and consequent reduction in lung volume, leading to a heightened demand for ventilation and increased exposure to respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and obstructive sleep apnoea. In addition to mechanical ventilatory constraints, excess fat and ectopic deposition in visceral depots can lead to adipose tissue dysfunction, which promotes metabolic disorders. An altered adipokine-secretion profile from dysfunctional adipose tissue in morbid obesity fosters systemic, low-grade inflammation, impairing pulmonary immune response and promoting airway hyperresponsiveness. A potential target of these adipokines could be the NLRP3 inflammasome, a critical component of the innate immune system, the harmful pro-inflammatory effect of which affects both adipose and lung tissue in obesity. In this review, we will investigate the crosstalk between adipose tissue and the lung in obesity, highlighting the main inflammatory mediators and novel therapeutic targets in preventing pulmonary dysfunction.     

Epigenetic Deregulation of MicroRNAs in Rhabdomyosarcoma and Neuroblastoma and Translational Perspectives

Gene expression control mediated by microRNAs and epigenetic remodeling of chromatin are interconnected processes often involved in feedback regulatory loops, which strictly guide proper tissue differentiation during embryonal development. Altered expression of microRNAs is one of the mechanisms leading to pathologic conditions, such as cancer. Several lines of evidence pointed to epigenetic alterations as responsible for aberrant microRNA expression in human cancers. Rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma are pediatric cancers derived from cells presenting features of skeletal muscle and neuronal precursors, respectively, blocked at different stages of differentiation. Consistently, tumor cells express tissue markers of origin but are unable to terminally differentiate. Several microRNAs playing a key role during tissue differentiation are often epigenetically downregulated in rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma and behave as tumor suppressors when re-expressed. Recently, inhibition of epigenetic modulators in adult tumors has provided encouraging results causing re-expression of anti-tumor master gene pathways. Thus, a similar approach could be used to correct the aberrant epigenetic regulation of microRNAs in rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma. The present review highlights the current insights on epigenetically deregulated microRNAs in rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma and their role in tumorigenesis and developmental pathways. The translational clinical implications and challenges regarding modulation of epigenetic chromatin remodeling/microRNAs interconnections are also discussed.     

Metal-filled carbon nanotubes as a novel class of photothermal nanomaterials

Metal-filled carbon nanotubes represent a novel class of photothermal nanomaterials: when illuminated by visible light they exhibit a strong enhancement of the temperature at the metal sites, due to the enhanced plasmonic light absorption at the metal surface, which behaves as a heat radiator. Potential applications include nanomedicine, heat-assisted magnetic recording, and light-activated thermal gradient-driven devices.     

Variability in Immunohistochemical Detection of Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) in Cancer Tissue Types

In normal cell physiology, programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand, PD-L1, play an immunoregulatory role in T-cell activation, tolerance, and immune-mediated tissue damage. The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway also plays a critical role in immune escape of tumor cells and has been demonstrated to correlate with a poor prognosis of patients with several types of cancer. However, recent reports have revealed that the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of the PD-L1 in tumor cells is not uniform for the use of different antibodies clones, with variable specificity, often doubtful topographical localization, and with a score not uniquely defined. The purpose of this study was to analyze the IHC expression of PD-L1 on a large series of several human tumors to correctly define its staining in different tumor tissues.