SNAB – Sostanze Naturali Bioattive
Prof. Alessio Cimmino
Room 1P-11; phone +39-081-2532126 Email: alessio.cimmino@unina.it;
Dr. Marco Masi
Room 1P-11; phone +39-081-674239 Email: marco.masi@unina.it;
Other Group members:
PhD Students: Roberta Di Lecce, Gabriele Soriano
Research:
Natural products as potential biopesticides
Formulation of natural products in biofilm for application in agri-food
Natural products with potential application in medicine
Natural products as potential biopesticides
Controlling pests is a major concern in agriculture and it is still strongly dependent on the use of synthetic herbicides, which determined, in the last fifty years, the accumulation of the toxins in the ecosystem and the rapidly evolving resistance. The natural substances produced by plants and microorganisms (essentially fungi and bacteria) can be an important part of future crop protection research. Natural products have had a substantial impact on pest control by providing molecules that are effective as pest control agents and identifying novel mode of actions and serving as inspiration/models for synthetic pesticides. Our research activity is focused on the extraction, purification and chemical characterization of bioactive compounds produced by plants and microorganisms using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. The overall aim is the selection of bioactive natural products for development of new eco-friendly biopesticides (bioherbicides, insecticides, fungicides and bactericides). The application of pesticides needs a suitable formulation that increase their efficacy by in filed application this could be realized by including the bioactive natural metabolite in biofilm to obtain sprayable emulsion and sheeting to apply on the soil.
Main collaboration:
-Maurizio Vurro, weed pathogenic fungi and bioassays, Institute of Sciences of Food Production, CNR, Bari, Italy.
-Lucia Maddau, mycology, plant pathology and bioassays, Department of Agronomy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
- Steven O. Duke, mode of actions of phytotoxins, Natural Products Utilization Research Unit, USDA, Mississippi, USA.
-Susan Meyer, grass weed pathogenic fungi and bioassays, US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Utah, USA.
- Diego Rubiales Olmedo, breeding for resistance to biotic stresses, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, CSIC, Cordoba, Spain.
- Mónica Fernández-Aparicio, strigolactone and strigolactone for biological of parasitic plant bioassay, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, CSIC, Cordoba, Spain.
- Alexander Berestetskiy, weed pathogenic fungi, All Russian Institute of Plant Protection, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.
- Massimo Cristofaro, biological control of weeds, Biotechnology and Biological Control Agency, BBCA, Rome, Italy.
- Stefano Superchi, synthesis and absolute configuration assignment by chiroptical methods, Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy.
- Sandra Savocchia, grapevine pathogenic fungi and bioassays, National Grape & Wine Industry Center, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia.
-Laura Mugnai, grapevine pathogenic fungi and bioassays, Department of Animal Sciences and Agronomy and environment production, University of Florence, Italy.
- Gennaro Pescitelli, absolute configuration assignment by chiroptical methods, Department of Chemistry University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Nina Berova, absolute configuration assignment by chiroptical methods, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, USA.
- Francisco Macias, weeds biocontrol and synthesis of bioactive metabolites, Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Càdiz, Càdiz, Spain.
- Sergio Abbate, absolute configuration assignment by chiroptical methods, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Italy.
- Yuriy Knirel, Structure determination of Lipopolysaccharides, N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
-Andrea Chini, plant hormone mode of action, Department of Plant Molecular Genetics, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Madrid, Spain.
-Euro Pannacci, evaluation of natural products as potential bioherbicides, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università di Perugia, Italy.
FORMULATION OF NATURAL PRODUCTS OF NATURAL PRODUCTS IN BIOFILM FOR APPLICATION IN AGRIFOOD
Moulds may represent a risk for health since they can cause allergic reactions and respiratory
problems and in the case of mycotoxigenic fungi, they are capable of causing mycotoxicosis in animal and humans. Fungal contamination represents one of the main concerns for food preservation as food surface, including bread, fruit, vegetables and dairy products are easily spoiled by moulds. Big problem for the production and health of fish production in aquaculture were also to fight the pathogenic bacteria and the wide production of algae. These problems could be overcome producing the so-called intelligent packaging including antifungal natural compound in suitable biofilm of produced film incorporating natural bactericides and algaecide to apply on the tank wall.
Main collaboration:
-Paola Lavermicocca, microbiologist and biological assay Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council, Bari, Italy.
- Mario Malinconico and Gabriella Santagata, synthesis and characterization of biopolymers, Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
- Luigi Capuzzi, biopolymer formulation to industrial scale Direttore Ricerca e Sviluppo, Novamont, Novara
-Kevin Schrader, aquaculture bactericides and algaecides bioassay, Natural Products Utilization Research Unit, USDA, Mississippi, USA.
NATURAL PRODUCTS WITH POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN MEDICINE
Natural products from microorganisms and plants play a leading role in drug discovery resulting in a large number of clinically useful agents. Many of these natural products have displayed notable in vitro growth inhibitory properties in human cancer cell lines and select compounds have been demonstrated to provide therapeutic benefits in mouse models of human cancer. Many of these compounds are expected to enter human clinical trials in the near future. Our research activity is focused on the isolation and chemical characterization of bioactive compounds produced by microorganisms and plants to find bioactive natural substances with new modes of action for development of new anticancer agents. Natural products could also represent an efficient solution in discovering and developing new drugs to overcome antimicrobial resistance and treat biofilm-related infections.
Main collaboration:
- Alexander Kornienko, synthesis of bioactive metabolites, Dep. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University, Texas, USA.
- Willem van Otterlo, synthesis, Department of Chemistry and Polymer Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
- Veronique Mathieu, anticancer activities of natural products, Faculté de Pharmacie ; Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.
- Stefano Superchi, synthesis and absolute configuration assignment by chiroptical methods, Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy.
- Gennaro Pescitelli, absolute configuration assignment by chiroptical methods, Department of Chemistry University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Nurhayat Tabanca, biological activity of natural products, Mosquito and Fly Research Unit, University of Florida, Miami, USA.
- Nina Berova, absolute configuration assignment by chiroptical methods, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, USA.
- Helen Townley, nanoparticles of bioactive metabolites, Department of Engineering Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
- Bloomquist Jeffrey, biological activity of natural products, Mosquito Research Unit, Department of Entomology and Nematology, Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
- Liliya V. Frolova, synthesis of bioactive metabolites, Departments of Chemistry and Biology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, USA.
- Maria Rosaria Catania, antibiofilm activity of natural products, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università Federico II di Napoli, Italy.
