Vincenzo Lattanzio

Stimulated production of secondary phenolic metabolites and proline was studied by using cell cultures of artichoke [Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Hayek] submitted to nutritional stress. Artichoke cell cultures accumulated phenolic secondary metabolites in a pattern similar to that seen in artichoke leaves and heads (capitula). This paper shows that both callus and cell suspension cultures under nutritional stress accumulated phenolic compounds and proline, at the same time their biomass production was negatively affected by nutrient deficiency. The results obtained strongly suggest that plant tissues respond to nutrient deprivation by a defensive costly mechanism, which determines the establishment of a mechanism of trade-off between growth and adaptive response. Furthermore, the results of this research suggest that perception of abiotic stress and increased phenolic metabolites are linked by a sequence of biochemical processes that also involves the intracellular fre...

Plant phenolics are secondary metabolites that encompass several classes structurally diverse of natural products biogenetically arising from the shikimate-phenylpropanoids-flavonoids pathways. Plants need phenolic compounds for pigmentation, growth, reproduction, resistance to pathogens and for many other functions. Therefore, they represent adaptive characters that have been subjected to natural Correspondence/Reprint request: Prof.

A cationic soluble peroxidase isoenzyme (CysPrx) has been purified and characterized from artichoke (Cynara cardunculus subsp. scolymus (L.) Hegi) leaves by combination of aqueous two phase extraction, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The purification fold was 149 and the activity recovery 5.5%. CysPrx was stable from 5 to 45 °C with a pH optimum around 5.5; the pI was 8.3 and the MW of 37.7 ± 1.5 kDa. MALDI-TOF MS analysis provided partial peptide sequences and resolved CysPrx isoenzyme into two putative isoforms. The presence of these isoforms was confirmed by the isolation of full-length cDNA encoding CysPrx that generate two slightly different sequences coding for two putative CysPrx: CysPrx1 and CysPrx2. The obtained MS peptides showed a 35% coverage with 100% identity with the two CysPrx deduced protein sequences. A molecular modeling analysis was carried out to predict in silico the protein structure and compare it with other plant Prx structures. Considering ...

Plant secondary metabolism constitutes a large reservoir of natural chemical diversity that encompasses an enormous range of compounds and enzymes, and a wide spectrum of mechanisms of gene regulation and of transport of metabolites and enzymes. Among the thousands of ...

P1: SFK/UKS P2: SFK BLBK411-c01 BLBK411-Cheynier February 2, 2012 13: 7 Trim: 244mm× 172mm Chapter 1 Plant Phenolics: A Biochemical and Physiological Perspective Vincenzo Lattanzio, Angela Cardinali and Vito Linsalata Abstract: The plant polyphenols are a very ...

Land-adapted plants appeared between about 480 and 360 million years ago in the mid-Palaeozoic era, originating from charophycean green algae. The successful adaptation to land of these prototypes of amphibious plants - when they emerged from an aquatic environment onto the land - was achieved largely by massive formation of "phenolic UV light screens". In the course of evolution, plants have developed the ability to produce an enormous number of phenolic secondary metabolites, which are not required in the primary processes of growth and development but are of vital importance for their interaction with the environment, for their reproductive strategy and for their defense mechanisms. From a biosynthetic point of view, beside methylation catalyzed by O-methyltransferases, acylation and glycosylation of secondary metabolites, including phenylpropanoids and various derived phenolic compounds, are fundamental chemical modifications. Such modified metabolites have altered polarity, volatility, chemical stability in cells but also in solution, ability for interaction with other compounds (co-pigmentation) and biological activity. The control of the production of plant phenolics involves a matrix of potentially overlapping regulatory signals. These include developmental signals, such as during lignification of new growth or the production of anthocyanins during fruit and flower development, and environmental signals for protection against abiotic and biotic stresses. For some of the key compounds, such as the flavonoids, there is now an excellent understanding of the nature of those signals and how the signal transduction pathway connects through to the activation of the phenolic biosynthetic genes. Within the plant environment, different microorganisms can coexist that can establish various interactions with the host plant and that are often the basis for the synthesis of specific phenolic metabolites in response to these interactions. In the rhizosphere, increasing evidence suggests that root specific chemicals (exudates) might initiate and manipulate biological and physical interactions between roots and soil organisms. These interactions include signal traffic between roots of competing plants, roots and soil microbes, and one-way signals that relate the nature of chemical and physical soil properties to the roots. Plant phenolics can also modulate essential physiological processes such as transcriptional regulation and signal transduction. Some interesting effects of plant phenolics are also the ones associated with the growth hormone auxin. An additional role for flavonoids in functional pollen development has been observed. Finally, anthocyanins represent a class of flavonoids that provide the orange, red and blue/purple colors to many plant tissues. According to the coevolution theory, red is a signal of the status of the tree to insects that migrate to (or move among) the trees in autumn.

... Vincenzo Lattanzio 1,* ,; Roberto Terzano 1 ,; Nunzia Cicco 2 ,; Angela Cardinali 3 ,; Donato Di Venere 3 ,; Vito Linsalata 3. ... 24 Schroeder HE, Gollasch S, Moore A, Tabe LM, Craig S, Hardie DC, Chrispeels MJ, Spencer D and Higgins TJV, Bean α-amylase inhibitor confers ...

The content of chlorogenic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, phloretin glycosides, and quercetin glycosides in fresh and stored Golden Delicious apples (Malus domestica Borkh) was determined. The relative amount of phenolics in the peel, with the exception of chlorogenic acid and (-)-epicatechin, was higher than that in the flesh. In addition, quercetin glycosides were detected only in the skin. These compounds were tested for fungicidal activity against Phlyctaena vagabunda Desm., the causal agent of a postharvest rot. Chlorogenic acid only inhibited P. vagabunda spore germination and mycelial growth in vitro. Changes of apple phenolics and polyphenol oxidase activity during cold storage and the biological activity of these phenolics have also been analyzed with reference to the development of quiescent infections during cold storage plus shelf life at room temperature. The results obtained suggested that phloridzin and chlorogenic acid in combination with polyphenol oxidase activity could function to arrest P. vagabunda in quiescent infections associated with immature and ripening apple fruit.

Cationic trypsin was purified from a crude extract of camel pancreas in a 90% yield by a two-step procedure consisting of anion-exchange and affinity chromatographies. The purified enzyme was homogeneous on native and SDS gel electrophoresis. Its molecular mass was estimated to be 22 kDa. Camel cationic trypsin was seen to be similar to its bovine counterpart in substrate specificity,

The flavonoids rutin, quercitrin, hyperoside, quercetin-3-arabinoside, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, and robinin were identified in leaves of six Vicia species of section Faba. Flavonoid glycosidic pattern was utilized to draw taxonomical relationships amongst the six species. The four botanical varieties of Vicia faba were found to be distinct from the narbonensis group and Vicia bithynica. Indeed, flavonoid fingerprints using high performance liquid chromatography show that the four botanical varieties of V. faba L. are closely related, whereas the wild species separate into three subgroups.

Flavonoid aglycones were identified from Vicia faba L. seed coats corresponding to eight genetically determined colors. Myricetin predominates over quercetin in beige, black, brown, green, red, and violet seeds. Kaempferol is present in substantial amounts only in spotted seeds. White seeds have only trace amounts of quercetin and kaempferol and are the only ones without proanthocyanidins. Flavones of the apigenin type occur in all colors but white. Anthocyanins (malvidin, delphinidin, petunidin, and cyanidin glycosides) are present only in violet seeds and are obviously responsible for their color. The dark colors of black, brown, and red seeds apparently result from unidentified polymers. It is concluded that the two loci, a and b, proposed by Ricciardi et al. (1985) as the sites of genetic control of seed-coat color, control the amount and type of flavonoids produced: locus a that of flavonoid monomers (flavonols, etc.) and locus b that of flavonoid polymers (condensed tannins).

ABSTRACT Contenido: 1) Los flavonoides visibles o antocianinas: de la investigación a las aplicaciones. 2) Química de flavonoides de las leguminosas. 3) Actualización de pigmentos del vino. 4) Elagitaninos, una clase de polifenoles de las plantas infravalorados: reactividad química de elagitaninos C-glucosidicos en relación a la química del vino y la actividad biológica; 5) Estrategias para optimizar el contenido de flavonoides del tomate; 6) Actividad biológica de los compuestos fenólicos en las células vegetales; 7) Muriel Wheldale Onslowl y el redescubrimiento de la función de las antocianinas presentes en las plantas; 8) Compuestos fenólicos de las plantas en el control de movimiento de las hojas. 9) Isoflavones derivados de trébol rojo: efectos metabólicos y fisiológicos del ganado y ovejas y las concentraciones en la leche producida para el consumo humano; 10) Polifenoles como biomarcadores en la investigación de nutrición: resveratrol metaboloma un generador nutricional efectivo en el consumo moderado de vino; 11) Transferencia de las propiedades químicas de los polifenoles en la actividad biológica con impacto en la salud humana; 12) Mitigación del estrés oxidativo y la señal inflamatoria por frutas y polifenoles de la nuez: implicaciones para el envejecimiento cognitivo; 13) Efectos antiateroscleróticos de flavonoides dietéticos: penetración en su mecanismo molecular de acción en el sitio de destino.