Papers by Luca Valbonetti
Food Bioscience, Jan 31, 2024
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Oct 18, 2023
Nowadays there is an increasing demand for assisted reproductive technologies due to the growth o... more Nowadays there is an increasing demand for assisted reproductive technologies due to the growth of infertility problems. Naturally, fertilization occurs in the oviduct, where the oviductal epithelial cells (OECs) secrete many molecules that affect the embryo's metabolism and protect it from oxidative stress. When the OECs are grown in 3D culture systems, they maintain a great part of their functional characteristics, making them an excellent model for in vitro fertilization (IVF) studies. In this work, we aimed to evaluate the suitability of different 3D-printing processes in conjunction with the corresponding set of commercially available biomaterials: extrusion-based processing using polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) and stereolithography or digital-light processing using polyethylene-glycol-diacrylate (PEGDA) with different stiffness (PEGDA500, PEGDA200, PEGDA PhotoInk). All the 3Dprinted scaffolds were used to support IVF process in a bovine embryo assay. Following fertilization, embryo development and quality were assessed in terms of cleavage, blastocyst rate at days 7 and 8, total cell number (TCN), inner cell mass/trophectoderm ratio (ICN/TE), and apoptotic cell ratio (ACR). We found a detrimental effect on cleavage and blastocyst rates when the IVF was performed on any medium conditioned by most of the materials available for digital-light processing (PEGDA200, PEGDA500). The observed negative effect could be possibly due to some leaked compound used to print and stabilize the scaffolds, which was not so evident however with PEGDA PhotoInk. On the other hand, all the extrusion-based processable materials did not cause any detrimental effect on cleavage or blastocyst rates. The principal component analysis reveals that embryos produced in presence of 3D-printed scaffolds produced via extrusion exhibit the highest similarity with the control embryos considering cleavage, blastocyst rates, TCN, ICN/TE and ACR per embryo. Conversely, all the photocross linkable materials or medium conditioned by PLA, lead to the highest dissimilarities. Since the use of PCL scaffolds, as well as its conditioned medium, bring to embryos that are more similar to the control group. Our results suggest
Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, Dec 1, 2022
Journal of Food Engineering, Nov 1, 2020
In this study the effect of matrix composition on process encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant c... more In this study the effect of matrix composition on process encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant capacity and physical properties of microencapsulated olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves extract (OLE) powders obtained by freeze-drying were investigated. Total solids, matrix composition (maltodextrin and trehalose, alone or mixtures) and OLE:matrix ratio of the initial aqueous system were investigated by applying a Response Surface Methodology. Results highlighted that encapsulation efficiency resulted positively affected by higher concentrations of maltodextrin and lower OLE:matrix ratio. Thermal properties were influenced by the overall composition of the powders with an increased T g at increasing maltodextrin content while OLE had a plasticizing effect. By microscopy analysis, differences in surface and particle morphology as well as OLE distribution in the differently formulated powders were observed in agreement with the corresponding encapsulation efficiency. This study highlights the importance of formulation optimization in freeze-drying encapsulation to enhance process efficiency and the technological functionalities of the powders.
Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, Dec 1, 2022
Journal of Food Engineering, Nov 1, 2020
In this study the effect of matrix composition on process encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant c... more In this study the effect of matrix composition on process encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant capacity and physical properties of microencapsulated olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves extract (OLE) powders obtained by freeze-drying were investigated. Total solids, matrix composition (maltodextrin and trehalose, alone or mixtures) and OLE:matrix ratio of the initial aqueous system were investigated by applying a Response Surface Methodology. Results highlighted that encapsulation efficiency resulted positively affected by higher concentrations of maltodextrin and lower OLE:matrix ratio. Thermal properties were influenced by the overall composition of the powders with an increased T g at increasing maltodextrin content while OLE had a plasticizing effect. By microscopy analysis, differences in surface and particle morphology as well as OLE distribution in the differently formulated powders were observed in agreement with the corresponding encapsulation efficiency. This study highlights the importance of formulation optimization in freeze-drying encapsulation to enhance process efficiency and the technological functionalities of the powders.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, May 14, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Animals, Apr 13, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Feb 1, 2020
Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are commonly found in plants and other organisms capab... more Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are commonly found in plants and other organisms capable of undergoing severe and reversible dehydration, a phenomenon termed "anhydrobiosis". Here, we have produced a tagged version for three different LEA proteins: pTag-RAB17-GFP-N, Zea mays dehydrin-1dhn, expressed in the nucleo-cytoplasm; pTag-WCOR410-RFP, Tricum aestivum cold acclimation protein WCOR410, binds to cellular membranes, and pTag-LEA-BFP, Artemia franciscana LEA protein group 3 that targets the mitochondria. Sheep fibroblasts transfected with single or all three LEA proteins were subjected to air drying under controlled conditions. After rehydration, cell viability and functionality of the membrane/mitochondria were assessed. After 4 h of air drying, cells from the un-transfected control group were almost completely nonviable (1% cell alive), while cells expressing LEA proteins showed high viability (more than 30%), with the highest viability (58%) observed in fibroblasts expressing all three LEA proteins. Growth rate was markedly compromised in control cells, while LEA-expressing cells proliferated at a rate comparable to non-air-dried cells. Plasmalemma, cytoskeleton and mitochondria appeared unaffected in LEA-expressing cells, confirming the protection conferred by LEA proteins on these organelles during dehydration stress. This is likely to be an effective strategy when aiming to confer desiccation tolerance to mammalian cells.
Human Reproduction, Jun 29, 2022
Nutrients
Bone healing is a major clinical issue, especially in bone defects of critical dimensions. Some s... more Bone healing is a major clinical issue, especially in bone defects of critical dimensions. Some studies have reported in vivo positive effects on bone healing by some bioactive compounds, such as the phenolic derivatives found in vegetables and plants, such as resveratrol, curcumin, and apigenin. The aim of this work was (1) to analyze in vitro in human dental pulp stem cells the effects of these three natural compounds on the gene expression of related genes downstream to RUNX2 and SMAD5, key factor transcriptions associated with osteoblast differentiation, in order to better understand the positive effects that can occur in vivo in bone healing, and (2) to evaluate in vivo the effects on bone healing of critical-size defects in the calvaria in rats of these three nutraceuticals tested in parallel and for the first time administered by the gastric route. Upregulation of the RUNX2, SMAD5, COLL1, COLL4, and COLL5 genes in the presence of apigenin, curcumin, and resveratrol was detect...
Scientific Reports
To date, the impossibility of treating resistant forms of bacteria and fungi (AMR) with tradition... more To date, the impossibility of treating resistant forms of bacteria and fungi (AMR) with traditional drugs is a cause for global alarm. We have made the green synthesis of Argirium silver ultra nanoclusters (Argirium-SUNCs) very effective against resistant bacteria (< 1 ppm) and mature biofilm (0.6 ppm). In vitro and preclinical tests indicate that SUNCs are approximately 10 times less toxic in human cells than bacteria. Unique chemical-physical characteristics such as particle size < 2 nm, a core composed of Ag0, and a shell of Ag +, Ag2+ , Ag3+ never observed before in stable form in ultra pure water, explain their remarkable redox properties Otto Cars (Lancet Glob. Health 9:6, 2021). Here we show that Argirium-SUNCs have strong antimicrobial properties also against resistant Aspergillus niger GM31 mycelia and spore inactivation (0.6 ppm). The membrane depolarization is a primary target leading to cell death as already observed in bacteria. Being effective against both bacter...
Prosthesis
Zygomatic implants imply the use of the zygoma as the implant anchorage and have been proposed as... more Zygomatic implants imply the use of the zygoma as the implant anchorage and have been proposed as a valuable alternative to the invasive classical procedures in cases of severe maxillary atrophy. Despite the numerous manuscripts published in this field, a quantitative analysis of the research products to infer the trends and the status identification of this specific issue was missing, as well as an objective map of this area. Thus, the present scientometric study analyzed all the research papers published within the interval 1990–2021 that included the keyword “zygomatic implants”. Research papers containing the keywords “zygomatic implants” were collected using Web of Science and analyzed with Cytoscape 3.7.2 and Sci software. A total of 654 studies were published between 1990 and 2020, reaching up to 11639 citations in total, with a mean of 17.8 citations per research study. Data show that the number of publications per year is rapidly increasing, as well as the sum of citations ...
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
MicroRNAs are small non-coding molecules that control several cellular functions and act as negat... more MicroRNAs are small non-coding molecules that control several cellular functions and act as negative post-transcriptional regulators of the mRNA. While their implication in several biological functions is already known, an important role as regulators of different physiological and pathological processes in fertilization and embryo development is currently emerging. Indeed, miRNAs have been found in the oviductal fluid packaged within the extracellular vesicles, which might act as natural nanoshuttles by transporting lipids, proteins, RNA molecules and miRNAs from the oviduct to the gametes or embryos. Here, an exhaustive bibliography search was carried out, followed by the construction of a computational model based on the networks theory in an attempt to recreate and elucidate the pathways potentially activated by the oviductal miRNA. The omics data published to date were gathered to create the Oviductal MiRNome, in which the miRNA target genes and their interactions are represent...
Human Reproduction
Study question Are there any potential effects derived from the exposure of spermatozoa to MoS2/c... more Study question Are there any potential effects derived from the exposure of spermatozoa to MoS2/catechins nanoflakes during the process of capacitation? Summary answer The spermatozoa exposure to MoS2/catechin nanoflakes do not induce toxicity on spermatozoa and modulate sperm capacitation in a swine in vitro model. What is known already Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)is a 2D graphene-like material widely used in a pletora of applications, such as energy storage, catalysts, sensors, lubricants and friction reducers. The unique features of this nanomaterial suggest interesting applications in the biomedical field. To date, there are no data regarding the potential effects of MoS2 nanoflakes on the reproductive field. Study design, size, duration To evaluate the potential effects derived from the interaction between the sperm cells and this material, spermatozoa were exposed to MoS2/Catechins nanoflakes at 10, 1, 0.1 ppm, using catechins as control, during capacitation. Different sperm ca...
Journal of Food Safety, 2022
Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2021
Aims This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of selected essential oils (EOs) and hydrolat... more Aims This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of selected essential oils (EOs) and hydrolates (Hs) against Listeria monocytogenes biofilms on polystyrene (PS) and stainless steel (SS) surfaces. Methods and Results Among others, Origanum hirtum EO, Corydothymus capitatus EO and Citrus aurantium H were selected to treat L. monocytogenes biofilms during and after biofilm formation. Sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of C. capitatus EO (0.31 µl/ml) showed the highest inhibiting effect against biofilm formation on PS, while on SS no significant differences between the EOs were observed (43.7%–88.7% inhibition). Overall, the tested biosanitizers showed limited activity as biofilm removal agents. Although generally less effective, C. aurantium H exhibited good biofilm inhibition performance at 62.5 µl/ml, particularly on PS. Confocal laser scanning microscopy proved that sub-MICs of the biosanitizers drastically changed L. monocytogenes biofilm architecture, with bacterial ...
Cell Transplantation, 2018
The field of regenerative medicine is moving toward clinical practice in veterinary science. In t... more The field of regenerative medicine is moving toward clinical practice in veterinary science. In this context, placenta-derived stem cells isolated from domestic animals have covered a dual role, acting both as therapies for patients and as a valuable cell source for translational models. The biological properties of placenta-derived cells, comparable among mammals, make them attractive candidates for therapeutic approaches. In particular, stemness features, low immunogenicity, immunomodulatory activity, multilineage plasticity, and their successful capacity for long-term engraftment in different host tissues after autotransplantation, allo-transplantation, or xenotransplantation have been demonstrated. Their beneficial regenerative effects in domestic animals have been proven using preclinical studies as well as clinical trials starting to define the mechanisms involved. This is, in particular, for amniotic-derived cells that have been thoroughly studied to date. The regenerative ro...
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Papers by Luca Valbonetti