Domenica Altavilla

University of Messina, Messina, Italy · Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging.

In the original publication [...]

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-022-02973-w.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00273.].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01347.].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00537.].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00224.].

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a photochemotherapy based on local application of a photosensitive compound and subsequent exposure to a light source of adequate wavelength. It is a non-invasive therapeutic procedure widely used in oncodermatology for treatment of numerous skin cancers, but in the last years its use has been gradually extended to an...

Lycopene is a carotenoid found in tomatoes that has potent antioxidant activity. The Mediterranean diet is particularly rich in lycopene, which has well-known beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. We tested the effects of lycopene extract in a group of 20 ApoE knockout mice, fed with a high fat western diet for 14 weeks. Starting from week 3...

Drug-induced photosensitivity (DIP) is a common cutaneous adverse drug reaction, resulting from the interaction of ultraviolet radiations, mostly ultraviolet A, with drugs. DIP includes phototoxicity and photoallergy. A phototoxic reaction is obtained when topical and systemic drugs or their metabolites absorb light inducing a direct cellular damag...

Background: Antibiotics are prescribed for children both in hospital and community settings, particularly at preschool age. Italy shows a high rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions which may represent a serious problem in the hospital scenario. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in the...

Among benign vascular tumors of infancy, hemangiomas are the commonest, affecting approximately 5–10% of one-year-old children. They are derived from a benign proliferation of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in the mesoderm and may arise anywhere on the body around 1–2 weeks after birth. Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are characterized by an early p...

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a bilateral, hereditary syndrome characterized by progressive irreversible injury in the corneal endothelium; it is the most frequent cause for corneal transplantation worldwide. Oxidative stress induces the apoptosis of corneal endothelial cells (CECs), and has a crucial function in FECD pathogenesis....

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) severely increases the probability of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), and diabetic patients with CAD should be considered at very high cardiovascular risk. The complexity of this clinical scenario makes very hard the appropriateness of the pharmacological treatment in the real world. To investigate the impl...

The therapeutic armamentarium for the treatment of oral mucositis is very poor. Catechin and baicalin are two natural flavonoids that have been individually reported to have a curative potential. Flavocoxid is a mixed extract containing baicalin and catechin showing antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory activity mainly due to a dual inhibition...

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) comprises a group of disorders, in particular Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), characterized by chronic inflammation affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment of these conditions is primarily based on anti-inflammatory drugs, although the use of biological drugs with lower side effects qui...

Cannabinoid receptors, which are widely distributed in the body, have been considered as possible pharmacological targets for the management of several tumors. Cannabinoid type 2 receptors (CB2Rs) belong to the G protein-coupled receptor family and are mainly expressed in hematopoietic and immune cells, such as B-cells, T-cells, and macrophages; th...

The normal wound healing process is characterized by a complex, highly integrated cascade of events, requiring the interactions of many cell types, including inflammatory cells, fibroblasts, keratinocytes and endothelial cells, as well as the involvement of growth factors and enzymes. However, several diseases such as diabetes, thermal injury and i...

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune dermatosis of which the pathogenesis remains scarcely known. A wide variety of clinical studies have been proposed to investigate the immune mediators which have shown the most recurrency. However, such trials have produced controversial results. The aim of this review is to summarize the main factors involved in th...

Experimental and clinical studies have suggested that several neurological disorders are associated with the occurrence of central nervous system neuroinflammation. Metaxalone is an FDA-approved muscle relaxant that has been reported to inhibit monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). The aim of this study was to investigate whether metaxalone might exert anti...

Obesity is a worldwide chronic metabolic disease characterized by an abnormal fat accumulation and represents one of the main risk factors for several diseases. White adipose tissue is the primary site for energy storage in the form of triglycerides, whereas brown adipose tissue does not store energy-providing lipids but rather dissipates it by pro...

Oral mucositis is a side effect hard to treat following high dose chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Adenosine A2A receptor stimulation blocks NF-κB and boosts the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, thus blunting inflammation and triggering growth factor codifying genes. Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) is a registered drug that activates the A2A receptor. Therefor...

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is characterized by the gradual deterioration of corneal endothelial cells (CECs) and is the most common cause of corneal transplantation worldwide. CECs apoptosis caused by oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of FECD. Antioxidant compounds have been of considerable significance as a...

Oral surgery has undergone dramatic developments in recent years due to the use of biomaterials. The aim of the present review is to provide a general overview of the current biomaterials used in oral surgery and to comprehensively outline their impact on post-operative wound healing. A search in Medline was performed, including hand searching. Com...

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic conditions that can benefit from the combined treatment of adenosine receptor agonists and hyaluronic acid (HA), which, binding the CD44, has pro-survival effects. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of a mixture of polynucleotides and HA in an experimental model of dinitrobenzenesulfonic ac...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents an important problem of global health. The damage related to TBI is first due to the direct injury and then to a secondary phase in which neuroinflammation plays a key role. NLRP3 inflammasome is a component of the innate immune response and different diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, are characte...

Obesity is a worldwide growing problem for the health care systems and its treatment is strongly recommended. Orlistat, naltrexone/bupropion, and liraglutide are approved for weight loss in Italy in patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2 or ≥ 27 kg/m2 with concomitant diseases. However, the prescription of these drugs is significantly low...

Children represent one of the most susceptible groups to adverse drug reactions (ADRs), as a consequence of physiological growth and maturation of different organ systems. The aim of this study was to characterize the frequency, preventability and seriousness of ADRs recorded in the Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) of the University hospital of...

Human gingival fibroblasts (GF) and human oral mucosa epithelial cells (EC) with an inflammatory phenotype represent a valuable experimental paradigm to explore the curative activity of agents to be used in oral mucositis. The role of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) has not yet been investigated in oral mucositis. The aim of this study was to evaluate...

Precise tacrolimus treatment in transplanted patients is achieved in the clinical setting by performing therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and consequently adjusting therapy. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the variability in tacrolimus blood levels throughout 2 years of observation in 75 transplanted patients and to investigate...

Varicocele is one of the main causes of infertility in men. Oxidative stress and consequently apoptosis activation contribute to varicocele pathogenesis, worsening its prognosis. Natural products, such as lycopene, showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in several experimental models, also in testes. In this study we investigated lycopene...

Cadmium (Cd) damages the thyroid gland. We evaluated the effects of myo-inositol (MI), seleno-L-methionine (Se) or their combination on the thyroids of mice simultaneously administered with Cd chloride (CdCl2). Eighty-four male mice were divided into 12 groups (seven mice each). Six groups (controls) were treated with 0.9% NaCl (vehicle), Se (0.2 m...

Glioblastomas are aggressive cancers characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and inflammation. b-caryophyllene (BCP) is a cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist that showed an important anti-inflammatory effect through the interaction of CB2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) receptors. BCP effects were investigated in a...

Proteasome inhibition is a promising strategy for the treatment of multiple myeloma; unfortunately, this disease is often associated with an increasing chemoresistance. One novel approach may be to target the immunoproteasome, a proteasomal isoform mainly present in cells of hematopoietic origin. We investigated the activity of a panel of amides ag...

Introduction: Drug combination is widely used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. A similar strategy might be worth of interest to design plant-derived natural products to treat inflammatory conditions. Curcumin is a natural phenolic compound which shares anti-inflammatory activity with both flavocoxid, a flavonoid mixture of baicalin and catec...

β-caryophyllene (BCP) is a cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist that tempers inflammation. An interaction between the CB2 receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) has been suggested and PPAR-γ activation exerts anti-arthritic effects. The aim of this study was to characterize the therapeutic activity of BCP and to inve...

The antibiotic doxorubicin is often used as an anti-neoplastic drug; however, many patients showed very unpleasant side-effects. Previous studies have demonstrated that dietary substances such as Aloe arborescens, Annona muricata, Morinda citrifolia, Beta rubra, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Vaccinium myrtillus may have anti-oxidant, anti-proliferat...

Cadmium (Cd) induces functional and morphological changes in kidney. Therefore, the effects of a natural nutraceutical antioxidant, myo-inositol (MI), were evaluated in mice kidneys after Cd challenge. Twenty-eight C57 BL/6 J mice were divided into these groups: 0.9% NaCl; MI (360 mg/kg/day); CdCl2 (2 mg/kg/day) plus vehicle; CdCl2 (2 mg/kg/day) pl...

Background: Cadmium (Cd) impairs gametogenesis and damages blood-testis barrier. Objective: As the primary mechanism of Cd-induced damage is oxidative stress, the effects of two natural antioxidants, myo-inositol (MI) and seleno-L-methionine (Se), were evaluated in mice testes. Method: Eighty-four male C57 BL/6J mice were divided into twelve g...

The purpose of the study was to determine whether low‐high fidelity medical simulation improves learning and long‐lasting retention of pharmacology knowledge, compared to lecture alone, in undergraduate medical students. Ninety students, before a 45‐minute lecture, were randomized into three groups ‐ sham (S), low (LF), and high fidelity (HF) simul...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2018/4285694.].

Cadmium (Cd) is a harmful heavy metal, which causes severe brain damage and neurotoxic effects. Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) stimulates adenosine A 2A receptor, thus contrasting several deleterious mechanisms in course of tissue damages. We aimed to investigate the possible neuroprotective effect of PDRN in a murine model of Cd-induced brain toxi...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex clinical and progressive condition characterized by neuronal loss, axonal destruction and demyelination. In the last few years, adenosine receptors have been studied as a target for many diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an adenosine recept...

Background Cadmium (Cd), a diffused environmental pollutant, has adverse effects on urinary apparatus. The role of flavocoxid, a natural flavonoid with antioxidant activity, on the morphological and biochemical changes induced in vivo by Cd in mice kidney was evaluated. Methods C57 BL/6J mice received 0.9% NaCl alone, flavocoxid (20 mg/kg/day i.p....

Introduction: Flavocoxid is a proprietary blend of two flavonoids, baicalin and catechin, and recent evidence has shown that bioflavonoids may exert antiviral activities. The potential antiviral activity of Flavocoxid against hepatitis B virus (HBV) was evaluated. Additionally, it was investigated if Flavocoxid used in combination with Entecavir c...

The two types of fat cells in mammals brown and white have different functions. White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy in the form of triglyceride and releases free fatty acids during caloric deficiency. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) on the other hand can dissipate energy through thermogenesis. Genistein can have an effect on energy expenditu...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by fibroblast activation and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Alterations in cell-integrin interaction are sufficient to initiate pro-fibrotic processes. SSc fibroblasts express both αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrins and their activation induces myofibroblasts differentiation. Th...

Experimental evidence suggests that cadmium (Cd) boosts oxidative stress that may result in toxicity on the endocrine system also in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the glycemic control and oxidative stress markers in male adolescents with increased urinary levels of cadmium. We investigated 111 males, aged 12–14 years, living in a...

Introduction Le psoriasis est une maladie de la peau à médiation immunitaire caractérisée par une augmentation de la prolifération des kératinocytes, l’hyperplasie épidermique, l’acanthose et des altérations dans l’organisation des fibroblastes. Le nucléoside adénosine est une petite molécule qui, stimulant le récepteur A2A, favorise l’activation d...

Diabetes is characterized by poor wound healing which currently lacks an efficacious treatment. The innate repair receptor (IRR) is a master regulator of tissue protection and repair which is expressed as a response injury or metabolic stress, including in diabetes. Activation of the IRR might provide benefit for diabetic wound healing. A specific...

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in several biological processes, but its role in human melanogenesis is still not well understood. Exposure to UVA and UVB induces nitric oxide production in keratinocytes and melanocytes through the activation of constitutive nitric oxide synthase, increasing tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis, whereas inducibl...

Background and purpose: Diabetic subjects with non-healing ulcers have a reduced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Genetically diabetic mice have an altered expression pattern of VEGF and its receptor, VEGFR-2. In diabetic wounds, miR15b and miR200b which respectively inhibit VEGF and VEGF-R2 mRNAs are up-regulated, further...

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) is a secondary cause of bone loss. Bisphosphonates approved for GIO, might induce jaw osteonecrosis; thus additional therapeutics are required. Adenosine receptor agonists are positive regulators of bone remodeling, thus the efficacy of adenosine receptor stimulation for treating GIO was tested. In a preven...

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal particularly hazardous for human health, as it is highly diffused and, therefore, a ubiquitous environmental toxicant. In fact, in the general population, the main sources of exposure are food, cigarette smoking, inhalation of ambient air, drinking water, contaminated soil or dust. Furthermore, an occupati...

Oxidative stress is a phenomenon caused by an imbalance between production and accumulation of oxygen reactive species (ROS) in cells and tissues and the ability of a biological system to detoxify these reactive products. ROS can play, and in fact they do it, several physiological roles (i.e., cell signaling), and they are normally generated as by-...

Treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains elusive despite compelling evidence from animal models for a variety of therapeutic targets. The activation of the NLRP3 (Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3) inflammasome has been proposed as key point in the brain damage associated with TBI. NL...

In women, aging and declining estrogen levels are associated with several cutaneous changes, many of which can be reversed or improved by estrogen supplementation. Two estrogen receptors—α and β—have been cloned and found in various tissue types. Epidermal thinning, declining dermal collagen content, diminished skin moisture, decreased laxity, and...

Genistein, a soy-derived isoflavone,may improve cardiovascular risk profile in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome (MetS), but few literature data on its cardiac effects in humans are available. The aim of this sub-study of a randomized double-blind case-control study was to analyze the effect on cardiac function of one-year genistein diet...

Objective and designAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with amyloid plaques (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau protein tangles in the brain. We investigated the possible neuroprotective role of flavocoxid, a dual inhibitor of cyclooxygenases-1/2 (COX-1/2) and 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX), in triple-transgenic (3xTg-AD) mice. SubjectsMice were 3 months...

The aim of the present study is to determine if Ahr ligands as PCB-126, a dioxin-like, might contribute to inhibition of the tumor suppressor p53 by promoting its degradation through proteasome-ubiquitin system (UPS). The findings show, in the presence of PCB-126, a significant increase of p53 immunoreactivity in fish compared to the control. Subse...

Flavocoxid is composed by two flavonoids, baicalin and catechin and it exerts anti-inflammatory effect blocking the peroxidase activity of COX1/2 and 5-LOX. This balanced inhibition prevents the development of adverse effects as demonstrated in clinical trials. The antinflammatory effect of flavocoxid was tested in ApoE knock out mice fed with a hi...

PDRN is a proprietary and registered drug that possesses several activities: tissue repairing, anti-ischemic, and anti-inflammatory. These therapeutic properties suggest its use in regenerative medicine and in diabetic foot ulcers. PDRN holds a mixture of deoxyribonucleotides with molecular weights ranging between 50 and 1,500 KDa, it is derived fr...

The aim of the present study is to determine if Ahr ligands as PCB-126, a dioxin-like, might contribute to inhibition of the tumour suppressor p53 by promoting its degradation through proteasome-ubiquitin system (UPS). The findings show, in the presence of PCB-126, a significant increase in p53 immunoreactivity in fish compared to the control. Subs...

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment includes the apoptosis machinery modulation through the direct inhibition of caspase cascade. We previously demonstrated that Serenoa repens (Ser) with lycopene (Ly) and selenium (Se) reawakened apoptosis by reducing survivin and neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) levels in rats. The aim of thi...

During menopause, an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and central obesity seems to increase hot flashes (HFs). Visfatin is an inflammatory adipokine secreted by visceral fat. We investigated visfatin levels and its relationship with hot flash number and BMI, in postmenopausal women with MetS. We also evaluated the effect of geniste...

Genistein has a preventive role against bone mass loss during menopause. However, experimental data in animal models of osteoporosis suggest an anti-osteoporotic potential for this isoflavone. We performed a post-hoc analysis of a previously published trial investigating the effects of genistein in postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density...

Aims: We aimed to analyze genetic polymorphism of estrogen receptor (ESR) 1 and ESR2 in a series of postmenopausal women with Takotsubo syndrome (TS). Methods: In total, 81 consecutive white women were prospectively enrolled: 22 with TS (TS group; mean age 71.2 ± 9.8 years), 22 with acute myocardial infarction (MI group; mean age 73.2 ± 8 years)...

BAY 11-7082 antagonizes I-κB kinase-β preventing nuclear translocation of NF-κB; it also inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation.NF-κB is involved in psoriasis, while the role of NLRP3 is controversial. We investigated BAY 11-7082 effects in an experimental model of psoriasis-like dermatitis. Psoriasis-like lesions were induced by a topical applicat...

Cadmium (Cd) impairs blood-testis barrier (BTB). Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), an adenosine A2A agonist, has positive effects on male reproductive system. We investigated the effects of PDRN on the morphological and functional changes induced by Cd in mice testes. Adult Swiss mice were divided into four groups: controls administered with 0.9% NaC...

Introduction La NLRP3 est une protéine intracytoplasmique complexe impliquée dans différentes maladies et, en particulier, dans celles caractérisées par une inflammation chronique. L’activation de la NLRP3 provoque la libération de Caspase1, ainsi que la division et la libération secondaire d’IL-1β et d’IL-18 dans de nombreux types de tissus et de...

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a chronic condition common in older men that can result in bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms. The molecular mechanisms and networks underlying the development and the progression of the disease are still far from being fully understood. BPH results from smooth muscle cell and epithelial cell proliferation...

Activation of the adenosine receptor pathway has been demonstrated to be effective in improving tissue remodeling and blunting the inflammatory response. Active colitis is characterized by an intense inflammatory reaction resulting in extensive tissue damage. Symptomatic improvement requires both control of the inflammatory process and repair and r...

Cyclooxygenase (COX) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) play an important role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). We investigated the effects of flavocoxid, a dual COX/LOX inhibitor, in experimental colitis induced with either dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (DNBS) or dextrane sulphate sodium (DSS) In the first model, colitis was induced in rats by a singl...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) represent reactive products belonging to the partial reduction of oxygen. It has been reported that ROS are involved in different signaling pathways to control cellular stability. Under normal conditions, the correct function of redox systems leads to the prevention of cell oxidative damage. When ROS exceed the antioxi...

We reported a case of an 11-year-old girl admitted to our hospital for goiter, tachycardia, sweating, and visible and palpable thyroid. Thyroid function tests revealed a low thyrotropin level (<0.004 mIU/L) and elevated free thyroxine level (3.4 ng/ dL) diagnosed with Graves’ disease and treated with methimazole. This anti-thyroid drug is recommend...

Background: Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), or Buerger's disease, is an inflammatory occlusive disorder that affects the limb arteries of young smokers. In the aetiology of TAO the immune system appears to play a critical role; however, information on the aspects involved in the evolution of vascular tissue inflammation and of this disease are s...

Background: Statins are inhibitors of hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl coenzymeA (HMG-CoA) reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme involved in de novo cholesterol synthesis. The patient health profile needs to be taken in account during the interpretation of the variability in the outcome of drug therapy, as well as compliance with prescribed pharmacological t...

Aims: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by vasculopathy and organ fibrosis. Although microvascular alterations are very well characterized, structural and functional abnormalities of large vessels are not well defined. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of simvastatin administration on aortic and small renal arteries thicknening, and on my...

Ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) causes a reduction in arterial blood supply to tissues, followed by the restoration of perfusion and consequent reoxygenation. The reestablishment of blood flow triggers further damage to the ischemic tissue through reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, interference with cellular ion homeostasis, and inflammator...

Cadmium (Cd) causes male infertility. There is the need to identify safe treatments counteracting this toxicity. Flavocoxid is a flavonoid that induces a balanced inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 peroxidase moieties and of 5-LOX and has efficacy in the male genitourinary system. We investigated flavocoxid effects on Cd-induced testicular toxicity in m...

We investigated the role of NLRP3 inflammasome during testis ischemia and reperfusion injury (TI/R) in wild type (WT) and NLRP3 knock-out (KO) mice. WT and KO mice underwent 1 hour testicular-ischemia followed by 4 hours, 1 and 7 days of reperfusion or a sham TI/R. Furthermore, two groups of WT mice were treated, at the beginning of reperfusion and...