A library of sulfonate and sulfonamide derivatives of Resveratrol was synthesized and tested for its aromatase inhibitory potential. Interestingly, sulfonate derivatives were found to be more active than sulfonamide bioisosteres with IC₅₀ values in the low micromolar range. The sulfonate analogues 1b–c and 1j exhibited good in vitro antiproliferative activity on the MCF7 cell line, evidenced by MTT and LDH release assays. Structure–activity relationships suggested that electronic and lipophilic properties could have a different role in promoting the biological response for sulfonates and sulfonamides, respectively. Docking studies disclosed the main interactions at a molecular level of detail behind the observed inhibition of the more active compounds whose chemical stability has been evaluated with nano-liquid chromatography. Finally, 1b–c and 1j were highlighted as sulfonates to be further developed as novel and original aromatase inhibitors.

Cannabis sativa L. is an herbaceous plant belonging to the family of Cannabaceae. It is classified into three different chemotypes based on the different cannabinoids profile. In particular, fiber-type cannabis (hemp) is rich in cannabidiol (CBD) content. In the present work, a rapid nano liquid chromatographic method (nano-LC) was proposed for the determination of the main cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) inflorescences belonging to different varieties. The nano-LC experiments were carried out in a 100 µm internal diameter capillary column packed with a C18 stationary phase for 15 cm with a mobile phase composed of ACN/H₂O/formic acid, 80/19/1% (v/v/v). The reverse-phase nano-LC method allowed the complete separation of four standard cannabinoids in less than 12 min under isocratic elution mode. The nano-LC method coupled to ultraviolet (UV) detection was validated and applied to the quantification of the target analytes in cannabis extracts. The nano-LC system was also coupled to an electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detector to confirm the identity of the cannabinoids present in hemp samples. For the extraction of the cannabinoids, three different approaches, including dynamic maceration (DM), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and an extraction procedure adapted from the French Pharmacopeia’s protocol on medicinal plants, were carried out, and the results achieved were compared.

In the context of organic farming, the introduction of a local product to wider markets and an evaluation of storage effects, metabolic and transcriptomic variations in two broccoli rabe genotypes from production cycles of two different years were studied by comparing florets of stored fresh (SF) and packaged (P) for 4 days with those harvested fresh from the field (H). Twenty-five hydrosoluble compounds, including amino acids, carbohydrates, and organic acids, were quantified by untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Principal component analysis produced a neat separation among the three commodity statuses with P being the most divergent and SF closer to H. In the packaged florets, carbohydrate levels dropped significantly (over −52%), while the levels of amino acids and organic acids varied. There was an increase in stress-responsive phenylalanine and valine (over 30%) and succinic and α-ketoglutaric acids (over 75%). Compound correlation analyses indicated a carbohydrate sink towards γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and lactic acid (LA) metabolism under hypoxic conditions in packaged florets. RNA-seq analysis revealed that over 4000 genes were differentially expressed in SF vs H and 8000 in P vs H. Several CAR and AA pathways were significantly enriched in S and even more significantly in P, when compared to H. A map of gene expression (175 genes) and metabolite contents (14 compounds) was constructed to elucidate the gene routes that lead to accumulation of GABA and LA, known for healthy properties, in P. WGCNA and promoter binding site analyses enabled the identification of transcription factors (bZIP, WRKY, ERF types), interactions, and targeted genes encoding key enzymes in GABA and LA accumulation.