Agro-wastes are one of the major sources for nutritional and therapeutic benefits along with other beneficial properties. Dark brown pellicular pericarp (skin or testa), covering the hazelnut seed, is removed before consumption after the roasting of a kernel. Defatted skins of both hazelnut varieties, Tonda Gentile Romana and Tonda di Giffoni, were profiled by a metabolomics-based approach and this was used to discriminate between these two different hazelnut cultivars. In particular, an untargeted metabolomic extract from hazelnut by-products was investigated by UHPLC-Mass spectrometry followed by multivariate statistics analysis, and significant qualitative and quantitative metabolic differences were observed between them. Samples were also assessed for their total phenolic and antioxidant capacity using two different assays. Although no significant differences were found in total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity, the Flavone, Flavonol, Flavonoid, and Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis pathway was significantly higher in the Romana rather than in the Giffoni variety, whereas Myricetin and Syringetin compounds were more representative in Giffoni cultivars. These results indicated that hazelnut skin, especially from the Romana variety, could potentially be used as an ingredient in healthy food. Healthy food is a new food category with an expanding demand from future generations.

The placenta is a crucial interface between the fetus and the maternal environment. It allows for nutrient absorption, thermal regulation, waste elimination, and gas exchange through the mother’s blood supply. Furthermore, the placenta determines important adjustments and epigenetic modifications that can change the phenotypic expression of the individual even long after birth. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a polyether compound derived from petroleum with many applications, from medicine to industrial manufacturing. In this study, for the first time, an integration of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) was used to detect suites of PEG compounds in human placenta samples, collected from 12 placentas, originating from physiological pregnancy. In 10 placentas, we identified fragments of PEG in both chorioamniotic membranes and placental cotyledons, for a total of 36 samples.

The treatment of solid cancers with pharmacological all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) concentrations, even if it is a gold standard therapy for the acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL), is not always effective due to some resistance mechanisms. Here the resistance to ATRA treatment of T24 cell line, bladder cancer, was investigated. T24 was not only resistant to cell death when treated at concentrations up to 20 µM of ATRA, but it was also able to stimulate the cellular proliferation. An over-expression of the fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) in conjunction with the cellular retinol-binding protein-II (CRABP-II) down-expression was found. However, the direct inhibition of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) did not abolish T24 proliferation, but rather potentiated it. Moreover, considering the ability of the long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) to displace ATRA from FABP5, the actions of the saturated palmitic acid (PA), unsaturated omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) and omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were evaluated to counteract ATRA-related proliferation. ATRA-PA co-treatment induces cellular growth inhibition, while ATRA-LA co-treatment induces cellular growth enhancement. However, even if DHA is unsaturated LCFA as LA, it was able to reverse the ATRA-induced cellular proliferation of T24, bringing the viability percentages at the levels of the control.

In recent years, some studies have described metabolic changes during human childbirth labor. Metabolomics today is recognized as a powerful approach in a prenatal research context, since it can provide detailed information during pregnancy and it may enable the identification of biomarkers with potential diagnostic or predictive. This is an observational, longitudinal, prospective cohort study of a total of 51 serial urine samples from 15 healthy pregnant women, aged 29–40 years, which were collected before the onset of labor (out of labor, OL). In the same women, during labor (in labor or dilating phase, IL-DP). Samples were analyzed by hydrophilic interaction ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HILIC-UPLC-MS), a highly sensitive, accurate, and unbiased approach. Metabolites were then subjected to multivariate statistical analysis and grouped by metabolic pathway. This method was used to identify the potential biomarkers. The top 20 most discriminative metabolites contributing to the complete separation of OL and IL-DP were identified. Urinary metabolites displaying the largest differences between OL and IL-DP belonged to steroid hormone, particularly conjugated estrogens and amino acids much of this difference is determined by the fetal contribution. In addition, our results highlighted the efficacy of using urine samples instead of more invasive techniques to evaluate the difference in metabolic analysis between OL and IL-DP.

The immune response to infectious diseases is directly influenced by metabolic activities. COVID-19 is a disease that affects the entire body and can significantly impact cellular metabolism. Recent studies have focused their analysis on the potential connections between post-infection stages of SARS-CoV2 and different metabolic pathways. The spike S1 antigen was found to have in vitro IgG antibody memory for PBMCs when obtaining PBMC cultures 60–90 days post infection, and a significant increase in S-adenosyl homocysteine, sarcosine, and arginine was detected by mass spectrometric analysis. The involvement of these metabolites in physiological recovery from viral infections and immune activity is well documented, and they may provide a new and simple method to better comprehend the impact of SARS-CoV2 on leukocytes. Moreover, there was a significant change in the metabolism of the tryptophan and urea cycle pathways in leukocytes with IgG memory. With these data, together with results from the literature, it seems that leukocyte metabolism is reprogrammed after viral pathogenesis by activating certain amino acid pathways, which may be related to protective immunity against SARS-CoV2.

Novel lipophilic hydroxyalkyl esters were synthetized by Fischer esterification in good to excellent yields (60–96%) from a panel of hydroxyphenylacetic acids and increasing chain length (2 to 8 carbon atoms) α,ω-diols. The in vitro antioxidant activity of these compounds was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays. Hydroxybutyl esters and hydroxyphenylacetic acids were used as starting materials for the synthesis of novel lipophilic diesters (butyl diarylacetates) using Mitsunobu reaction. The final products were isolated in moderate to good yields (40–78%), and their structure–antioxidant activity relationships are discussed. Compounds bearing the catechol moiety on one of the two aromatic rings and high lipophilicity proved to be the strongest antioxidants and were selected for testing as antibacterials against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, obtaining preliminary and promising results.