Stefania Cicco - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Stefania Cicco

Workshop Artificial Life and Evolutionary Computation, 2015

MRS Advances, Jun 1, 2019

Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA eBooks, Sep 15, 2017

Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications, Jun 3, 2015

MRS Advances, Dec 23, 2015

ABSTRACT Diatoms are the most abundant resource of biosilica on Earth. These microalgae are encas... more ABSTRACT Diatoms are the most abundant resource of biosilica on Earth. These microalgae are encased in a 3-D amorphous silica “shell” called frustule whose size and morphology is strictly dependent on the diatom species. Naturally nanostructured biosilica from diatoms exhibit unique adsorption and confinement properties useful for delivery of molecules of pharmacological interest.In this work fossil biosilica was used as a carrier for Ophiobolin A (a fungal macrolide with anticancer and antiparasitic properties), with the aim to develop a model system of Ophiobolin A loading / delivery. Ophiobolin A delivery properties of fossil diatoms were investigated by spectophotometric analyses.

ChemInform, Jan 29, 2008

ChemInform Abstract Die durch Alkylierung von Diphenylcyclopropenthion (I) mit den Alkylhalogenid... more ChemInform Abstract Die durch Alkylierung von Diphenylcyclopropenthion (I) mit den Alkylhalogeniden (II) erhaltenen Alkylthiocyclopropenyliumsalze (III) reagieren mit den I,3-Diketonen (IV) unter Ringerweiterung zu den Hydroxycyclopentadienen (V), die mit den Maleinsäurederivaten (VI) die Diels-"Alder-Addukte (VII) liefern. Triphenylcyclopropenyliumperchlorat (VIII) und (IV) ergeben die Cyclopropenyl-l ,3-dione (IX). (IR-, NMR-, MS-Daten; Röntgenstruktruanalyse).

Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, Dec 1, 2015

The use of biocompatible materials based on naturally derived monomers plays a key role in pharma... more The use of biocompatible materials based on naturally derived monomers plays a key role in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In this paper we describe the synthesis of a new low molecular weight copolymer, based on glycerol and l-tartaric acid, useful to develop biocompatible dermal patches with drug delivery properties. The copolymer's chemical composition was assessed by FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), (1)H NMR ((1)H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), while its molecular weight distribution was estimated by SEC (size exclusion chromatography). Copolymer thermal properties were studied by TGA (thermogravimetric analysis). Biological evaluations by MTT assay and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) observations performed with murine fibroblasts and human keratinocytes (HaCaT) revealed a good compatibility of the proposed copolymer. Ciprofloxacin was selected as model drug and its release was evaluated by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography), showing that the new copolymer supplied promising results as drug delivery system for wound healing applications. Furthermore, investigations on Skin-Mesenchymal stem cells (S-MSCs) behaviour and gene expression showed that the copolymer and its combination with ciprofloxacin did not affect their stemness. In this regard, the fabrication of dermal patches with new, low cost materials for local treatment of skin infections represents an attractive strategy in order to bypass the worrying side effects of systemic antibiotic therapy. Overall, the performed physico-chemical characterization, drug release test and biological evaluations showed that this new copolymer could be a promising tool for the in situ delivery of bioactive molecules during skin lesions treatment.

European Journal of Organic Chemistry, Apr 1, 2010

Palladium-promoted homocoupling reaction of vinyl-and polyenylsilanes in aqueous conditions has b... more Palladium-promoted homocoupling reaction of vinyl-and polyenylsilanes in aqueous conditions has been investigated. The reaction is catalyzed by PdCl 2 in the presence of the reoxidizing system CuCl 2 /LiCl and occurs at room temperature in aqueous solutions containing nonionic amphiphiles. Symmetrically α,ω-disubstituted stereodefined all-trans polyenes [a]

Data in Brief, Jun 1, 2016

This data article is related to our recently published research paper "Exploiting a new glycerol-... more This data article is related to our recently published research paper "Exploiting a new glycerol-based copolymer as a route to wound healing: synthesis, characterization and biocompatibility assessment", De Giglio et al. (Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 136 (2015) 600-611) [1]. The latter described a new copolymer derived from glycerol and tartaric acid (PGT). Herein, an investigation about the PGT-ciprofloxacin (CIP) interactions by means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) acquired in Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) mode and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was reported. Moreover, CIP release experiments on CIP-PGT patches were performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) at different pH values.

Data in Brief, Jun 1, 2019

MRS Advances, Jan 18, 2018

ABSTRACTDiatoms microalgae represent a natural source of highly porous biosilica shells (frustule... more ABSTRACTDiatoms microalgae represent a natural source of highly porous biosilica shells (frustules) with promising applications in a wide range of technological fields. Functionalization of diatoms’ frustules with tailored luminescent molecules can be envisaged as a convenient, scalable biotechnological route to new light emitting silica nanostructured materials. Here we report a straightforward protocol for the in vivo modification of Thalassiosira weissflogii diatoms’ frustules with a red emitting organic dye based on thienyl, benzothiadiazolyl and phenyl units. The metabolic insertion of the dye molecules into the diatoms shells, combined with an acidic-oxidative isolation protocol of the resulting dye stained biosilica, represents a novel strategy to develop highly porous luminescent biosilica nanostructures with promising applications in photonics.

MRS Advances, Dec 22, 2015

ABSTRACT The functionalization of biosilica shells (frustules) of diatoms microalgae with a tailo... more ABSTRACT The functionalization of biosilica shells (frustules) of diatoms microalgae with a tailored luminescent molecule is a convenient, scalable and biotechnological approach for obtaining new light emitting silica nanostructures with promising applications in photonics. In particular, here we report the synthesis of a red emitting organic fluorophore and its covalent linking to the surface of mesoporous biosilica extracted from Thalassiosira weissflogii diatoms cultured in our laboratories. The organic dye has a conjugated skeleton composed of thienyl, benzothiadiazolyl and phenyl units and a peripheral triethoxysilyl group which enables its stable binding onto the frustules surface. The protocol to extract the biosilica shells from living diatoms preserving their natural ornate nanostructured morphology is also discussed.

Journal of Materials Research, Dec 13, 2016

Diatoms microalgae can be regarded as living factories producing nanostructured and mesoporous bi... more Diatoms microalgae can be regarded as living factories producing nanostructured and mesoporous biosilica shells (frustules) having a highly ordered hierarchical architecture. These unique, morphological, chemical and mechanical properties make diatoms’ biosilica a very attractive nanomaterial for a wide variety of applications. Methods of purification of frustules that preserve their nanostructured morphology have been set up as well as in vivo or in vitro chemical modification protocols of the biosilica with functional molecules to generate biohybrid active materials for photonics, sensing, drug delivery and electronics. Herein we describe, with some selected examples, the great variety of applications envisaged for native and modified frustules, highlighting the material scientists’ benefit to avail of nature in the construction of highly ordered biohybrid architectures for nanotechnology. New concepts for the biotechnological production of nanomaterials are opened by the use of diatoms as living factories.

Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Dec 1, 1996

Soluble poly(2,5‐dialkoxy‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) has been prepared via Stille coupling reaction b... more Soluble poly(2,5‐dialkoxy‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) has been prepared via Stille coupling reaction between 2,5‐dialkoxy‐1,4‐diiodobenzene and E‐1,2‐bis(tributylstannyl)‐ethene in the presence of palladium complexes. Characterization of this material by means of 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) and infrared (IR) spectra is described. Molecular weights, determined by means of gelpermeation chromatography (GPC) analysis and referred to standard polystyrene, were in the range number‐average molecular weights Mn = 2061–2544 and weight‐average molecular weights Mw = 3347–3878. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the polymer showed semicrystalline structure. Tg = 57°C, transition to a stable smectic mesophase at 115°C and clearing point at 210°C were revealed by differential scanning calorimetry analysis, optical microscopy observation and XRD of the annealed polymer.

MRS Advances, Apr 1, 2020

ABSTRACTDiatoms are unicellular photosynthetic algae that autonomously fabricate a porous organiz... more ABSTRACTDiatoms are unicellular photosynthetic algae that autonomously fabricate a porous organized biosilica shell refined in billion years of evolution. They represent an inexhaustible source of low cost, biocompatible mesoporous silica. Despite the major advances in the genomic field, studies on diatom cell biology are still hampered by a lack of cellular tools. In particular, cell staining assays of diatoms viability are still limited or not well performant. Here we provide a phosphorescent organometallic iridium complex (Ir-Fcx) suitable to act as staining agent to detect diatoms viability.