Bioprospecting of plants from Campania region to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity

Abstract

This research aimed to chemical-biological study of plant and fungal species from inland areas of Campania Region, typically used in preparations for medicinal purposes or food traditional recipes. In the preliminary part of the thesis, an overview about bioprospecting is briefly provided, with a focus on sociocultural analysis of the internal area of Campania region that are indirectly the key players of this project. Taking into account the ethnobotanical knowledge derived from the on-going investigations carried out by Cooperativa sociale Ideas in inland areas, several components of traditional herbal and food preparations were selected for this project. The first topic was the study of a traditional preparation based on propolis, Punica granatum L. and grape pomace used to treat inflammation and arthritis. A deep chemical profile of propolis collected in different inland areas was described for the first time, highlighting the presence of several polyphenols, belonging to flavonoids and phenolic acids classes. Moreover, according to the traditional use the anti-arthritic effect of herbal mixture was investigated on murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. The second topic of the projects was the chemical and biological investigation of pomegranate peels from 8 varieties mostly cultivated in Campania Region. Among the selected varieties, the local variety Granato di Aiello del

Sabato has never been studied before. The study highlighted the antioxidant and the anti- inflammatory potentiality of the P. granatum by-products, as source of bioactive polyphenols, and

aims promote the cultivation of local ecotype. Furthermore, the ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus arhizus (Scop. Pers.) Rauschert was selected for this bioprospecting study. P. arhizus was part of a polyherbal preparation used in Sannio and Irpinia areas for the treatment of skin diseases, in particular wound healing. Phytochemical investigation on P. arhizuz revealed that it is a natural source of

lanostane-type triterpenoids, and naphtalenoid pulvinic pigments. The last part of the thesis is dedicated to the valorization of Sonchus asper (L.) Hill, a spontaneous plant typically used in Sannio and Irpinia as ingredient of soups or salads. The plant and its by-products were revealed to be rich in

high value metabolites, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols. Moreover, S. asper- based extracts showed a promising antioxidant and hypoglycaemic activity. [edited by Author]