The formation of complexes of HGGGHGHGGGHG (HG12) with copper(II) and nickel(II) have been studied in aqueous solution under various experimental conditions, including different pH and metal to ligand ratios. The study has been carried out using visible absorption, circular dichroism and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic methods. Moreover, electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry has been used to directly determine the stoichiometry of the copper(II) complexes. The results indicate that HG12 can easily accommodate two metal ions in as many binding sites. The solution structure of the main complex species formed in the reaction of copper(II) with HG12 has been inferred by comparison with the copper(II) complexes formed with the shorter peptide fragments HGGGHG-NH 2 (HG6), Ac-HGGGHG-NH 2 (AcHG6) and Ac-HGGG-NH 2 (AcHG4).With an equimolar metal to ligand ratio, the copper(II) ion binds preferentially in the N-terminal region of HG12. Conversely, Ni(II) ions form identical complexes regardless of whether the metal to ligand ratio is 1:1 or 2:1.Finally, the circular dichroism spectra indicate a significant modification of the peptide conformation upon metal binding. a d-d Transition. b N im ! Cu 2+ charge transfer. c N À ! Cu 2+ charge transfer. d NH 2 ! Cu 2+ charge transfer.

The valorization of food wastes is a challenging opportunity for a green, sustainable, and competitive development of industry. Approximately 30 million m3 of olive mill wastewater (OMWW) are produced annually in the world as a by-product of the olive oil extraction process. In addition to being a serious environmental and economic issue because of their polluting load, OMWW can also represent a precious resource of high-added-value molecules such as polyphenols that show acclaimed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and can find useful applications in the pharmaceutical industry. In particular, the possibility to develop novel nutraceutical ophthalmic formulations containing free radical scavengers would represent an important therapeutic opportunity for all inflammatory diseases of the ocular surface. In this work, different adsorbents were tested to selectively recover a fraction that is rich in polyphenols from OMWW. Afterward, cytotoxicity and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activities of polyphenolic fraction were evaluated through in vitro tests. Our results showed that the fraction (0.01%) had no toxic effects and was able to protect cells against oxidant and inflammatory stimulus, reducing reactive oxygen species and TNF-α levels. Finally, a novel stable ophthalmic hydrogel containing a polyphenolic fraction (0.01%) was formulated and the technical and economic feasibility of the process at a pre-industrial level was investigated.

The use of iodine as antiseptic poses some issues related to its low water solubility and high volatility. Stable solid iodine-containing formulations are highly advisable and currently limited to the povidone-iodine complex. In this study, complexes of molecular iodine with 2-hydroxypropyl α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrins were considered water-soluble iodophors and prepared in a solid state by using three different methods (liquid-assisted grinding, co-evaporation and sealed heating). The obtained solids were evaluated for their iodine content and stability over time in different conditions using a fully validated UV method. The assessment of the actual formation of an inclusion complex in a solid state was carried out by thermal analysis, and the presence of iodine was further confirmed by SEM/EDX and XPS analyses. High levels of iodine content (8.3–10.8%) were obtained with all the tested cyclodextrins, and some influence was exerted by the employed preparation method. Potential use as solid iodophors can be envisaged for these iodine complexes, among which those with 2-hydroxypropyl-α-cyclodextrin were found the most stable, regardless of the preparation technique. The three prepared cyclodextrin–iodine complexes proved effective as bactericides against S. epidermidis.

A new series of conformationally locked N,O-nucleoside analogues was synthesized by exploiting allenic nucleobases as dipolarophiles in 1,3-dipolar nitrone cycloadditions. The regio-and sitoselectivity of the reaction were rationalized ac-

[reaction: see text] The cycloaddition reaction between C-(2-thiazolyl) nitrones and allylic alcohol takes place with complete exo selectivity when the reactions are carried out in the presence of 1 equiv of zinc triflate. The rate of the reaction is increased enormously under microwave irradiation. The use of a chiral dipolarophile allowed application of the methodology to the synthesis of a hitherto unknown enantiomerically pure isoxazolidinyl analogue of the C-nucleoside tiazofurin.