Vittorio Carlucci

To be curious: every day you can learn something!”

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) involves chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. This project explores Citrus medica L. cultivar Diamante whole fruit extract as a potential therapy for IBD, focusing on optimizing extraction conditions, assessing its phytochemical profile and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The extract will be tested on intestinal cell models to measure inflammation and oxidative stress markers, potentially offering a natural, cost-effective treatment option.

How my position is funded

PON “Ricerca e Innovazione” 2014-2020; Azione IV.5 Dottorati su tematiche green (https://www.ponricerca.gov.it/notizie/2021/dottorati-su-tematiche-dell-innovazione-e-green-nuove-risorse-dal-pon-ricerca-e-innovazione/)

My motivations

During my experimental thesis in a research laboratory, I was inspired to pursue a PhD. Immersed in a stimulating academic environment, I was exposed to innovative ideas and cutting-edge techniques that ignited my passion for scientific research. Collaborating with international researchers broadened my perspective and deepened my understanding of the field. This enriching experience has strengthened my desire to contribute to the creation of knowledge and lead the advancement of research.

A day in a PhD student’s life

A typical day for a PhD student involves a mix of research activities and collaboration. Often, the first step is an intensive literature review to stay current with relevant studies. Afterward, the focus shifts to developing new protocols or refining existing ones, ensuring experimental accuracy. Experimentation takes up a significant portion of the day, with trials conducted in the lab. Often, courses and seminars are attended, presentations are prepared, and meetings are held with the supervisor to organize the line of research.

My events

Carlucci, V*., I INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP PAPRIKANET, 14 December 2022- “Health promoting activity of Citrus medica L. flavonoid enriched extract”

Carlucci, V*., Lela, L., Faraone, I., Ponticelli, M., Russo, D., Milella, L. Zero waste from Citrus medica L. (citron): optimization of antioxidant compound extraction and pectin recovery. Polyphenols Applications 16th World Congress, Malta, 27-28/09/2023.

Carlucci, V*., Ponticelli, M., Faraone, I., Benedetto, N., Lela, L., Verrastro, F., Russo, D., Mangieri, C., Milella, L. Citrus medica L. cv Diamante Liscia, the daddy citrus fruits, a promising health promoting extract for industrial scale-up. ISSNP, Maratea 2-7/06/2023.

Carlucci, V*. Polyphenols-rich extract from whole fruit of Citrus medica L. : a promising industrial application. III WORKSHOP PAPRIKANET, Potenza, 15/12/2023.

Carlucci, V*., Faraone, I., Russo, D., Candido, V., Tuseef, M., Milella, L. Phytochemical profile and Antioxidant Activity of Four Varieties of Solanum lycopersicum L. as tools preserving biodiversity. X INTERNATIONAL PLANT SCIENCE CONFERENCE, Teramo 11-13/09/2024.

Carlucci V*., Ponticelli M., Lela L., Mangieri C., Santopietro F., Faraone I., Russo D., Milella., L. Response Surface Methodology as a tool to obtain a potential satiating bitter enriched extract from Gentiana lutea L. International Congress on Natural Products Research, Krakow, Poland -13-17 July 2024.

4EU+ Alliance workshop in Computational Mass Spectrometry and Scientific communication using AI tools, Prague, 28-30 August 2024.

My publications

Carlucci, V*., Benedetto, N*., Faraone, I., Lela, L., Ponticelli, M., Russo, D., Milella, L. (2023). An Insight into Citrus medica Linn.: A Systematic Review on Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities. Plants, 12(12), 2267. (https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/12/2267)

A systematic review of C. medica’s chemical composition and biological properties was performed in order to inspire new research approaches.

Castronuovo, D., Cardone, L., Mariagrazia, C., Lela, L., Benedetto, N., Carlucci, V., Candido, V. (2023). Productivity and quality of different tomato cultivars under intercropping system with maize and dry farming conditions in Southern Italy. ITALUS HORTUS, 30, 3-16. (https://www.soihs.it/IH2/year_2023_volume_30_issue_1/productivity_and_quality_of_different_tomato_cultivars_und.aspx)

This research reports some quantitative and qualitative traits of three local tomato cultivars (‘Arsicolo’, ‘Crovarese’, and ‘San Marzano’) plus a commercial one (‘Datterino’) cultivated without irrigation and intercropped with maize.

Lerose, V., Ponticelli, M., Benedetto, N., Carlucci, V., Lela, L., Tzvetkov, N. T., Milella, L. (2024). Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, a Potential Source of Phytochemicals for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review. Plants, 13(6), 771. (https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/6/771)

This review uses a systematic approach to summarize the results from 60 investigations to highlight the potential role of W. somnifera and its specialized metabolites in treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases.

De Rosa, T., Ponticelli, M., Teta, R., Carlucci, V., Milella, L., Esposito, G., Costantino, V. (2024). Harnessing Cyanobacteriaʼs Bioactive Potential: A Sustainable Strategy for Antioxidant Production. Microorganisms, 12(1), 175. (https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/175)

In this paper we highlight the role of Anabaena flos-aquae as a producer of unsaturated mono and diacylglycerols, and then demonstrate the antioxidant activity of its methanolic extract, which has as its main components a variety of acylglycerol analogues.

Giardina, A., Palmieri, R., Ponticelli M., Antonelli, C., Carlucci, V., Colangelo, M., Benedetto, N., Di Fazio, A., Milella, L. (2024). Is a low dosage of Medical Cannabis effective for treating Pain related to Fibromyalgia? A Pilot Study and Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine. (https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/13/14/4088)

This trial aims to contribute to the existing knowledge on treating fibromyalgia (FM) with medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) and explore a safer and more effective cannabis administration method. The goal is to provide evidence-based findings that can guide alternative treatment options for FM patients by assessing a pilot study.

Carlucci, V.*, Ponticelli, M., Russo, D., Labanca, F., Costantino, V., Esposito, G., Milella L. (2024). Nutraceutical valorization of olive oil exhausted pomace using advanced extraction techniques. Plants. (https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/16/2310)

This investigation aims to find the best environmentally friendly extractive method for recovering active metabolites from olive by-products, to obtain extracts with the highest activity and thus confer a nutraceutical value to EOP in agreement with the concept of a green economy.

Lela, L., Ponticelli, M., Carlucci, V., Stevens, F., Faraone, I., Tzvetkov, N., Milella, L. (2024). Insight into the interaction of Humulus lupulus L. specialized metabolites and Gastrointestinal Bitter Taste Receptors: In vitro study and Molecular Docking. Journal of Natural Products. (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c00532)

The present study aims to investigate the implication of hop bitter compounds such as α-acids, β-acids, and xanthohumol in the secretion of anorexigenic hormones and T2R expression in intestinal STC-1 cells.

Carlucci, V*., Ponticelli, M*., Mecca, M., Todaro, L., Milella, L., Russo, D. (2024). Extraction Optimization of Quercus cerris L. Wood Chips: A Comparative Study between Full Factorial Design (FFD) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). Antioxidants.

This research focuses on optimizing the specialized metabolite extraction of Turkey oakchips from Quercus cerris L. by applying a 3 levels Full Factorial Design (FFD).

Lela, L., Carlucci, V., Kioussi, C., Choi, J., Stevens, F., Milella, L., Russo, D. (2024).

Humulus lupulus L.: evaluation of phytochemical profile and activation of bitter taste

receptors to regulate appetite and satiety in intestinal secretin tumor cell line (STC-1 cells). Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

This study provides a potential application of H. lupulus extract for the formulation of food supplements with satiating activity capable of preventing or combating obesity.