Francesca Zito

Research Interest and expertise in the field of nutraceuticals and functional food
Identification of the anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effects of Zingiber officinale (ginger), a tropical plant used as a spice, on cells in vitro. We demonstrated that 6-gingerol, one of the main component of ginger, at high doses, had a toxic effect on immune cells of P. lividus sea urchin. At the same time, 6-gingerol, at low doses, had an immunomodulatory effect, influencing the expression of immune genes. Other studies are in progress on the effect of ginger total extract on murine cells.