Viviana Triaca
EMail3339318439 Orcid Researchgate |
Viviana
Triaca
Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology Researcher Nutrheff Thematic Biomolecular technologies (enzymatic, biochemical, molecular biology), Biological validation
Research Interest and expertise in the field of nutraceuticals
and functional food
Keywords: neurodegeneration, hypercholesterolemia, 27-OH-lowering compounds, neuroglia network, brain health
Nutraceuticals and foods of interestNeurosteroids like the 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OH), the main cholesterol sensor in the brain, have been implicated in AD, PD, ALS and FTD. In the AD brain, 27-OH has been suggested to accumulate and impair cognition by eliciting brain insulin resistance, autophagic deficits, and amyloid load in the neuro-glia network. The interest is on the potential 27-OH lowering characteristics of nutraceuticals and functional foods, like vegetal extracts, including algal preparations for brain health. Vegetal extracts, microalgae Aqueous Extracts Fields of application A number of neurosteroid disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia, Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic conditions associated with cognitive demise have been linked to disturbances in 27-hydroxycholesterol metabolism. A nutraceuticals-based diet with 27-OH/cholesterol reducing properties may benefit overall brain health in both pathological conditions and normal ageing. The use of edible algae, acknowledged for their right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral salts, carotenoids, and antioxidants, is particularly promiseful. Facilities and equipments Biochemical and molecular tools for investigating lipid metabolism, glucose uptake, insulin signaling in the neuroglia network in vitro (human neurons and astrocytes), ex vivo (rodent acute brain slices) and possibly in vivo in animal models of diseases. |
