Research Title
"Biologically active compounds of forage species: their characterization in
 plants in relation to quality of productions."

Research Unit – LODI - Istituto Sperimentale Colture Foraggere.
Viale Piacenza 29, 26900 LODI
Tel.  0371 404740 - Fax  0371 31853
Responsabile del progetto Dr. Aldo Tava aldotava@katamail.com

Italian version

 
 The aim of this Research Unit is to chemically investigate the active natural compounds found in some wild species of pasturelands of the Mediterranean area. These substances, after their chemical characterization, will be tested on animals by the other Research Units and their effects on animal welfare and animal production quality evaluated. This Research Unit is also of support to the other Research Units involved in the chemical investigation of biologically active substances from plants.

 In particular are under study:

1. phenolic compounds

            a) evaluation of the antioxidant effects on animals of the natural extracts of:

                        - flavonolignans from Sylibum marianum on dairy cows

                        - Rosmarinus officinalis extract on rabbits

                        - Medicago sativa flavonoids on rabbits

            b) chemical and bromatological analyses of Sylibum marianum (seeds and aerial parts) from

                mediterranean natural population

            c) evaluation of the content of:    - total phenolics

                                                     - flavonoids

                                                     - condensed tannins (anthocyanidins)

                                                     - hydrolizable tannins (as benzoic and cinnamic acid derivatives)

          in several species of: Cycorium

                                         Hedysarum

                                         Lolium

                                         Lotus

                                         Medicago

                                         Onobrychis

                                         Trifolium

                                         Trigonella

                                         Vicia

               and evaluation of the antioxidant power of these extracts

            d) structural characterization of anthocyanidins in species of interest (such as Hedysarum and Lotus)

            e) production of purified extracts of:

                        - antocyanidins from Hedisarum coronarium and Lotus ornitopodioides

                        - flavonoids from Cycorium intibus and Medicago sativa

                for biological activity evaluation (in particular polisaccharolytic activity and lactic bacterial growth)

2. antinutritionals

      evaluation of the antinutritional content (aemolytic saponins and protease inhibitors) in several

      species belonging to the genera:

                                         Astragalus

                                         Biserrula

                                         Hedisarum

                                         Hippocrepis

                                         Lotus

                                         Medicago

                                         Scorpiurus

All these chemical determinations will be performed by spectrophotometric, chromatographyc (TLC, GC, GC/MS, HPLC, LC/MS), spectroscopic (¹H, ¹³C and 2D-NMR) analyses and by biological tests.

Collaborations:

            all the RU involved in the project, and in particular:

-    RU Milano for experiments involving animals
 

-    RU Sassari, RU Bonassai and RU Palermo for the chemical evaluation of the different metabolites under study in the plant material
 

-    RU Napoli 2 and RU Napoli 3 for the biological activity of the extracts on lactic and ruminal microorganisms
 

-    Dipartimento di Chimica Organica of the University of Pavia for structural studies of the new compounds by 1H and 13C NMR
 

-    Dipartimento Farmacochimico of the University of Bari for analyses by LC/MS and pharmacological properties of the new compounds

Lodi role in the Project

-          chemical evaluation of the active compounds from extracts of: rosemary, Sylibum marianum and Medicago sativa, tested on animals by the Milano team, and analyses of the biological samples from these experiments

-          chemical characterization of bioactive natural compounds (e.g. phenolics, saponins and protease inhibitors) from the several erbaceous plants from the mediterranean environment and support to the other Research Units involved in the chemical determination
 

-          Chemical structure investigation of condensed tannins previously detected and quantitatively determined from several plant species at different phenological phases by the Sassari, Bonassai and Palermo team

Results:

-          Tava, A., Tedesco, D., Sciannimanico, D. and Corino, C. (2002). Effects of rosemary extract supplementation of diet on fatty acid composition of rabbit muscle and liver. Abstract of the 53nd Annual Meeting of the European Assiciation for animal Production, Cairo, Egipt. p. 66.

-          Tedesco, D., Tava, A., Domeneghini, C., Costa A., Sciannimanico, D. and Tameni, M. (2002). Dietary inclusion of sylimarin in peripartum dairy cows: effects on milk productivity, plasma metabolite and liver tissue. Proc. Joint Meeting American Society of Animal Science - American Dairy Science Association, Quebec City, Canada, p. 244.

-          Tedesco, D., Tava, A., and Varisco, G. (2002). Dietary inclusion of silymarin in peripartum dairy cows: effects on milk quality and detection of silymarin residue. Proc. Joint Meeting American Society of Animal Science American Dairy Science Association, Quebec City, Canada, p. 359.

-          Piluzza, G., De Benedetto, M.G., Bullitta, S., Odoardi, M., Tava, A. (2003). Condensed tannins in forage legumes. Proc. 25th Eucarpia Fodder Crops and Amenity Grasses Section Meeting and 15th EUCARPIA Medicago spp. Group Meeting, Brno, Czech Republic, p. 87.

-          Odoardi, M., Confalonieri, M., Ursino, A., Bullitta, S. (2003). Diversity in alternative pasture legumes fron Asinara island for anti-nutritional compounds. Proc. XLVII S.I.G.A. Annual Congress, Verona, Italy, p.

-          Tedesco, D., Tava, A., Galletti, S., Tameni, M., Varisco, G., Costa, A. and Steidler, S. (2003). Effects of silymarin, a natural hepatoprotector, in periparturient dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, in press.

-          Bialy, Z., Jurzysta, M., Mella, M. and Tava, A. (2004). Triterpene saponins from aerial parts of Medicago arabica L. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, in press.