Caratterizzazione delle proprietà biologiche di metaboliti estratti da piante antartiche e funghi ad esse associati

Antarctica's microbial diversity is largely unexplored, but its microorganisms, adapted to extreme conditions, hold great potential for biotechnological applications. These extremophiles have evolved unique strategies, including changes in gene regulation and metabolic pathways, making them a valuable source of bioactive molecules. Extremolytes and secondary metabolites produced by Antarctic plants and related fungi are noteworthy for their anticancer and antioxidant properties. This thesis project deals with fungal strains isolated from Antarctic plants, which have demonstrated potential for therapeutic applications. In particular, some fungi have exhibit the ability to inhibit the formation of amyloid fibrils of α-synuclein a protein involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease. By using chromatography techniques coupled with mass spectrometry, some products were extracted and tested in vitro to characterize their biological properties. Due to the critical demand for alternative treatments of neurodegenerative disease, natural products could offer essential starting points for the generation of novel pharmaceuticals. In fact, these molecules, for their inherent bioactivity and structural diversity, could be used as natural scaffolds as promising candidates for the development of innovative treatments for Parkinson's disease.