Simone Rovito

Serpentinite-derived soils are naturally enriched in potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and may represent an environmental concern where asbestos-bearing lithologies occur at the surface. The Gimigliano–Monte Reventino Unit (Calabria, southern Italy) hosts serpentinite outcrops containing fibrous and non-fibrous minerals associated with elevated PTE concentrations. This study provides a preliminary descriptive assessment of six soil–plant pairs, comprising five serpentinite locations and one non-serpentinite reference location, to examine PTE concentrations in soils and in roots and shoots of the Mediterranean species D. viscosa. Total concentrations of V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry following acid digestion. Soils from the five serpentinite locations showed higher concentrations of Cr, Ni, Co, and V than the reference soil, exceeding the Italian regulatory thresholds for agricultural land use. Several soil Cr and Ni concentrations exceeded 1000 mg kg⁻¹. Plant elemental concentrations and root–shoot partitioning varied markedly among the sampled individuals. The MRL individual exhibited particularly elevated Cr and Ni concentrations in shoots. Compartment-specific bioconcentration factors were generally below unity where quantitatively evaluable. These paired observations document contrasting elemental concentration patterns in D. viscosa growing on naturally enriched substrates. Given the single soil–plant pair collected per location and the analytical limitations associated with concentrations exceeding the calibration range, the findings remain exploratory and support further replicated investigations of element uptake and partitioning rather than conclusions about location effects or vegetation-based management performance.

Dianthus virgineus encompasses a very complex taxonomic group (traditionally called D. sylvestris group) including an array of units of doubtful taxonomic rank and value. Recent work identified three genetic lineages within this complex that showed strong genetic isolation, and clear geographical boundaries (i.e., “Alpine”, “Balkan”, and “Apennine” lineages). We evaluated the contribution of 33 morphological characters in differentiating such genetic units, by also investigating the effect of geographical and ecological drivers on the characters showing major discriminating power. The morphological measures were taken from a large number of populations (N = 97) included in the sample used for detecting the three genetic lineages. Our work reveals that these lineages can be morphologically discriminated by a series of character‐states that are traditionally considered of relevant taxonomical value. We also inferred a significant geographical and ecological effect on most characters, which varied gradually with latitude, longitude, and mean annual temperature. Overall, our data suggest that the three biological units can be referred to D. inodorus (L.) Gaertn. (“Alpine” lineage), D. sylvestris Wulfen (“Balkan” lineage), and D. virgineus L. s.str. (“Apennine” lineage). We also provide an identification key to discriminate these three taxa.

In this work, we conducted a comparative phytochemical, chemotaxonomic, and biological study of essential oils (EOs) and extracts (ethyl acetate and methanol) obtained from the leaves of Juniperusmacrocarpa and J. oxycedrus. The dominant compounds of J. macrocarpa EO, analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), are α-pinene, sabinene, manoyl oxide, and germacrene D, whereas α-pinene, limonene, (Z,E)-farnesol, β-pinene, and γ-cadinene are the most representative volatiles of J. oxycedrus EOs. A multivariate analysis of EOs, included a selection of literature data comparing our samples to samples of J. oxycedrus/macrocarpa/deltoides from the Mediterranean area, was performed. As evident by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses, apigenin, (−)-epicatechin, and luteolin were abundant in J. oxycedrus extracts, while gallic acid, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, and protocatechuic acid were the dominant constituents of J. macrocarpa extracts. EOs and extracts have been investigated for their potential antioxidant properties and anti-proliferative activity against lung adenocarcinoma (A549), breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), and lung large cell carcinoma (COR-L23) human cell lines. The methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of J. oxycedrus exerted the most valuable antioxidant activity and exhibited the most promising activity against the COR-L23 cell line with an IC₅₀ of 26.0 and 39.1 μg/mL, respectively, lower than that obtained with the positive control (IC₅₀ of 45.5 μg/mL). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report highlighting the anti-proliferative activity of J. oxycedrus and J. macrocarpa extracts against this lung cancer cell line. Our results indicate that J. oxycedrus may be considered a source of natural compounds with antioxidant and anti-proliferative effects that could be suitable for future applications.