MARCELLO MESSI

PhD Graduate

PhD program:: XXXVII


supervisor: Maria Luisa Astolfi

Thesis title: Probiotics and medicinal plants as "green" tools to protect bees and hive products from chemicals

Honeybee’s role in pollination is crucial for maintaining a high grade of biodiversity in ecosystems and for supporting the whole agricultural sector. Its worldwide population has been under a serious decline for decades; the causes are also attributed to environmental pollution. Chemicals collected by exposed honeybees can induce an oxidative stress response, caused by their bioaccumulation, and lead to various diseases. Potentially, they can also be transferred from the bees to the beehive products, presenting a risk to the final consumer. In this study, the use of probiotics and medicinal plants has been investigated on their capability to reduce pollutants impact, in terms of oxidative stress, and their bioaccumulation in honeybees and beehive products, with a focus on toxic (or potentially toxic) elements. (A) Oxidative stress is a condition that occurs when oxidant agents (i.e., reactive oxygen and nitrogen species) effect overwhelms the cellular antioxidant defenses. To establish a state of health, it can be quantified by measuring specific biomarkers through solid methodologies (mostly colorimetric or fluorometric assays) improved concurrently with the technological development across the years (A1). Pollutants-induced oxidative stress in insects is of great interest in literature for the meaning it has when model organisms are investigated or when insects’ preservation is sought. (B) Honeybees (Apis mellifera), exposed to different levels of environmental pollution through two long-term field biomonitoring campaigns, were administrated with probiotics (two lactic acid bacteria strains) or Quassia amara (Simaroubaceae) containing feedings. The content of about 40 elements in bees and beehive products (B1, B2), oxidative stress levels (B2), and metabolic profiles (B2) in bees were compared against a control (placebo-fed bees). A lesser content of some toxic, or potentially toxic, elements and lower levels of oxidative stress were observed in both the treated groups, revealing a detoxifying action towards elements bioaccumulation and a protective effect against oxidative stress. First in-field data on the potentialities of probiotics and medicinal plants as green remedies to sustain this precious insect’s health against environmental pollution are reported. (C) Airborne particulate matter (PM10) is an environmental pollutant whose composition and chemical-physical parameters are extremely variable. Its potential capability of inducing oxidative stress in cells (namely oxidative potential, OP) can be directly evaluated by rapid acellular chemical assays on PM samples. OP assays are known to produce complementary information on the impact of a PM (in its entirety) on living organisms; little is known about the dependency of each assay with the PM components. Responses of three OP assays (OP_DTT, OP_AA and OP_DCFH) on PM10 samples, collected in an urban-industrial context, were compared with PM’s chemical components (major elements, inorganic ions, elemental and organic carbon, levoglucosan) and spatially resolved source apportionment data to improve knowledge on the meaning of OP assays and provide valuable information into planning effective air pollution mitigation policies (C1). (A1) Contaminant-induced oxidative stress in insects: an overview on the current analytical methods. Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry (2025), Under Review (B1) Probiotics as a promising prophylactic tool to reduce levels of toxic or potentially toxic elements in bees. Chemosphere (2022), 308(1), 136261 (B2) Landfill fire impact on bee health: beneficial effect of dietary supplementation with medicinal plants and probiotics in reducing oxidative stress and metal accumulation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2023), Dec 30 (C1) Spatially resolved chemical data for PM10 and oxidative potential source apportionment in urban-industrial settings. Urban Climate (2024), 57, 102113

Research products

11573/1710841 - 2024 - Valutazione del contributo di sorgenti emissive al PM10 e al suo potenziale ossidativo nella Valle del Sacco (Lazio) mediante dati spaziali di caratterizzazione chimica delle polveri
Frezzini, M. A.; Canepari, S.; Amoroso, A.; Di Giosa, A. D.; Martino, L.; Tiraboschi, C.; Messi, M.; Astolfi, M. L.; Perrino, C.; Massimi, L. - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: XI Convegno Nazionale sul Particolato Atmosferico PM2024 (Torino)
book: XI Convegno Nazionale sul Particolato Atmosferico. Torino PM 2024. Atti - ()

11573/1717534 - 2024 - Spatially resolved chemical data for PM10 and oxidative potential source apportionment in urban-industrial settings
Massimi, Lorenzo; Frezzini, Maria Agostina; Amoroso, Antonio; Domenico Di Giosa, Alessandro; Martino, Luigi; Tiraboschi, Caterina; Messi, Marcello; Astolfi, Maria Luisa; Perrino, Cinzia; Canepari, Silvia - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: URBAN CLIMATE (Amsterdam : Elsevier) pp. 1-20 - issn: 2212-0955 - wos: WOS:001306783500001 (1) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85202057866 (3)

11573/1710836 - 2024 - Potenzialità della focused PCA nell’elaborazione dei dati in studi di biomonitoraggio e monitoraggio della qualità dell’aria
Messi, M.; Frezzini, M. A.; Giampaoli, O.; Tiraboschi, C.; Merlet, T.; Massimi, L.; Sciubba, F.; Canepari, S.; Spagnoli, M.; Astolfi, M. L. - 04f Poster
conference: XI Convegno Nazionale sul Particolato Atmosferico PM2024 (Torino)
book: XI Convegno Nazionale sul Particolato Atmosferico. Torino PM 2024. Atti - ()

11573/1709829 - 2024 - Landfill waste fire: oxidative stress and elements accumulation in bees
Messi, Marcello; Giampaoli, Ottavia; Merlet, Thomas; Sciubba, Fabio; Canepari, Silvia; Spagnoli, Mariangela; Astolfi, Maria Luisa - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: Giornate di Bioanalitica 2024. One Health: nuove frontiere per la chimica bioanalitica (Bologna, Italy)
book: ATTI E Programma Finale. Giornate di Bioanalitica 2024 – Gruppo di Bioanalitica - (978-88-94952-46-9)

11573/1713970 - 2024 - Evaluation of element accumulation and oxidative stress in bees due to a landfill waste fire event
Messi, Marcello; Giampaoli, Ottavia; Merlet, Thomas; Sciubba, Fabio; Canepari, Silvia; Spagnoli, Mariangela; Astolfi, Maria Luisa - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: SYNC 2024. Symposium for Young Chemists: Innovation and Sustainability (Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy)
book: Second Symposium for Young Chemists. SYNC2024. Book of Abstracts - ()

11573/1721895 - 2024 - A multi-analytical approach to study oxidative stress in bees
Messi, Marcello; Pigini, Daniela; Merlet, Thomas; Astolfi, Maria Luisa - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: AMYC BIOMED 2024 Autumn Meeting for Young Chemists in Biomedical Sciences 5th Edition (Rome, Italy)
book: AMYC BIOMED 2024 Autumn Meeting for Young Chemists in Biomedical Sciences 5th Edition Rome 23rd-25th September 2024 - ()

11573/1715955 - 2024 - The impact of rice cultivation systems in a Mediterranean wetland: Evaluation of the occurrence, behavior and fate of pesticides and their transformation products.
Soriano Juan, Yolanda; Montemurro, Nicola; Messi, Marcello; Rico, Andreu; Pico, Yolanda; Blanch, Luis; Astolfi, Maria Luisa - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: SETAC Europe Annual Meeting. SETAC Europe 34th Annual Meeting. Science-Based Solutions in Times of Crisis: Integrating Science and Policy for Environmental Challenges. (Seville, Spain)
book: ABSTRACT BOOK. SETAC EUROPE 34TH ANNUAL MEETING. 5–9 MAY 2024 | SEVILLE, SPAIN SCIENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN TIMES OF CRISIS: INTEGRATING SCIENCE AND POLICY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES - ()

11573/1685712 - 2023 - I probiotici come promettente strumento profilattico per ridurre i livelli di elementi chimici tossici o potenzialmente tossici nelle api
Astolfi, Maria Luisa; Papi, Marco; Merlet, Thomas; Messi, Marcello - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
conference: Convegno Nazionale Science for the Planet (Università del Molise: Campobasso, Italy)
book: Atti del Congresso Science for the Planet - (9788896394427)

11573/1698079 - 2023 - Landfill fire impact on bee health. Beneficial effect of dietary supplementation with medicinal plants and probiotics in reducing oxidative stress and metal accumulation
Giampaoli, Ottavia; Messi, Marcello; Merlet, Thomas; Sciubba, Fabio; Canepari, Silvia; Spagnoli, Mariangela; Astolfi, Maria Luisa - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL (Heidelberg ; Berlin : Springer) pp. 1-17 - issn: 1614-7499 - wos: WOS:001132472700001 (2) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85188656922 (2)

11573/1652732 - 2022 - Probiotics as a promising prophylactic tool to reduce levels of toxic or potentially toxic elements in bees
Astolfi, Maria Luisa; Conti, Marcelo Enrique; Messi, Marcello; Marconi, Elisabetta - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: CHEMOSPHERE (Kidlington Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Science Limited) pp. 1-10 - issn: 0045-6535 - wos: WOS:000919367100005 (5) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85137022194 (5)

11573/1671331 - 2022 - A green prophylactic treatment to reduce the absorption of toxic elements in bees
Messi, Marcello; Papi, Marco; Marconi, Elisabetta; Merlet, Thomas; Astolfi, Maria Luisa - 04f Poster
conference: The First Symposium for YouNg Chemists: Innovation and Sustainability (SYNC2022) (Rome, Italy)
book: The First Symposium for YouNg Chemists: Innovation and Sustainability (SYNC2022) - ()

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