ANTONIETTA CERULLI | Curriculum

EDUCATION
2013: Master’s Degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies, obtained on 25/07/2013 at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno.

2013: Professional qualification to practice as a pharmacist.

2013-2014: Advanced Training Course for the development of STRAtegies for INnovative therapeutic approaches (STRAIN) at the Second University of Naples. On-the-job training at the Pharmaceutical Biology Laboratory, University of Salerno (Tutor: prof. Cosimo Pizza).

2014-2018: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, obtained on 28/03/2018 at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, with the thesis titled: “PGI products of the Campania region: chemical and biological investigation of edible parts and by-products as potential sources of functional ingredients for herbal, nutraceutical and cosmetic formulations” (Tutor: prof. Sonia Piacente). During the PhD, a research period was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno (Czech Republic) - Tutor: Dr. J. Hosek.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND ACADEMIC POSITIONS

04/10/2018-04/02/2020: Research scholarship within the Merck Research Project Agreement, at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, focusing on the "Phytochemical study of medicinal and edible plants from the Mediterranean area" (SSD BIOS-01/D) (Scientific Supervisor: prof. Sonia Piacente).

15/02/2020-15/07/2022: Research scholarship at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, focusing on the “Characterization of molecules with potential antiproliferative activity” (SSD BIOS-01/D) - (Scientific Supervisor: prof. Sonia Piacente) as part of the research project “Fighting cancer resistance: an integrated multidisciplinary platform for an innovative technological approach to cancer therapies” P.O.R. Campania FESR 2014-2020.

01/08/2021-15/03/2023: Research grant at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, for the project “Food plants as a potential source of functional ingredients in the prevention of aging-related diseases” (SSD BIOS-01/D) - (Scientific Supervisor: prof. Sonia Piacente).

16/03/2024-present: Researcher (fixed-term) (SSD BIOS-01/D, Art. 23, c. 3, letter A, Law 240/2010) at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno (research program “National Research Centre for Agricultural Technologies” – Agritech Center under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan - PNRR).

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY

Dr. Antonietta Cerulli’s research focuses on the phytochemical study of medicinal and edible plants (edible parts and by-products) with the aim of obtaining the metabolic fingerprint and isolating and characterizing secondary metabolites.

The main approach followed for the study of selected plants involves the preparation and subsequent fractionation of extracts, the systematic isolation of as many metabolites as possible, the structural characterization of the isolated compounds, and the evaluation of the biological activity of the isolated metabolites and/or extracts.

Specifically, the research aims to define the fingerprint in detail using approaches such as Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR), which have the sensitivity and specificity needed for studying various classes of compounds present in complex plant matrices. To isolate and characterize as many secondary metabolites as possible, column chromatography and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with refractive index detector (HPLC-IR) or ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) are used. Structural determination of the isolated compounds is carried out using spectroscopic methods, mainly one-dimensional NMR experiments (1H, TOCSY, and 13C) and two-dimensional homo-nuclear (DQF-COSY, 2D-TOCSY, ROESY) and heteronuclear (HSQC, HMBC) techniques, along with Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI/MS). Finally, the biological activity of the extracts and isolated metabolites is evaluated based on literature reports for the studied species and considering the chemical characteristics of the isolated compounds, with the goal of identifying bioactive extracts and compounds for use in herbal-based dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics.

Dr. Antonietta Cerulli’s scientific activity has resulted in 48 publications in widely circulated international journals and has been presented at numerous national and international conferences.

SCOPUS LINK: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=56492834700

RESEARCH AWARD

September 2024: “SIF Tu You You Award: Young Scientist in Pharmaceutical Biology” awarded by the Italian Society of Phytochemistry.