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Summary
The Applied Microbiology Laboratory, coordinated by Dr. Barbara Azzimonti, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology (MEDS-03A) at the Department of Health Sciences (DiSS), School of Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), focuses on the relationship between the human microbiota and health, particularly in the skin, oral, and intestinal compartments.
Research activities investigate how alterations in microbial communities, often triggered by environmental or dietary factors, including nutrients, additives, and contaminants, can affect the epithelial barrier and contribute to immune dysregulation. Special attention is given to chronic inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and oral lichen planus, where microbial imbalance and barrier dysfunction play a key role in disease onset and progression.
One of the main research lines involves the study of probiotics and their postbiotic fractions, especially cell-free supernatants from selected strains like Lactobacillus johnsonii. These are evaluated for their ability to limit pathogenic overgrowth (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus), reduce inflammation, and promote tissue regeneration, both in in vitro and in clinical models.
In parallel, the laboratory explores the antimicrobial properties of fermented plant extracts, such as those obtained from Vitis vinifera leaves, aiming to develop innovative strategies against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, while also promoting the medical valorization of plant by-products.
A further area of interest concerns the interplay between microbial dysbiosis and cancer, with research focused on analyzing the microbiota and metabolomic profiles of tumor tissues to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for precision medicine.
Keywords
Human microbiota; Epithelial barrier dysfunction; Prebiotics/Probiotics/Postbiotics; Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria; Inflammatory epithelial diseases.
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