Cristina Sgherri

Education and Academic Positions
1990: Degree in Biological Sciences (cum laude), University of Pisa
1991: Diploma of qualification for the practice of the Biologist profession, University of Pisa
1994: PhD Degree in "Herbaceous oil- and protein-seed crops”, University of Pisa
1994-1996: post-doc fellowship at the Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Pisa
1996-2000: Research Fellowship at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Pisa
2000-2006: technician (Cat D) at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biotechnology, University of Pisa
2006-present: technician (Cat EP) at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa

Language skills
English: First Certificate in English, Cambridge University

Member of the Società Italiana di Chimica Agraria

Since 1991 she collaborates with the EPR-ENDOR spectroscopy laboratory of CNR, Pisa

Research fields
All over 26 years her research was focused on the oxidative effects due to abiotic stresses (mainly water stress, excess of heavy metals, salinity, boron excess, high light, elevated CO2) at cellular and sub-cellular levels in herbaceous and edible plants. Under water stress, she studied the amino acidic metabolism and the role of proline accumulation. In particular, she investigated the damages to plasma- and photosynthetic-membranes as well as the activation of the defence systems, present at the cytosolic, stromal and thylakoid levels, following oxidative stress. Resistance of plants to stresses, taking as model system some “resurrection plants”, was investigated focusing on the detoxification activity due to antioxidative enzymes as well as to antioxidants such as ascorbate and glutathione. These studies were later implemented with the determination of the ability to regenerate ascorbate and glutathione by antioxidants at different hydrophobicity such as tocopherols, lipoic acid and phenolic acids.
She widely applied the “Electron Spin Resonance” (EPR) technique to the study of plant samples. In this way, she was able to monitored kinetics of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production following stress conditions in particular as regards superoxide by illuminated thylakoids. Applying spin-labelling, she studied the changes in fluidity of thylakoid membranes following stress conditions whereas applying spin-trapping she was able to identify the sites of the different ROS production at the photosynthetic membranes. The use of EPR spin-trapping lately allowed to clarify the mechanism of radicalization of antioxidant molecules in some irradiated fruits.
In the last ten years she applied her knowledge to the study of food quality focusing her attention to the antioxidant power of hydrophilic and lipophilic plant extracts. By EPR she developed a method able to distinguish antioxidants with different kinetic parameters both in “vivo” and in standard conditions, detailing, in particular, the pro-oxidant and antioxidant properties of chlorophyll.
Changes in the kinetic activity of different antioxidants were related with the phenolic composition in medicinal and edible plants with the attempt to identify the healthy properties of secondary metabolites. Lastly, the influence of the interaction of different abiotic stresses with high atmospheric carbon dioxide on phenolic composition and antioxidant activity was taken under consideration.

Published more than 100 papers, mostly in ISI International Journals and presented communications at National and International Congresses

Individual bibliometric indices (November 2024):
ISI-Web of Science: 90 cited documents, H-index 36
ISI-Scopus: 94 cited documents, H-index 38

Referee for many ISI journals

Member of the Organizing Committee of the Congress on "Oxygen Free Radicals and Environmental Stress in Plants" (Pisa, 1997)

Member of the Editorial Bord of Frontiers in Plant Science.