Associate Professor,  Section of Pharmacognosy and Natural Product Chemistry

FULL CV  

Education

• Degree in Pharmacy, University of Athens, Greece (1995).
• MSc Degree in Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, University of Athens, Greece (1997).
• PhD in Pharmacy, University of Athens, Greece (2002).

Teaching

• Undergraduate courses/labs: Advanced Courses in Pharmacognosy, Introduction to Laboratory Practices, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy I, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy III
• Graduatecourses: Spectroscopy of Natural ProductsΙ, Analysis of Natural ProductsΙ, Biological Methods, Introduction to Good Laboratory Practices

Research topics

• Phytochemical analysis of Mediterranean flora species and exploitation of bioactive natural products as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals.
• Applications of green technology in plant extractions (Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Accelerated Solvent Extraction, Microwave Assisted Extraction), separation and analysis of natural compounds (Counter Current Chromatography, Supercritical Fluid Chromatography) and synthesis of natural products derivatives (Microwaves).
• Carrying out of metabolic profile studies based on conventional and modern hyphenated techniques (1D and 2D NMR, HPLC-DAD, UPLC-DAD, HPTLC, and LC-MS).
• Establishment of methods and procedures for the optimized recovery and bioguided identification of bioactive natural compounds (Response surface methodology, in vitrochemometric assays, enzyme inhibition assays, bio-autography etc.).
• Synthesis of natural products derivatives (e.g. flavonoids, benzofurans, anthracyclines, chalcones, diarylpropanes, stilbenes, dihydrostilbenes, flavans and deoxybenzoins).
• Biological evaluation of natural products and semi-synthetic derivatives for their antioxidant, estrogenic, anti-/angiogenic, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, bleaching and antiaging properties.
• Exploitation of agricultural by-products and wastes to develop high-added value products.
• Evaluation of traditional medicine information and carrying out of research in the field of Ethnopharmacognosy.

Distinctions

• 1996:Award for graduate studies in “Pharmacognosy of biologically active natural products”. Source: State Scholarships Foundation(Ι.Κ.Υ.), Greece. 
• 2000: “Best Performance” prize for M.Sc. studentship by the Hellenic society of the Pharmaceutical Industry

Recent publications

• R. Michalea, Κ. Stathopoulou, Π. Polychronopoulos, Δ. Benaki, Ε. Mikros, Ν. Aligiannis. Efficient identification of Acetylcholinesterase and Hyaluronidase inhibitors from Paeoniaparnassica extracts through a HeteroCovariance Approach, 2019, doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.10.008. 
• N. Fokialakis, X. Alexi, N. Aligiannis, A. Boulaka, A. K. Meligova, G. Lambrinidis, E. Kalpoutzakis,H. Pratsinis,A. Cheilari,D. Mitsiou,S. Mitakou,M. N. Alexis. Biological evaluation of isoflavonoids from Genistahalacsyi using estrogen-target cells: Activities of glucosides compared to aglycones, 2019, PLoS ONE, 14(1),e0210247. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210247
• E. Bampali, K. Graikou, N. Aligiannis, I. Chinou. Kainari, a Unique Greek Traditional Herbal Tea, from the Island of Lesvos: Chemical Analysis and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties, 2018, Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2018, 6802753, doi.org/10.1155/2018/6802753.
• N. Xynos, A. Termentzi, N. Fokialakis, L. A. Skaltsounis, N. Aligiannis. Supercritical CO2 extraction of mastic gum and chemical characterization of bioactive fractions using LC-HRMS/MS and GC–MS, 2018, J. Supercritical Fluids, 133 (1), 349-356.
• E.Chaita, E.Gikas, N.Aligiannis.Integrated HPTLC-based Methodology for the Tracing of Bioactive Compounds in Herbal Extracts Employing Multivariate Chemometrics. ACaseStudyonMorusalba, 2017, PhytochemAnal., 28(2), 125-131.

Contact

Postal address: Section of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of Natural Products,
Department of Pharmacy,
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
Panepistimiopolis, 157 71
Athens, Greece
Tel.: +30(210) 7274757
Fax: +30(210) 7274594
e-mail: aligiannis@pharm.uoa.gr