Laboratory Teaching Staff

Section of Pharmacognosy & Chemistry of Natural Products

Education

• Bachelor degree in Chemistry (1995). Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
• Master of Science (1999). Department of Pharmacognosy & Chemistry of Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
• PhD Thesis (2005). Awarded by the Faculty of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Thesis subject: Phytochemical analysis of bioactive genus Pterocephalus and Croton.
• Post-Doctoral Thesis (2008-2009). Scholarship of State Scholarships Foundation of Greece. Thesis subject: Phytochemical analysis of Greek endemic plants with modern spectroscopic methods, biotechnological production of secondary metabolites and evaluation of their biological activity 
• Research assistant, Medical University of Lublin, Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plant Laboratory Unit, Poland, Project entitled: 'Discovery of new natural compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease' (No 4/POLTUR-1/2016) (11/2017)

Teaching

• Laboratory Teaching Staff at the Faculty of Pharmacognosy & Chemistry of Natural Products, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2007-present)
• External Lecturer at the Department of Food Technology, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Greece in the Laboratory of Food Analysis (2006-2011).
• Senior Lecturer at the Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2006-2007/2009-2010). 
• Responsible for the education of the volunteers and manager of the Laboratory of Doping Control, OAKA Stadium, Athens Olympic Games 2004 (02-10/2004)

Research topics

• Chemical analysis of edible and pharmaceutical plants and identification of their isolated bioactive compounds
• Qualitative control of Greek honeys, analysis of beekeeping products (pollen, propolis, royal jelly) and assessment of their antimicrobial activity.
• Assessment of the total phenolic content of the plant extracts  

Distinctions

• Scientific prize from the Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw for the publication: «Long-term administration of Greek Royal Jelly improves spatial memory and influences the concentration of brain neurotransmitters in naturally aged Wistar male rats» (Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2014), October 2015.
• Appreciations from Springer Publications, Elsevier, ACS Publications (American Chemical Society) and other journals for reviewing of scientific articles

Recent publications

• Eleni Anastasopoulou, Konstantia Graikou, Christos Ganos, Gioacchino Calapai, Ioanna B Chinou (2019) Pimpinella anisum seeds essential oil from Lesvos island: effect of hydrodistillation time, comparison of its aromatic profile with other samples of the Greek market. Safe use. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 110875
• Eleftheria Michalakea, Konstantia Graikou, Nektarios Aligiannis, George Panoutsopoulos, Eleftherios Kalpoutzakis, Christos Roussakis, Ioanna Chinou (2019) Isolation and structure elucidation of secondary metabolites of two Greek  endemic Inula species. Biological activities. Phytochemistry Letters 31, 155-160
• T. Tufa, H. Damianakos, G. Zengin, K. Graikou, I. Chinou (2018) Antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of disodium rabdosiin isolated from Alkanna sfikasiana Tan, Vold and Strid. South African Journal of Botany 120, 157-162
• Georgia Marini, Konstantia Graikou, Gökhan Zengin, George A. Karikas, Mahabir P. Gupta, Ioanna Chinou (2018). Phytochemical Analysis and Biological Evaluation of Three Selected Cordia species from Panama. Industrial Crops & Products 120, 84-89.
• Justyna Pyrzanowska, Adriana Wawer, Ilona Joniec-Maciejak, Agnieszka Piechal, Kamilla Blecharz-Klin, Konstantia Graikou, Ioanna Chinou, Ewa Widy-Tyszkiewicz (2018) Long-term administration of Greek Royal Jelly decreases GABA concentration in the striatum and hypothalamus of naturally aged Wistar male rats. Neuroscience Letters 675, 17-22.
• Evangelia Bampali, Konstantia Graikou, Nektarios Aligiannis, Ioanna Chinou (2018) Kainari, a Unique Greek Traditional Herbal Tea, from the Island of Lesvos: Chemical Analysis and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2018, Article ID 6802753, doi.org/10.1155/2018/6802753
• Myrto Varsani, Konstantia Graikou, Aristea Velegraki and Ioanna Chinou (2017). Phytochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Activity of Origanum  dictamnus Traditional Herbal Tea (decoction). Natural Product Communications 12, 1801-1804.
• Emmanuel Atsalakis, Ioanna Chinou, Maria Makropoulou, Sofia Karabournioti and Konstantia Graikou (2017). Evaluation of Phenolic Compounds in Cistus creticus Bee Pollen from Greece. Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties. Natural Product Communications 12, 1813-1816.
• Milena Popova, Efstathia Giannopoulou, Krystyna Skalicka-Woźniak, Konstantia Graikou, Jaroslaw Widelski, Vassya Bankova, Haralabos Kalofonos, Gregory Sivolapenko, Katarzyna Gaweł-Bęben, Beata Antosiewicz, Ioanna Chinou (2017) Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Propolis from Poland. Molecules 22(7), 1159.
• Widelski Jarosław, Kukula-Koch Wirginia, Baj Tomasz, Kedzierski Bartosz, Fokialakis Nicolas, Magiatis Prokopis, Pozarowski Piotr, Rolinski Jacek, Graikou Konstantina, Chinou Ioanna, Skalicka-Wozniak Krystyna (2017) Rare Coumarins Induce Apoptosis, G1 Cell Block and Reduce RNA Content in HL60 Cells. Open Chemistry 15(1):1-6. 
• K. Graikou, P. Milena, O. Gortzi, V. Bankova, I. Chinou (2016). Characterization and biological evaluation of selected Mediterranean propolis samples. Is it a new type? LWT-Food Science and Technology, 65, 261-267.

Contact

Postal address: Section of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of Natural Products,
Department of Pharmacy, 
School of Health Sciences, 
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
Panepistimiopolis, 157 71
Athens, Greece
Tel.: +30(210) 727 4283
e-mail: kgraikou@pharm.uoa.gr