Debora Esposito

Bio

Dr. Debora Esposito, a native of Brazil, joined the Plants for Human Health Institute as a lead faculty member in 2016. She is particularly interested in researching biologically active phytochemicals derived from edible plants. Her passion is to improve human health and longevity through scientific research on the beneficial effects of phytochemicals. She hopes that the knowledge generated from research on fruits and vegetables will modify dietary recommendations for improved human health. Her research involves an interdisciplinary, broad-based tissue regeneration and repair research program that applies basic scientific discoveries in the areas of phytochemistry, regenerative medicine, and skin care to improve human health and wellbeing. Her lab focuses on application of plant-based bioactives to three interconnected research areas: 1) inflammation and tissue regeneration as it applies to wound healing and skin care; 2) cell-based biological screening in conventional, 3D matrices, and stem culture technologies; and 3) muscle aging and repair.

From 2013 to 2015, she served as the Director of Cell Culture Facility at PHHI, leading research on inflammation, muscle tissue regeneration, and skin care applications of edible plants. After a year as a senior research scientist at the Dole Nutrition Institute, Kannapolis, NC, she rejoined PHHI as an assistant professor. She received the Elleen Brennan Research Award in recognition of her innovative research thesis: “Pharmacological characterization of brassinosteroids for anabolic and cosmetic applications.”

Publications

• Gel formulated with Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf extract promotes skin wound healing in vivo by increasing VEGF expression: A novel potential active ingredient for pharmaceuticals , FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY (2023)
• Phenolic-rich extract of Nopalea cochenillifera attenuates gastric lesions induced in experimental models through inhibiting oxidative stress, modulating inflammatory markers and a cytoprotective effect , FOOD & FUNCTION (2023)
• Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Skin Regenerative Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Plants of the Brassicaceae Family: A Systematic Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Preclinical Evidence (Biological Activities Brassicaceae Skin Diseases) , ANTIOXIDANTS (2022)
• Brassinosteroids control the inflammation, oxidative stress and cell migration through the control of mitochondrial function on skin regeneration , LIFE SCIENCES (2022)
• Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Oxidative Stress in Wound Healing , OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY (2022)
• Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and Therapeutics Involved in Inflammatory Disorders and Tissue Repair 2021 , OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY (2022)
• The First Optimization Process from Cultivation to Flavonoid-Rich Extract from Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves in Brazil , FOODS (2022)
• Editorial: Cosmeceuticals From Medicinal Plants , Frontiers in Pharmacology (2020)
• Lily steroidal glycoalkaloid promotes early inflammatory resolution in wounded human fibroblasts , Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2020)
• Phenolic content, anti-inflammatory properties, and dermal wound repair properties of industrially processed and non-processed acai from the Brazilian Amazon , Food & Function (2020)