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Article

TiO2 and CaCO3 Microparticles Produced in Aqueous Extracts from Satureja montana: Synthesis, Characterization, and Preliminary Antimicrobial Test

by
Federica Valentini
1,*,
Irene Angela Colasanti
1,2,
Camilla Zaratti
1,2,
Dumitrita Filimon
1,
Andrea Macchia
3,
Anna Neri
4,
Michela Relucenti
5,
Massimo Reverberi
6,
Ivo Allegrini
7,
Ettore Guerriero
8,
Marina Cerasa
8,
Marta De Luca
9,
Francesca Santangeli
9,
Roberto Braglia
10,
Francesco Scuderi
10,
Lorenza Rugnini
10,
Roberta Ranaldi
10,
Roberto De Meis
10 and
Antonella Canini
10
1
Sciences and Chemical Technologies Department, Tor Vergata University, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
2
YOCOCU APS, Via Torquato Tasso 108, 00185 Rome, Italy
3
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DiBEST), University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, 87036 Arcavacata, Italy
4
Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Viale Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
5
Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopaedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Alfonso Borelli 50, 00161 Rome, Italy
6
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
7
Envint Srl, Via Paradiso 65a, Montopoli di Sabina, 02034 Rieti, Italy
8
Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research (IIA), National Research Council (CNR), Strada Provinciale 35d, 9, 00010 Montelibretti, Italy
9
Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Rome, Italy
10
Department of Biology, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2025, 30(20), 4138; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30204138 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 5 August 2025 / Revised: 2 October 2025 / Accepted: 11 October 2025 / Published: 20 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesized and Functionalized Nanoparticles in Natural Compounds)
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Abstract

The possibility of modifying the surface chemistry of materials and synthetizing inorganic particles in natural aqueous extracts of plants (avoiding calcination), opens the doors to undoubtedly interesting scenarios for innovative functionalization strategies that are increasingly eco-sustainable and rich in interesting chemical–physical and biochemical properties. Among the aerial plants, Satureja montana exhibits interesting antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities due to the rich volatile and non-volatile compounds (characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry), contained in the aqueous extracts. For the first time, the latter was applied for the green synthesis of TiO2 and CaCO3 particles, characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman, infrared spectroscopies, and scanning electron microscopy, coupled with microanalysis. Screening through antimicrobial assays under indoor passive sedimentation conditions showed opposite trends for two kinds of particles. TiO2 anatase spherical particles (400 < φ < 600 nm) increase microbial growth, proportionally to increasing particle concentration. Instead, S. montana-functionalized CaCO3 prismatic microparticles (1 µm × 1 µm × 1 µm) exhibit strong and dose-dependent antimicrobial activities, achieving near-complete inhibition at 50 mg/mL.
Keywords: Satureja montana; plant extract-functionalized microparticles; GC-MS extract analysis; oxygenated terpenoids as activator/phase controllers; terpinene; thymoquinone; carvacrol; thymol; l-linalool; preliminary antimicrobial screening Satureja montana; plant extract-functionalized microparticles; GC-MS extract analysis; oxygenated terpenoids as activator/phase controllers; terpinene; thymoquinone; carvacrol; thymol; l-linalool; preliminary antimicrobial screening
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MDPI and ACS Style

Valentini, F.; Colasanti, I.A.; Zaratti, C.; Filimon, D.; Macchia, A.; Neri, A.; Relucenti, M.; Reverberi, M.; Allegrini, I.; Guerriero, E.; et al. TiO2 and CaCO3 Microparticles Produced in Aqueous Extracts from Satureja montana: Synthesis, Characterization, and Preliminary Antimicrobial Test. Molecules 2025, 30, 4138. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30204138

AMA Style

Valentini F, Colasanti IA, Zaratti C, Filimon D, Macchia A, Neri A, Relucenti M, Reverberi M, Allegrini I, Guerriero E, et al. TiO2 and CaCO3 Microparticles Produced in Aqueous Extracts from Satureja montana: Synthesis, Characterization, and Preliminary Antimicrobial Test. Molecules. 2025; 30(20):4138. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30204138

Chicago/Turabian Style

Valentini, Federica, Irene Angela Colasanti, Camilla Zaratti, Dumitrita Filimon, Andrea Macchia, Anna Neri, Michela Relucenti, Massimo Reverberi, Ivo Allegrini, Ettore Guerriero, and et al. 2025. "TiO2 and CaCO3 Microparticles Produced in Aqueous Extracts from Satureja montana: Synthesis, Characterization, and Preliminary Antimicrobial Test" Molecules 30, no. 20: 4138. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30204138

APA Style

Valentini, F., Colasanti, I. A., Zaratti, C., Filimon, D., Macchia, A., Neri, A., Relucenti, M., Reverberi, M., Allegrini, I., Guerriero, E., Cerasa, M., De Luca, M., Santangeli, F., Braglia, R., Scuderi, F., Rugnini, L., Ranaldi, R., De Meis, R., & Canini, A. (2025). TiO2 and CaCO3 Microparticles Produced in Aqueous Extracts from Satureja montana: Synthesis, Characterization, and Preliminary Antimicrobial Test. Molecules, 30(20), 4138. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30204138

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