Alessandro Agresti

Biography

Graduated from the University of Florence in 1971. He was declared winner for the years 72-74 of MPI scholarships at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Florence. In 1974 he was appointed ordinary assistant at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Florence. In 1985 he was eligible for the competition for a role professor, a group of associates, for the discipline group n.161 (first discipline: Structure of Matter). From March 23, 1986 to today, following the call of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Florence, he is a holder of the Physics Course. On March 24, 1989 he was confirmed associate professor for the "Physics" discipline at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Florence. Since 1979 he has collaborated with the "Interaction Radiation-Matter" section of IROE-CNR in Florence. He has been responsible for projects funded by CNR and the University of Florence. The scientific activity is carried out in the Biofisical field, when the collaboration was requested by the faculty colleagues; in particular the mechanisms of action of similar substances have been studied in their effect on morphine. Ab Initio SCF-MO-LCAO calculations of electrostatic potential and analytical calculations of energy interaction with water were performed for two analgesics: esoroline and morphine. The calculations showed that the molecular reactivity of the amino nitrogen of the exerol and morphine are very similar, while there are large differences in the presence of the eserolinic phenolic group (OH). These results were able to explain the lower binding binding affinity of the exerolins to the morphine receptor and also confirmed a molecular model of the analgesic receptor that was suggested on the basis of experimental data. Furthermore, bilirubin conformational properties have recently been studied; these are in fact of great interest both physically and biologically. So Ab-Initio calculations for geometry optimization at 3-21G / SCF level have been executed. Theoretical calculations were made at the Institute of Molecular Quantitation and Molecular Energy of CNR, Pisa.

Research Interest

Scientific activity, however, has been developed more in the field of the Structure of Matter.