José Roberto Vega-Baudrit currently works at the Escuela de Química, National University of Costa Rica. José does research in Nanotechnology, Physical Chemistry, Biorefinery and Polymer Chemistry. He is Director at National Nanotechnology Laboratory LANOTEC in CeNAT-CONARE.
Primarily composed of organic molecules, pharmaceutical materials, including drugs and excipients... more Primarily composed of organic molecules, pharmaceutical materials, including drugs and excipients, frequently exhibit physicochemical properties that can affect the formulation, manufacturing and packing processes as well as product performance and safety. In recent years, researchers have intensively developed Crystal Engineering (CE) in an effort to reinvent bioactive molecules with well-known, approved pharmacological effects. In general, CE aims to improve the physicochemical properties without affecting their intrinsic characteristics or compromising their stability. CE involves the molecular recognition of non-covalent interactions, in which organic materials are responsible for the regular arrangement of molecules into crystal lattices. Modern CE, encompasses all manipulations that result in the alteration of crystal packing as well as methods that disrupt crystal lattices or reduce the size of crystals, or a combination of them. Nowadays, cocrystallisation has been the most explored strategy to improve solubility, dissolution rate and bioavailability of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API). However, its combinatorial nature involving two or more small organic molecules, and the use of diverse crystallisation processes increase the possible outcomes. As a result, numerous organic materials can be obtained as well as several physicochemical and mechanical properties can be improved. Therefore, this review will focus on novel organic solids obtained when CE is applied including crystalline and amorphous, single and multicomponent as well as nanosized ones, that have contributed to improving not only solubility, dissolution rate, bioavailability permeability but also, chemical and physical stability and mechanical properties.
The negative impact of plastic accumulation in aquatic ecosystems is a known and undeniable probl... more The negative impact of plastic accumulation in aquatic ecosystems is a known and undeniable problem. However, while many of the scientific community’s countermeasures against such accumulation target the effects of the most common commodity plastics, the consequences of so-called ‘biodegradable’ plastics in those ecosystems are seldom discussed. After all, though their alleged biodegradability sustains the widespread belief that they are harmless to the environment, because a material’s fate determines its classification as biodegradable or not, many plastics classified as biodegradable do not in fact meet the required norms and standards of biodegradability in aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, during the past five years, the scientific community has shown that the degradation of such plastics can generate bio-microplastics that have effects similar to or worse than those of conventional microplastics (MPs). Against that background, this review details the latest findings regarding h...
Tumor heterogeneity leads to drug resistance in cancer treatment with the crucial role of sphingo... more Tumor heterogeneity leads to drug resistance in cancer treatment with the crucial role of sphingolipids in cell fate and stress signaling. We analyzed sphingolipid metabolism and autophagic flux to study chemotherapeutic interactions on the A549 lung cancer model. Loaded cells with fluorescent sphingomyelin analog (BODIPY) and mCherry-EGFP-LC3B were used to track autophagic flux and assess cytotoxicity when cells are exposed to chemotherapy (epirubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel) together with sphingolipid pathway inhibitors and autophagy modulators. Our cell model approach employed fluorescent sphingolipid biosensors and a Gaussian Mixture Model of cell heterogeneity profiles to map the influence of chemotherapy on the sphingolipid pathway and infer potential synergistic interactions. Results showed significant synergy, especially when combining epirubicin with autophagy inducers (rapamycin and Torin), reducing cell viability. Cisplatin also synergized with a ceramidase inhibitor. ...
En esta investigacion se implemento la metodologia para la sintesis de la carboximetilquitina CMQ... more En esta investigacion se implemento la metodologia para la sintesis de la carboximetilquitina CMQ llevada a cabo con quitina de camaron de la especie Heterocarpus vicarius, bajo las condiciones del Laboratorio de Polimeros de la Universidad Nacional, posteriormente se realizo su respectiva caracterizacion por metodos espectroscopicos, reologicos y termicos. Para la caracterizacion espectroscopica se realizaron analisis por espectroscopia infrarroja por transforma de Fourier (FTIR) y resonancia magnetica nuclear (RMN). En cuanto a analisis termico se utilizo analisis termogravimetrico (TGA), y los reologicos se determinaron por analisis viscosimetro capilar. La CMQ obtenida sera utilizada en la modificacion superficial de materiales nanoestructurados con potenciales aplicaciones tecnologicas.
Background: Curcumin is a natural phenolic compound exhibiting multiple bioactivities that have b... more Background: Curcumin is a natural phenolic compound exhibiting multiple bioactivities that have been evaluated in vitro, in vivo as well as through clinical studies in humans. Some of them include antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and central nervous system protective effects. Further, curcumin is generally recognized as a safe substance because of its low toxicity. However, its molecular structure is susceptible to changes in pH, oxidation, photodegradation, low aqueous solubility, and biotransformation compromising its bioavailability; these drawbacks are successfully addressed through nanotechnology. Objective: The present review systematizes findings on the enhancement of curcumin’s beneficial effects when it is loaded and co-loaded into different types of nanosystems covering liposomes, polymeric and solid-lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carrier, lipid-polymeric hybrids, self- -assembled and protein-based core-shell systems in relation to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and central nervous system protective bioactivities. Conclusion: Curcumin is a versatile molecule capable of exerting antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti- inflammatory, and central nervous system protective effects in an enhanced manner using the possibilities offered by the nanotechnology-based approach. Its enhanced bioactivities are associated with increments in solubility, stability, bioavailability, as well as in improved intracellular uptake and cell internalization. These advantages, in addition to curcumin’s low toxicity, indicate the potential of curcumin to be loaded and co-loaded into nanosystems capable of providing a controlled release and targeted administration.
Primarily composed of organic molecules, pharmaceutical materials, including drugs and excipients... more Primarily composed of organic molecules, pharmaceutical materials, including drugs and excipients, frequently exhibit physicochemical properties that can affect the formulation, manufacturing and packing processes as well as product performance and safety. In recent years, researchers have intensively developed Crystal Engineering (CE) in an effort to reinvent bioactive molecules with well-known, approved pharmacological effects. In general, CE aims to improve the physicochemical properties without affecting their intrinsic characteristics or compromising their stability. CE involves the molecular recognition of non-covalent interactions, in which organic materials are responsible for the regular arrangement of molecules into crystal lattices. Modern CE, encompasses all manipulations that result in the alteration of crystal packing as well as methods that disrupt crystal lattices or reduce the size of crystals, or a combination of them. Nowadays, cocrystallisation has been the most explored strategy to improve solubility, dissolution rate and bioavailability of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API). However, its combinatorial nature involving two or more small organic molecules, and the use of diverse crystallisation processes increase the possible outcomes. As a result, numerous organic materials can be obtained as well as several physicochemical and mechanical properties can be improved. Therefore, this review will focus on novel organic solids obtained when CE is applied including crystalline and amorphous, single and multicomponent as well as nanosized ones, that have contributed to improving not only solubility, dissolution rate, bioavailability permeability but also, chemical and physical stability and mechanical properties.
The negative impact of plastic accumulation in aquatic ecosystems is a known and undeniable probl... more The negative impact of plastic accumulation in aquatic ecosystems is a known and undeniable problem. However, while many of the scientific community’s countermeasures against such accumulation target the effects of the most common commodity plastics, the consequences of so-called ‘biodegradable’ plastics in those ecosystems are seldom discussed. After all, though their alleged biodegradability sustains the widespread belief that they are harmless to the environment, because a material’s fate determines its classification as biodegradable or not, many plastics classified as biodegradable do not in fact meet the required norms and standards of biodegradability in aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, during the past five years, the scientific community has shown that the degradation of such plastics can generate bio-microplastics that have effects similar to or worse than those of conventional microplastics (MPs). Against that background, this review details the latest findings regarding h...
Tumor heterogeneity leads to drug resistance in cancer treatment with the crucial role of sphingo... more Tumor heterogeneity leads to drug resistance in cancer treatment with the crucial role of sphingolipids in cell fate and stress signaling. We analyzed sphingolipid metabolism and autophagic flux to study chemotherapeutic interactions on the A549 lung cancer model. Loaded cells with fluorescent sphingomyelin analog (BODIPY) and mCherry-EGFP-LC3B were used to track autophagic flux and assess cytotoxicity when cells are exposed to chemotherapy (epirubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel) together with sphingolipid pathway inhibitors and autophagy modulators. Our cell model approach employed fluorescent sphingolipid biosensors and a Gaussian Mixture Model of cell heterogeneity profiles to map the influence of chemotherapy on the sphingolipid pathway and infer potential synergistic interactions. Results showed significant synergy, especially when combining epirubicin with autophagy inducers (rapamycin and Torin), reducing cell viability. Cisplatin also synergized with a ceramidase inhibitor. ...
En esta investigacion se implemento la metodologia para la sintesis de la carboximetilquitina CMQ... more En esta investigacion se implemento la metodologia para la sintesis de la carboximetilquitina CMQ llevada a cabo con quitina de camaron de la especie Heterocarpus vicarius, bajo las condiciones del Laboratorio de Polimeros de la Universidad Nacional, posteriormente se realizo su respectiva caracterizacion por metodos espectroscopicos, reologicos y termicos. Para la caracterizacion espectroscopica se realizaron analisis por espectroscopia infrarroja por transforma de Fourier (FTIR) y resonancia magnetica nuclear (RMN). En cuanto a analisis termico se utilizo analisis termogravimetrico (TGA), y los reologicos se determinaron por analisis viscosimetro capilar. La CMQ obtenida sera utilizada en la modificacion superficial de materiales nanoestructurados con potenciales aplicaciones tecnologicas.
Background: Curcumin is a natural phenolic compound exhibiting multiple bioactivities that have b... more Background: Curcumin is a natural phenolic compound exhibiting multiple bioactivities that have been evaluated in vitro, in vivo as well as through clinical studies in humans. Some of them include antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and central nervous system protective effects. Further, curcumin is generally recognized as a safe substance because of its low toxicity. However, its molecular structure is susceptible to changes in pH, oxidation, photodegradation, low aqueous solubility, and biotransformation compromising its bioavailability; these drawbacks are successfully addressed through nanotechnology. Objective: The present review systematizes findings on the enhancement of curcumin’s beneficial effects when it is loaded and co-loaded into different types of nanosystems covering liposomes, polymeric and solid-lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carrier, lipid-polymeric hybrids, self- -assembled and protein-based core-shell systems in relation to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and central nervous system protective bioactivities. Conclusion: Curcumin is a versatile molecule capable of exerting antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti- inflammatory, and central nervous system protective effects in an enhanced manner using the possibilities offered by the nanotechnology-based approach. Its enhanced bioactivities are associated with increments in solubility, stability, bioavailability, as well as in improved intracellular uptake and cell internalization. These advantages, in addition to curcumin’s low toxicity, indicate the potential of curcumin to be loaded and co-loaded into nanosystems capable of providing a controlled release and targeted administration.
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