Person: Contreras Cáceres, Rafael
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First Name
Rafael
Last Name
Contreras Cáceres
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Farmacia
Department
Química en Ciencias Farmacéuticas
Area
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8 results
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Item Electrospun Nanofibers: Recent Applications in Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy(Nanomaterials, 2019) Contreras Cáceres, Rafael; Cabeza, Laura; Perazzoli, Gloria; Díaz, Amelia; López Romero, Juan Manuel; Melguizo, Consolación; Prados, JoséPolymeric nanofibers (NFs) have been extensively reported as a biocompatible scaffold to be specifically applied in several researching fields, including biomedical applications. The principal researching lines cover the encapsulation of antitumor drugs for controlled drug delivery applications, scaffolds structures for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, as well as magnetic or plasmonic hyperthermia to be applied in the reduction of cancer tumors. This makes NFs useful as therapeutic implantable patches or mats to be implemented in numerous biomedical researching fields. In this context, several biocompatible polymers with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability including poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), poly butylcyanoacrylate (PBCA), poly ethylenglycol (PEG), poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or poly lactic acid (PLA) have been widely used for the synthesis of NFs using the electrospun technique. Indeed, other types of polymers with stimuli-responsive capabilities has have recently reported for the fabrication of polymeric NFs scaffolds with relevant biomedical applications. Importantly, colloidal nanoparticles used as nanocarriers and non-biodegradable structures have been also incorporated by electrospinning into polymeric NFs for drug delivery applications and cancer treatments. In this review, we focus on the incorporation of drugs into polymeric NFs for drug delivery and cancer treatment applications. However, the principal novelty compared with previously reported publications is that we also focus on recent investigations concerning new strategies that increase drug delivery and cancer treatments efficiencies, such as the incorporation of colloidal nanoparticles into polymeric NFs, the possibility to fabricate NFs with the capability to respond to external environments, and finally, the synthesis of hybrid polymeric NFs containing carbon nanotubes, magnetic and gold nanoparticles, with magnetic and plasmonic hyperthermia applicability.- Project number: 270
Item Jugando con métodos interactivos para incentivar el aprendizaje de la física y fisicoquímica(2023) Marciello, Marzia; Alvear Jiménez, Alexis Fernando; Contreras Cáceres, Rafael; Díaz García, Diana; Fernández Fernández, María de la Cabeza; Filice, Marco; García Almodóvar, Victoria; Gómez Ruiz, Santiago; Laurenti, Marco; Lozano Chamizo, Laura; Méndez Gonzalez, Diego; Ovejero Paredes, Karina; Sanchez Sanchez, VisitaciónLa sociedad actual se presenta cada día más tecnificada y los estudiantes están creciendo en ella desarrollando distintas capacidades cognitivas que resultan casi imprescindible comprender y atender para poder aumentar su interés en el aprendizaje de diferentes temas. Esta realidad está llevando los profesores a reconfigurar sus estrategias pedagógicas, actualizando los métodos educativos con el fin de mejorar la calidad de la educación adaptando los contenidos que se imparten con las necesidades de la sociedad. Por ello, cada vez es más frecuente recurrir a nuevas herramientas como las TIC (Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones) y a aplicaciones lúdicas que apoyen y fomenten el proceso de aprendizaje. La aplicación de las TICs en la enseñanza, ha supuesto un avance en la transmisión y recepción del conocimiento para incentivar a los alumnos al aprendizaje de aquellas asignaturas que suponen una mayor dificultad durante su proceso formativo. Asimismo, la gamificación, que consiste en incorporar elementos de juegos como las recompensas y la competición para animar a las estudiantes a realizar tareas que normalmente se consideran aburridas, está ganando cada día más atención sobre todo gracias a su innegable carácter motivacional. De hecho, el juego es un activador en la atención y surge como alternativa para complementar los esquemas de la enseñanza tradicional. Debido a su naturaleza intrínseca, el aprendizaje de la física y de la fisicoquímica (tanto en campo farmacéutico como en general) suele resultar un proceso complicado y muchas veces difícil de entender. Los métodos tradicionales de enseñanza de la ciencia en general, y de la física y fisicoquímica en particular, hacen que estas disciplinas fundamentales sean vistas por los alumnos como algo abstracto y poco estimulante. El objetivo de la actividad propuesta en este proyecto es convertir el estudio de dichas materias en algo más interesante y participativo, motivando a los estudiantes mediante juegos basados en herramientas TIC y generando finalmente un mejor conocimiento gracias a la competición lúdica, al aprendizaje colaborativo y a la autoevaluación. En este sentido, nuestra propuesta se ha centrado en actividades interactivas basadas en la gamificación para el desarrollo de un aprendizaje proactivo de asignaturas complejas permitiendo al mismo tiempo una autoevaluación tanto a los estudiantes como a los profesores. De hecho, los alumnos, gracias a la resolución de preguntas en forma de juego han podido valorar su nivel de aprendizaje durante el desarrollo del curso y el profesor ha podido comprobar si sus clases son los suficientemente claras y/o cuales argumentos debería de profundizar y/o explicar de otra manera para obtener una mayor comprensión por parte de los estudiantes. Item Ionotropic Gelation-Based Synthesis of Chitosan-Metal Hybrid Nanoparticles Showing Combined Antimicrobial and Tissue Regenerative Activities(Polymers, 2021) Lozano Chamizo, Laura; Luengo Morato, Yurena; Ovejero Paredes, Karina; Contreras Cáceres, Rafael; Marciello, Marzia; Filice, MarcoThe treatment of skin wounds poses significant clinical challenges, including the risk of bacterial infection. In particular due to its antimicrobial and tissue regeneration abilities chitosan (a polymeric biomaterial obtained by the deacetylation of chitin) has received extensive attention for its effectiveness in promoting skin wound repair. On the other hand, due to their intrinsic characteristics, metal nanoparticles (e.g., silver (Ag), gold (Au) or iron oxide (Fe3O4)) have demonstrated therapeutic properties potentially useful in the field of skin care. Therefore, the combination of these two promising materials (chitosan plus metal oxide NPs) could permit the achievement of a promising nanohybrid with enhanced properties that could be applied in advanced skin treatment. In this work, we have optimized the synthesis protocol of chitosan/metal hybrid nanoparticles by means of a straightforward synthetic method, ionotropic gelation, which presents a wide set of advantages. The synthesized hybrid NPs have undergone to a full physicochemical characterization. After that, the in vitro antibacterial and tissue regenerative activities of the achieved hybrids have been assessed in comparison to their individual constituent. As result, we have demonstrated the synergistic antibacterial plus the tissue regeneration enhancement of these nanohybrids as a consequence of the fusion between chitosan and metallic nanoparticles, especially in the case of chitosan/Fe3O4 hybrid nanoparticles.Item 10-Fold Quantum Yield Improvement of Ag2S Nanoparticles by Fine Compositional Tuning(ACS Applied materials and interfaces, 2020) Ortega Rodríguez, Alicia; Shen, Yingli; Zabala Gutiérrez, Irene; Santos, Harrison D. A.; Torres Vera, Vivian Andrea; Ximedes, Erving; Villaverde Cantizano, Gonzalo; Lifante, José; Gerke, Christoph; Fernández Monsalve, Nuria; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Marqués Hueso, José; Méndez González, Diego; Laurenti, Marco; Jones, Callum M. S.; López Romero, Juan Manuel; Contreras Cáceres, Rafael; Jaque García, Daniel; Rubio Retama, Benito Jorge; Garma Pons, SantiagoAg2S semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) are near-infrared luminescent probes with outstanding properties (good biocompatibility, optimum spectral operation range, and easy biofunctionalization) that make them ideal probes for in vivo imaging. Ag2S NPs have, indeed, made possible amazing challenges including in vivo brain imaging and advanced diagnosis of the cardiovascular system. Despite the continuous redesign of synthesis routes, the emission quantum yield (QY) of Ag2S NPs is typically below 0.2%. This leads to a low luminescent brightness that avoids their translation into the clinics. In this work, an innovative synthetic methodology that permits a 10-fold increment in the absolute QY from 0.2 up to 2.3% is presented. Such an increment in the QY is accompanied by an enlargement of photoluminescence lifetimes from 184 to 1200 ns. The optimized synthetic route presented here is based on a fine control over both the Ag core and the Ag/S ratio within the NPs. Such control reduces the density of structural defects and decreases the nonradiative pathways. In addition, we demonstrate that the superior performance of the Ag2S NPs allows for high-contrast in vivo bioimaging. .Item The effects of dopant concentration and excitation intensity on the upconversion and downconversion emission processes of β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+nanoparticles(Journal of materials chemistry C, 2021) Torres Vera, Vivian Andrea; Méndez González, Diego; Ramos Ramos, D. J.; Igalla El-Youssfi, Asmae; Laurenti, Marco; Contreras Cáceres, Rafael; López Cabarcos, Enrique; Díaz García, Elena; Rubio Retama, Benito Jorge; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Gómez Calderón, ÓscarThe dopant concentration of lanthanide ions in photon upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) remains one of the key points to boost the brightness of these nanomaterials and, therefore, their application developments. Here, we analyzed the effect of Er3+ and Yb3+ dopant concentrations of b-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoparticles on the visible upconversion and near-infrared downconversion luminescence intensities. Our approach carefully excluded all other factors whose variation affects luminescence properties such as the size, morphology, crystal structure, ion distribution, ligand, and surrounding medium, allowing us to exactly infer the influence of the ratio of Yb3+ to Er3+ ions on the nanoparticle luminescence. To maintain the size and morphological properties of nanoparticles, we used a total dopant concentration of 22% while varying the ratio of Yb3+ to Er3+ ions from 0 to 10. A huge increase in luminescence takes place as the Yb/Er ratio increases following a power-law behavior, and this luminescence enhancement is greater at low excitation intensities. Above a Yb/Er ratio of around two, saturation occurs with a slight peak when this ratio is around four. Simulations using a rate equation model showed that upconversion luminescence (UCL) is mainly produced by the energy transfer between neighboring Er3+ ions at low Yb/Er ratios, while at high ratios, the energy transfer from Yb3+ to Er3+ ions dominates. However, downconversion luminescence (DCL) is produced at all analyzed ratios, except 0, by the previous mechanism.Item SPION nanoparticles for delivery of dopaminergic isoquinoline and benzazepine derivatives(Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 2022) Lucena-Serrano, Cristina; Lucena-Serrano, Ana; Díaz, Amelia; Valpuesta, María; Villaverde Cantizano, Gonzalo; López-Romero, J. Manuel; Sarabia, Francisco; Laurenti, Marco; Rubio Retama, Benito Jorge; Contreras Cáceres, RafaelSuperparamagnetic iron nanoparticles (SPIONs) have become one of the most useful colloidal systems in nanomedicine. We report here the preparation of new hybrid core@shell systems based on SPION nanoparticles coated with a SiO2 shell (SPION@SiO2) and functionalized with carboxyl groups SPION@SiO2-COOH). A series of new N-alkylamino- and N-alkylamido-terminated 1-phenyl- tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) and 3 tetrahydrobenzazepines (THBs) derivatives presenting -SMe and -Cl groups, respectively, with potential dopaminergic activity, are synthesized and incorporated to the hybrid system. We include the synthetic details for THIQs and THBs derivatives preparation and investigate the influence of the terminal-functional group as well as the number of carbon atoms linked to THIQ and THB molecules during the coupling to the SPION@SiO2-COOH. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI-MS) are used to characterize the synthesized THIQs and THBs. High-angle annular dark-field transmission electron microscopy (HAADFTEM), energy dispersive X-ray transmission electron microscopy (EDX-TEM), and proton high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy1 H HRMAS-NMR) are used to confirm the presence of THB and THIQ molecules onto the surface of the nanoparticles. The hybrid SPION@SiO2-THIQ and THB systems show significant activity toward the D2 receptor, reaching Ki values of about 20 nM, thus having potential application in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases.Item Electrospraying as a Technique for the Controlled Synthesis of Biocompatible PLGA@Ag2S and PLGA@Ag2S@SPION Nanocarriers with Drug Release Capability(Pharmaceutics, 2022) Alvear Jiménez, Alexis; Zabala Gutiérrez, Irene; Shen, Yingli; Villaverde Cantizano, Gonzalo; Lozano Chamizo, Laura; Guardia, Pablo; Tinoco Rivas, Miguel; García Pinel, Beatriz; Prados, José; Melguizo, Consolación; López Romero, Manuel; Jaque, Daniel; Filice, Marco; Contreras Cáceres, Rafael- Project number: 74
Item Las TICs: un instrumento de ayuda en las prácticas de laboratorio(2022) Laurenti, Marco; Ovejero Paredes, Karina; Zabala Gutiérrez, Irene; Sanchez Sanche, Visitación; Yusta San Roman, Piedad; Contreras Cáceres, Rafael; Filice, Marco; López Cabarcos, Enrique; Marciello, Marzia; Méndez González, Diego; Rubio Retama, Benito Jorge; Villaverde Cantizano, GonzaloDesde la implantación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior nos encontramos ante dos grandes retos; el desarrollo metodológico y tecnológico en la formación y docencia on-line y en segundo lugar la cada vez más elevada especialización requerida a los estudiantes durante el Grado y Doble Grado en Farmacia. Esto hace que el foco de la formación de los estudiantes se desvíe de los conocimientos básicos y competencias de formación tanto en el trabajo experimental como en el conocimiento teórico. El proyecto se encuadra en el marco de la asignatura obligatoria Física Aplicada a Farmacia de Grado y Doble Grado en Farmacia, unas carreras con una elevada carga práctica y experimental.