Cristian Vilos

Universidad de Talca · Center for Medical Research

Ligand-based targeting of the receptors that are overexpressed explicitly on cancer cells represents an effective drug delivery approach to enhance the chemotherapeutic efficacy. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) which is a serine protease enzyme primarily produced by the liver cells, can potentially be used as a targeting ligan...

Potassium (K+) channels are highly regulated membrane proteins that control the potassium ion flux and respond to different cellular stimuli. These ion channels are grouped into three major families, Kv (voltage-gated K+ channel), Kir (inwardly rectifying K+ channel) and K2P (two-pore K+ channels), according to the structure, to mediate the K+ curr...

Background Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder characterized by muscle weakness, loss of muscle mass, and decline in the capacity of force generation. Aging can cause sarcopenia. Several therapeutic strategies have been evaluated to prevent or alleviate this disorder. One of them is angiotensin 1-7 [Ang-(1-7)], an a...

NOD1 is an intracellular receptor that, when activated, induces gene expression of pro-inflammatory factors promoting macrophages and neutrophils recruitment at the infection site. However, iE-DAP, the dipeptide agonist that promotes this receptor's activation, cannot permeate cell membranes. To develop a nanocarrier capable of achieving a high and...

Skeletal muscle is integral to the functioning of the human body. Several pathological conditions, such as trauma (primary lesion) or genetic diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), can affect and impair its functions or exceed its regeneration capacity. Tissue engineering (TE) based on natural, synthetic and hybrid biomaterials provide...

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is a combination of obesity and sarcopenia that primarily develops in older people. Patients with SO have high fat mass, low muscle mass, low muscle strength, and low physical function. SO relates to metabolic syndrome and an increased risk of morbimortality. The prevalence of SO varies because of lacking consensus criteria...

Denervation of skeletal muscles induces severe muscle atrophy, which is preceded by cellular alterations such as increased plasma membrane permeability, reduced resting membrane potential and accelerated protein catabolism. The factors that induce these changes remain unknown. Conversely, functional recovery following denervation depends on success...

Neutrophils are crucial modulators of the inflammation process, and their uncontrolled response worsens several chronic pathologies. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activity is critical for normal immune and inflammatory response through the regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines synthesis. In this work, we study the effect of h...

Background Sarcopenia is characterized by the loss of muscle mass and strength (muscle atrophy) because of aging or chronic diseases, such as chronic liver disease (CLD). Different mechanisms are involved in skeletal muscle atrophy, including decreased muscle fibre diameter and myosin heavy chain levels and increased ubiquitin–proteasome pathway ac...

Several molecular mechanisms are involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle function. Among them, mitochondrial activity can be identified. The mitochondria is an important and essential organelle in the skeletal muscle that is involved in metabolic regulation and ATP production, which are two key elements of muscle contractibility and plasticit...

Nanotechnology is generating a strong impact in preclinical and clinical drug development. The diversity of current nanotechnologies offers a broad platform used to enhance the performance of drug discovery screening, to develop sensitive and specific methods used to unveil the mechanisms behind the actions of drugs, to determine the function and i...

Nanotherapeutics is a promising field for numerous diseases and represents the forefront of modern medicine. In the present work, full atomistic computer simulations were applied to study poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The formation of this complex system was simulated using the reactive polarizable...

Calcium (Ca2+) ion concentration in the blood serum is tightly regulated, and any abnormalities in the level of serum calcium ion are associated with many potentially dangerous diseases. Thus, monitoring of Ca2+ ion concentration in the blood serum is of fundamental importance. Gold nanoparticle (GNP)-based colorimetric biosensors have enormous pot...

Skeletal muscle atrophy is a pathological condition mainly characterized by a loss of muscular mass and the contractile capacity of the skeletal muscle as a consequence of muscular weakness and decreased force generation. Cachexia is defined as a pathological condition secondary to illness characterized by the progressive loss of muscle mass with o...

Despite the numerous advantages offered by diverse platforms based on nanomedicine, several nanomaterials have shown significant cell toxicity that could induce chronic adverse effects on human health. Blood compatibility is one of the leading factors to consider for the design and development of nanosystems as therapeutics. Aforementioned is becau...

Growth factors have great therapeutic potential for various disease therapy and tissue engineering applications. However, their clinical efficacy is hampered by low bioavailability, rapid degradation in vivo and non-specific biodistribution. Nanoparticle based delivery systems are being evaluated to overcome these limitations. Herein, we have devel...

Although, antineoplastic therapies have now been developed reduction of tumor progression, it is necessary to find new therapeutic alternatives to suppress angiogenesis. Thus celecoxib (Cx) has been used for its antiangiogenic action in combination with certain polymeric compounds such as poly (lactic co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) acid, which help to im...

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is an endogenous protein that has shown significant effects in the promotion of bone formation. BMP also has been described in the reconstruction of traumatic and pathological bone defects, including alveolar cleft, alveolar ridge augmentation, maxillary sinus elevation, and applications in post-extraction alveolus...

The transforming growth factor type beta (TGF-β) induces skeletal muscle atrophy characterized by a decrease in fiber’s diameter and levels of myosin heavy chain (MHC), also as an increase of MuRF-1 expression. In addition, TGF-β induces muscle atrophy by a mechanism dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS). TGF-β signals by activating both canon...

Background: Nanotechnology is a science that involves imaging, measurement, modeling and a manipulation of matter at the nanometric scale. One application of this technology is drug delivery systems based on nanoparticles obtained from natural or synthetic sources. An example of these systems is synthetized from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxy...

Brain tumors display the highest mortality rates of all childhood cancers, and over the last decade its prevalence has steadily increased in elderly. To date, effective treatments for brain tumors and particularly for malignant gliomas remain a challenge mainly due to the low permeability and high selectivity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) to con...

Currently, dendrimers are molecules widely investigated due to its strong potential for biomedical (including diagnostic, drug discovery, and drug delivery platforms) and others applications. The requirements demanded by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a new drug application involve several analytical techniques for characterization, which al...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is highly prevalent worldwide, and despite notable progress in treatment still leads to significant morbidity and mortality. The use of nanoparticles as a drug delivery system has become one of the most promising strategies for cancer therapy. Targeted nanoparticles could take advantage of differentially expressed molecules...

Currently, several challenges prevent poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles from reaching clinical settings. Among these is a lack of understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of these particles. We have been studying in depth the formation of patchy polymeric particles. These particles are made of PLGA and lipid-...

In order to improve the cell seeding efficiency and cell compatibility inside porous tissue scaffolds, a method of fibrin gel-mediated cell encapsulation inside the scaffold was optimized. Disc-type poly(d,l-glycolic-co-lactic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds without a dense surface skin layer were fabricated using an established solvent casting and particul...

Inflammation is an essential protective biological response involving a coordinated cascade of signals between cytokines and immune signaling molecules that facilitate return to tissue homeostasis after acute injury or infection. However, inflammation is not effectively resolved in chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and can lead...

Injection of chymopapain, a proteolytic enzyme, has been used in clinics for the treatment of spinal disc herniation, which is the major cause of lower back pain. However, the fast and wide diffusion and spreading of the enzyme from the injection site limit its effect and could cause severe side effects. Pluronic based nano-carriers were employed f...

Advances in nanostructure materials are leading to novel strategies for drug delivery and targeting, contrast media for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), agents for hyperthermia and nanocarriers. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are useful for all of these applications, and in drug-release systems, SPIONs allow for the localizati...

Recent advances in the fields of biomaterials and nanotechnology have allowed the development of advanced nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Despite a vast number of nanostructures such as liposomes, solid–lipid nanocapsules, polymeric and hybrid lipid–polymer nanoparticles have been studied as carriers for drug delivery for different patho...

Thrombophilias is a recognized risk factor for thrombotic events. The prothrombin variant G20210A gene mutation has been commonly examined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Currently, in many clinical laboratories , performing the PCR in real-time technique, which, in addition to identifying the G20210A mutation, makes possible the detection o...

The remarkably high intracellular concentration of reducing agents is an excellent endogenous stimulus for designing nanocarriers programmed for intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. However, despite their excellent biodegradability profiles, aliphatic polyesters that are fully degradable in response to the intracellular reducing environmen...

Drug delivery systems based on polymeric microparticles represent an interesting field of development for the treatment of several infectious diseases for humans and animals. In this work, we developed PLGA microparticles loaded with ceftiofur (PLGA-cef), a third- generation cephalosporin that is used exclusively used in animals. PLGA-cef was prepa...

Protein therapeutics have gained attention recently for treatment of a myriad of human diseases due to their high potency and unique mechanisms of action. We present the development of a novel polymeric thermosponge nanoparticle for efficient delivery of labile proteins using a solvent-free polymer thermo-expansion mechanism with clinical potential...

Collaborative efforts from the fields of biology, materials science, and engineering are leading to exciting progress in the development of nanomedicines. Since the targets of many therapeutic agents are localized in subcellular compartments, modulation of nanoparticle-cell interactions for an efficient cellular uptake through the plasma membrane,...

Despite the high number of antibiotics used for the treatment of infectious disease in animals, the development of slow release formulations presents a significant challenge, particularly in using novel biomaterials with low cost. In this report, we studied the pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and therapeutic activity of ceftiofur-PHBV (ceftiofur-poly(3...

Image showing morphological signs of liver regeneration, without microparticle waste in the ceftiofur–PHBV group. Notes: Liver sections were stained with H&E. Original magnification 40×. Abbreviations: H&E, hematoxylin and eosin; PHBV, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate).

Increment of weight of rats obtained in the toxicological evaluation at high doses of microparticles. Abbreviations: PHBV, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate); PHBV–Ø, empty microparticles.

Increment of weight of rats obtained in the toxicological evaluation at the therapeutic dose. Abbreviations: PHBV, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate); PHBV–Ø, empty microparticles.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles are used in various disorders for the controlled or sustained release of drugs, with the management of salivary gland pathologies possible using this technology. There is no record of the response to such microparticles in the glandular parenchyma. The purpose of this study was to assess the morph...

Background: The progress in material science and the recent advances in biodegradable/biocompatible polymers and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have led to develop innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for diseases based on multifunctional nanoparticles, which include contrast medium for magnetic resonance imaging, agent for hyperther...

This report is an integrated study to include the molecular simulation, physicochemical characterization and biological analysis of a paclitaxel-loaded PHBV nanoparticle that demonstrates uptake, release and cytotoxicity in cancer cell lines. Taking this nanoparticle one step closer to its use in a clinical setting, we demonstrate that it causes si...

The infectious diseases in the livestock breeding industry represent a significant drawback that generates substantial economic loss and have led to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. The formulation of polymeric microparticles loaded with antibiotics for veterinary use can: reduce the number of required doses; protect the drug from inactivatio...

The development of the field of materials science, the ability to perform multidisciplinary scientific work, and the need for novel administration technologies that maximize therapeutic effects and minimize adverse reactions to readily available drugs have led to the development of delivery systems based on microencapsulation, which has taken one s...

Speedy delivery: Biodegradable and biocompatible polymers and lipids form hybrid core/shell nanoparticles (see picture, left) that show promising in vitro and in vivo results for delivering siRNA. The unique lipid-polymer-lipid nanostructure is elucidated by electron and fluorescence microscopy (right) and provides the delivery system with distinct...

The administration of microencapsulated drug in a matrix acid poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) by intramuscular (IM) in humans has been approved by the FDA for various applications though it is not clear what effect they have on the morphological parameters of muscle tissue. The aim of this study was to analyze the morphological changes in the...

The endometrium is a dynamic tissue whose changes are driven by the ovarian steroidal hormones. Its main function is to provide an adequate substrate for embryo implantation. Using microarray technology, several reports have provided the gene expression patterns of human endometrial tissue during the window of implantation. However it is required t...

The unprecedented scientific development achieved in recent years by the nanotechnology has created a new dimension in the technological, medical and economic development set a global impact. Advances in strategies for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases foresee an important role of the nanotechnology in the emerging field applied to d...